Sports

Rafael Nadal retires from tennis at the age of 38

MADRID (AP) Rafael Nadal will retire from professional tennis at the age of 38, he announced in a video message Thursday, after winning 22 Grand Slam titles, including 14 at the French Open. an unprecedented era he shared with rivals Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic.

Nadal has not competed often over the past two seasons due to injuries and said next month's Davis Cup final will mark his retirement from the sport. He had hip surgery in 2023 and has competed in just two of the past eight major tournaments.

The reality is that it has been a difficult few years, especially the last two. I don't think I was able to play without limitations, Nadal said. It is of course a difficult decision, which took me some time. But in this life everything has a beginning and an end.

Nadal's relentless, physical style of play, chasing every point as if it were his last, sprinting and sliding into place for that high-bouncing bullwhip of a left forehand saw him one of the greats of the game and the undisputed King of Clay, the slow, red surface on which he dominated.

His record 14 French Open championships are more than anyone, man or woman, has won at any of the sport's four major tournaments, a dominance celebrated by a statue of Nadal that stands at the main entrance to the Roland Garros grounds and in the shadow of the main stadium, Court Philippe Chatrier.

With a result that symbolized where things stood for his body and career, he exited the first round of this year's French Opens, an outright loss to eventual runner-up Alexander Zverev.

Nadal returned to that southwest Paris venue for the Summer Olympics, where he lost to his old rival Djokovic in the second round of the singles and reached the quarterfinals of the men's doubles with Carlos Alcaraz.

Nadal has not played since. His farewell will also come when he represents Spain in Malaga in the Davis Cup.

In addition to his triumphs at the French Open, he won four trophies at the US Open and two at Wimbledon and the Australian Open, giving him a Grand Slam career.

“I think this is the right time to end a career that has been long and much more successful than I could ever have imagined,” Nadal said.

FILE – Rafael Nadal bites into the trophy after beating Tomas Berdych in the men's singles final on Center Court during the All England Lawn Tennis Championships in Wimbledon, Sunday, July 4, 2010. (AP Photo/Anja Niedringhaus, File)

His last few major titles came in 2022, in Melbourne in January and in Paris in June, putting him ahead of Federer, who held the men's record of 20 Grand Slam singles titles when he announced his retirement at the age of 41. Federer retired at the end of 2022 teaming up with Nadal in a doubles match at the Laver Cup.

Both have since been surpassed by Djokovic, 37, who has achieved 24 majors.

Much of Nadal's success, rightly or not, was seen through the prism of his encounters with Federer and Djokovic. The tennis world, and many beyond, were consumed with the debate over which one most deserved the name GOAT Greatest Of All-Time. The world, tennis or otherwise, was fascinated by their matchups, their different styles and personalities.

Who among those who witnessed it could forget Nadal versus Federer in the 2008 Wimbledon final? Or Nadal vs Djokovic in the Quarterfinals of the French Open 2022? Or Nadal versus Djokovic in the 2012 Australian Open final? And so on.

Nadal has played Djokovic sixty times, a record for two men in the Open era; Djokovic leads 31-29 overall, while Nadal leads 5-4 in the Slam final. Nadal met Federer 40 times; Nadal leads 24-16 overall, including 6-3 in the Slam final.

Thank you for the unforgettable memories and all your incredible achievements in the game we love, Federer told Nadal via social media.

That is certainly appropriate Nadal's last major title came at the French Open (he beat Djokovic on the road) two years ago, and while receiving painkilling injections for chronic pain in his left foot. He repeatedly dealt with and often overcame various injuries over the years, and his 2023 and 2024 seasons were both limited due to hip and abdominal problems.

Nadal hurt his hip flexor in a second-round defeat at the Australian Open in January 2023, and ultimately missed the rest of the year; there was an operation for this in June.

After making a brief comeback in a tune-up event for the Australian Open last January, he was forced to withdraw from the first major of the year with a torn hip muscle and was sidelined again until a return to his beloved clay at the Barcelona Open in April.

Dating back to late 2022, when he was defeated by Frances Tiafoe in the fourth round at Flushing Meadows, Nadal is now just 14-14, including 12-7 this year.

But his overall resume is undeniable: a total of 209 weeks at No. 1 in the ATP rankings and nearly 18 years of consecutive weeks in the Top 10; 92 singles titles; 1,080-227 win-loss record; just under $135 million in prize money.

In fact, everything I have experienced has been a dream come true, Nadal said. I leave with absolute peace of mind that I did my best, that I did my best in every way possible.