Rafael Nadal hangs up his racket. The Spaniard has announced his tennis retirement with a video on social media. Nadal says goodbye as one of the all-time greats, with a total of 22 Grand Slam titles.
Rafael Nadal’s tennis retirement is not a huge surprise. The now 38-year-old Spaniard has been plagued by injuries for some time and will hang up his tennis racket after the Davis Cup in November (in Malaga).
“I would like to let you know that I am retiring from professional tennis,” Nadal said in a video he shared on social media on Thursday. “The last 2 years have been difficult for me. I could no longer play without hindrance. It was a difficult decision to stop, but the moment is right.”
The last 2 years have been difficult for me.
Rafael Nadal
Nadal can say goodbye as one of the best tennis players in history and with the status of the best clay court player ever.
The Spaniard won a total of 22 Grand Slams, 14 of which were on the clay of Roland Garros. He also triumphed 4 times at the US Open and 2 times at both the Australian Open and Wimbledon.
In total, Nadal won 92 tournaments on the ATP circuit, where he won more than 80 percent of his matches. The Spaniard is also a two-time Olympic champion: in 2008 he won gold in singles, in 2016 he also won gold in doubles.
My career has been longer and more successful than I could ever have imagined.
Rafael Nadal
Nadal, blessed with a magical left hand, is, together with Andre Agassi and Novak Djokovic, the only one who managed to win all Grand Slam tournaments and the Olympic Games in his career. He collected almost 125 million euros in prize money during his long career.
“My career has been longer and more successful than I ever dared to dream. In my last tournament I will represent my country in the Davis Cup and that will complete the circle for me.”
“After all, one of my first successes in tennis was the 2004 Davis Cup final in Seville. I’m glad I was able to experience it all.”
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