- Rafael Nadal has announced his retirement from elite sport at the age of 38.
- The Spaniard’s last major appearance will be in Malaga, where he will play in the final round of the Davis Cup with Spain (November 19th to 24th).
- With 22 Grand Slam titles, Nadal is one of the most successful tennis players in history.
What was in the air for a long time is now a fact: tennis star Rafael Nadal is ending his career after this season. As the 22-time Grand Slam winner said in an emotional video message on Thursday X announced that the Davis Cup finals in November in Malaga, which he will play with Spain, will be the last tournament for the 38-year-old.
«In life everything has a beginning and an end. “I think it’s the right moment to end my career,” he said, looking back on his career in a video message. «The reality is that the last two years have been very difficult. I wasn’t able to play without restrictions,” said the 38-year-old.
In the video he also pays tribute to his long-time rivals Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic: “I spent so many hours with them. They are moments that I will probably never forget.” Nadal had already announced in May of the previous year that he wanted to end his glorious career in 2024. However, he added: “I can’t say 100 percent because you never know what will happen.”
A power on sand
The Spaniard looks back on an extremely successful career. The native Mallorcan was practically invincible on clay. He lifted the trophy 14 times at the French Open, plus two titles each at the Australian Open and Wimbledon and four titles at the US Open. With 22 titles at major level, he leaves all tennis greats behind him, apart from Djokovic (24).
Nadal’s 22 major titles in flashback
1 / 22 Nummer 1 – French Open 2005 The then 19-year-old Rafael Nadal became the first player since Mats Wilander in 1982 to win Paris on his debut. It is the starting signal for an almost unearthly dominance. imago images / Ray Giubilo
2 / 22 Nummer 2 – French Open 2006 When he won his second title in Roland Garros, the Spaniard had 60 wins in a row on clay – number 54 was already the all-time record. It is the 1st of a total of 6 major titles in which Roger Federer is the final opponent. imago images/Paul Zimmer
3 / 22 Nummer 3 – French Open 2007 Nadal completes the Paris hat trick. Federer is left behind again. A small downside from the Spaniard’s point of view: Shortly before, the Swiss defeated him in Hamburg and thus interrupted Nadal’s series of 81 victories on his favorite surface. imago images / Belgian
4 / 22 Nummer 4 – French Open 2008 For the first time at the French Open, the duel between Nadal and Federer is pretty one-sided. The “Bull of Manacor” only lost 4 games on the way to his 4th Grand Slam title. imago images / Paul Zimmer
5 / 22 Number 5 – Wimbledon 2008 In one of the most dramatic games in tennis history, Nadal wrestles his long-time rival Federer in his “living room”. It is the longest men’s singles final in over 130 years of Wimbledon – and the first major title for Nadal outside of Paris. Keystone / FELIPE TRUEBA
6 / 22 Number 6 – Australian Open 2009 Another epic five-set match between the two best tennis players at the time goes to Nadal. This means he wins his first Grand Slam title on hard court and also takes his first singles tournament victory from Melbourne to Spain. imago images / Xinhua
7 / 22 Nummer 7 – French Open 2010 A year after he surprisingly failed in the round of 16 in Paris against Robin Söderling (Federer won the title), the Sand King is back on his throne. Thanks to an outstanding tournament without losing a set, the Spaniard (previously ranked 4th) is once again advancing to the position of first in the world rankings. Keystone / LIONEL CIRONNEAU
8 / 22 Number 8 – Wimbledon 2010 2nd title at Wimbledon, 8th overall at a Grand Slam tournament: Nadal is slowly but surely making his way into the history books. This time it’s not Federer waiting in the final, but his conqueror in the quarterfinals, Tomas Berdych. Keystone / ANJA NIEDRINGHAUS
9 / 22 Number 9 – US Open 2010 Another record: Nadal becomes the 7th and youngest player to win all 4 majors at the age of 24. During the entire tournament, Nadal only played 5 service games and defeated the then 23-year-old Novak Djokovic in the final. Keystone / CHARLES KRUPA
