Rafael Nadal is retiring from professional tennis at the age of 38, he shared in a video message on Thursday. He has won 22 Grand Slam titles, including 14 at the French Open, during a remarkable time in tennis alongside rivals Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic.
Due to injuries, Nadal has played very little over the last two seasons and announced that next month’s Davis Cup finals will be his last event. He had hip surgery in 2023 and participated in only two of the last eight major tournaments.
“The reality is that it has been some difficult years, these last two, especially. I don’t think I have been able to play without limitations,” Nadal said. “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.”
Nadal’s intense and physical playing style, where he chased every point as if it were his last, made him one of the greatest players in tennis and earned him the title of King of Clay, the surface on which he excelled.
His 14 French Open titles are the most won by anyone, male or female, at any of the four major tournaments. This achievement is honored by a statue of Nadal near the entrance of the Roland Garros grounds, close to the main stadium, Court Philippe Chatrier.
In a match that reflected his struggles, he was eliminated in the first round of the French Open this year, losing in straight sets to eventual runner-up Alexander Zverev.
Nadal returned to the same venue for the Summer Olympics, where he lost to his long-time rival Djokovic in the second round of singles and made it to the quarterfinals of men’s doubles with Carlos Alcaraz. He hasn’t played since then. His farewell will take place while representing Spain in Malaga at the Davis Cup.
“Your legacy won’t be matched,” said Alcaraz, who is seen as Nadal’s successor in Spanish tennis, on Thursday. “I have enjoyed you and I will miss you very much when you retire after the Davis Cup.”
Stars from the sports world, including soccer legends Cristiano Ronaldo and Kylian Mbappé, also honored Nadal.
Along with his French Open victories, Nadal won four titles at the U.S. Open and two each at Wimbledon and the Australian Open, achieving a career Grand Slam.
“I think it is the right time to end a career that has been long and more successful than I could have ever imagined,” Nadal stated.
His last two major titles came in 2022, at the Australian Open in January and at the French Open in June, which put him ahead of Federer, who had held the men’s record of 20 Grand Slam titles before retiring at age 41. Federer said goodbye in late 2022 by playing a doubles match with Nadal at the Laver Cup.
Both of them have now been surpassed by Djokovic, who is 37 and has 24 major titles.
Much of Nadal’s success was viewed, fairly or not, through the lens of his matches against Federer and Djokovic. The tennis world, and many others, were caught up in debates about who deserved the title of “GOAT” — “Greatest Of All-Time.” Their matchups, along with their different styles and personalities, captivated fans.
Who could forget matches like Nadal vs. Federer in the 2008 Wimbledon final, or Nadal vs. Djokovic in the 2022 French Open quarterfinals, or Nadal vs. Djokovic in the 2012 Australian Open final?
Nadal faced Djokovic 60 times, a record for two men in the Open era; Djokovic leads 31-29 overall, while Nadal has a slight edge in Slam finals at 5-4. Nadal played Federer 40 times, leading 24-16 overall, including 6-3 in Slam finals.
“Thank you for the unforgettable memories and all your incredible achievements in the game we love,” Federer shared with Nadal on social media.
It’s fitting that Nadal’s last major title was at the French Open two years ago, where he defeated Djokovic while receiving painkilling injections for ongoing issues in his left foot. Throughout his career, he faced and often overcame many injuries, and both his 2023 and 2024 seasons were affected by hip and abdominal muscle problems.
Nadal injured his hip flexor during a second-round loss at the Australian Open in January 2023, which caused him to miss the rest of the year. He underwent surgery for it in June.
After a brief return this January in a warm-up event for the Australian Open, he had to withdraw from the tournament due to a torn hip muscle, and he was out again until he returned to play on his favorite surface at the Barcelona Open in April.
Since late 2022, when he lost in the fourth round at the U.S. Open to Frances Tiafoe, Nadal has a record of 14 wins and 14 losses, including 12 wins and 7 losses this year.
However, his overall achievements are impressive: he spent a total of 209 weeks as the No. 1 player in the ATP rankings and has been in the Top 10 for nearly 18 years; he has won 92 singles titles and has a win-loss record of 1,080-227; he has earned nearly $135 million in prize money.
“Really, everything I have experienced has been a dream come true,” Nadal said. “I leave with the absolute peace of mind of having given my best, of having made an effort in every way.”
