Legendary tennis player Rafael Nadal is hanging up his racket, for good.
On Thursday, October 10, the 22-time Grand Slam winner announced his retirement, confirming the news via a video message posted to his social media accounts. The 38-year-old Spaniard shared he would make his final appearance on the court at the Davis Cup Finals in Malaga. The message settled widespread speculation that the 2024 season would be his last, following questions over the past few years.
“The reality is that it has been some difficult years, these last two especially,” Rafael Nadal said in the statement. “I don’t think I have been able to play without limitations. It is obviously a difficult decision, one that has taken me some time to make. But in this life, everything has a beginning and an end, and I think it’s the time to put an end to a career that has been long and much more successful than I could have ever imagined.”
While the post highlights the impressive path of Nadal’s career, it also serves as a thank you to everyone who has supported him on and off the court. He takes the time to thank his wife, María Francisca Perelló Pascual and their family. “Family is everything to me,” he says in the video, giving recognition to his parents, uncle, and his son, Rafael Nadal Jr., too.
His news makes Nadal the latest tennis legend of the early 2000s to announce their retirement, following Roger Federer and Serena Williams, who both retired from tennis in 2022.
Rafael Nadal is widely considered one of the greatest tennis players of all time, and the numbers speak for themselves. He is regularly dubbed the “King of Clay” thanks to having the longest streak of wins on a clay court and his 14 singles titles at Roland Garros. He also has the longest streak of remaining undefeated for 81 weeks, from 2005 to 2007. Not to mention, he also remains the only male player in history to win a Career Grand Slam and an Olympic gold medal in both singles and doubles. Elsewhere, Nadal has been celebrated for his philanthropic work, including his foundation tennis academy based in his hometown of Manacor on the island of Mallorca. His eye for style has also seen him serve as a face for labels such as Lanvin, Richard Mille, and Armani, and in 2022, he launched his first series of fragrances in partnership with the French perfume house Henry Jacques. Of course, he has his own partnership with Nike.
Over the past few years, Nadal has been open about his multiple injuries, despite having bounced back from a foot injury in 2022 to securing a win at the Australian Open over Daniil Medvedev, making him the second man in the Open Era, following Novak Djokovic, to complete the double Career Grand Slam. Last year, in an interview with the Spanish outlet Movistar, he hinted that the 2024 season may be his last.
Rafa’s final performance at the Davis Cup in November, in which he is expected to play alongside tennis star and close friend Carlos Alcaraz – is positively going to be an emotional one – and will end the chapter on one of the most memorable and wonderful careers in tennis history. The tennis world will always miss seeing Rafael Nadal, the King of Clay, swing his racket on the court.
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