10 / 22 Nummer 10 – French Open 2011 For Nadal, number 6 in Paris means equaling Björn Borg’s all-time record. Federer once again lost out to the Spaniard on the red surface, this time in a hard-fought 3:40 hours. imago images / Xinhua
11 / 22 Nummer 11 – French Open 2012 He moves into the fourth Grand Slam final in a row without losing a set. In the match, which was played over two days due to rain interruptions, Nadal beat Djokovic in four sets. The 7th Paris title makes him the sole record winner. imago images / Icon Sportswire
12 / 22 Nummer 12 – French Open 2013 After a long break due to injury, Nadal is – of course – back on his favorite terrain. He easily defeated David Ferrer in 3 sets and, with Triumph No. 8, became the player with the most titles at a single tournament. imago images / Claus Bergmann
13 / 22 Number 13 – US Open 2013 After the early Wimbledon out, Nadal crowned his outstanding hard court season (tournament wins in Montreal and Cincinnati) with his second title in Flushing Meadows. In the final he defeated Djokovic in three sets. imago images / Newspix
14 / 22 Nummer 14 – French Open 2014 Paris remains Nadal’s territory: After four final defeats in a row against Djokovic, he defeated the Serb once again at the French Open and defended his lead in the world rankings. His record at Roland Garros: 66:1 wins. imago images / PanoramiC
15 / 22 Nummer 15 – French Open 2017 After various setbacks and injuries, Nadal is back in 2017: he is celebrating an anniversary with his 10th victory at the French Open, “La Decima”. This year too, the Sand King remains without losing a set. imago images / Shutterstock
16 / 22 Number 16 – US Open 2017 Despite a mediocre autumn, the Spaniard suddenly finds himself in the final of the US Open. There he gives surprise man Kevin Anderson no chance in three sets. IMAGO / USA TODAY Network
17 / 22 Nummer 17 – French Open 2018 Despite ongoing health problems, Nadal set out to defeat his now biggest clay opponent Dominic Thiem in the 2018 final. This is achieved in a convincing manner and in 3 sentences. The Spaniard is the first player to win a major tournament in 12 different seasons. IMAGO / USA TODAY Network
18 / 22 Nummer 18 – French Open 2019 A year later, almost the same picture: Nadal is once again a size too big for Thiem. At least he allows the Austrian a sentence this time. IMAGO / USA TODAY Network
19 / 22 Number 19 – US Open 2019 In a hard-fought five-set match against the up-and-coming Daniil Medvedev, Nadal takes title No. 4 at the US Open. By reaching the final, he equalized Federer’s record of at least 5 final appearances in all 4 Grand Slam tournaments. imago images / USA TODAY Network
20 / 22 Nummer 20 – French Open 2020 At the French Open, which was postponed to October due to Corona, Nadal defeated Djokovic in 3 easy sets and won the 13th trophy in his favorite tournament. With his 20th major title he draws level with Federer. IMAGO / Hasenkopf
21 / 22 Number 21 – Australian Open 2022 In over 5 hours, the Spaniard defeated Medvedev despite being 0-2 down and secured the sole Grand Slam record. Keystone / DAVE HUNT
22 / 22 Nummer 22 – French Open 2022 The “Sand King” par excellence: In Paris he won his 14th title and at the same time extended his Grand Slam record. He only lost 6 games against Casper Ruud in the final. Keystone
With 209 weeks as number 1, he is number 6 in this category, without Federer and Djokovic being active at the same time it would be much more. The Mallorcan was also Olympic champion in singles in 2008 and in doubles in 2016 (with Marc Lopez).
Plagued by injuries
Nadal’s career was repeatedly marked by injuries. Since his last victory at the French Open in June 2022, during which he had to anesthetize his foot with painkillers for each use, he has only played 37 singles. In his “living room” in Paris, he had to give up in the first round this year after a defeat against Alexander Zverev.
In the run-up to the Olympic Games he reached another ATP final in Bastad, but nothing came of his 93rd title. His body no longer allowed him to chase victories against the best.
