The final serve: Rafael Nadal announces retirement from Tennis

October 10, Wednesday marked a sad day for the tennis fans, as the seasoned Spaniard Rafael Nadal announced his retirement. Putting an end to months of speculations, Rafael Nadal, through a heartfelt social media post, declared his exit from the professional ATP career. The 38-year-old Spaniard will mark the Davis Cup final as his last tournament in the sport. The veteran star has been struggling with injuries and has featured sporadically over the last two ATP seasons.

Rafael Nadal pulls the curtain on his illustrious ATP career

Rafael Nadal, regarded as one of the greatest tennis players in history, has officially announced his retirement. With Nadal’s retirement, an illustrated career that witnessed title victories in 22 Grand Slam events, comes to conclusion. The Spaniard took to social media where he informed of his decision through an emotional video in which he thanked his supporters for standing by him throughout his journey.

“I’m here to let you know that I am retiring from professional tennis. 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. It is obviously a difficult decision, one that has taken me some time to make," Nadal began.

Rafael Nadal is regarded as one of the Big three in tennis along with Roger Federer and Novak Dojokovic. The Spaniard has been relentless in his tennis exploits, and as a result of his excellence achieved a particularly adorned record on clay. Nadal over his 22 years long ATP career has claimed a record 14 French Open titles. After Federer’s retirement in 2022, Nadal has also experienced his fair share of trouble with injuries. The formidable Spaniard has rarely featured in ATP events over the last two seasons. His last appearance came at the 2024 Paris Olympics before missing out on the US Open, Davis Cup, and Laver Cup.

“But in this life, everything has a beginning and an end, and I think it’s the appropriate time to put an end to a career that has been long and much more successful than I could have ever imagined,” he added.

Mil gracias a todos
Many thanks to all
Merci beaucoup à tous
Grazie mille à tutti
谢谢大家
شكرا لكم جميعا
תודה לכולכם
Obrigado a todos
Vielen Dank euch allen
Tack alla
Хвала свима
Gràcies a tots pic.twitter.com/7yPRs7QrOi

— Rafa Nadal (@RafaelNadal) October 10, 2024

His final appearance will be at the Davis Cup finals this November in Malaga, marking the end of his extraordinary career. Spain is set to face the Netherlands in the quarter-finals from 19 to 21 November, with Nadal joining the team after recovering from an injury that sidelined him during the group stage. In 2004, a young Nadal played a crucial role in Spain's Davis Cup triumph, a moment he reminisced about while announcing his retirement.

“But I am very excited that my last tournament will be the final of the Davis Cup and representing my country. I think I’ve come full circle, since one of my first great joys as a professional tennis player was the Davis Cup final in Seville in 2004,” Nadal further expressed.

 The 38-year-old tennis ace went on to thank his rivals in his retirement video as he expressed his contentment with the time of his farewell in the game. The Spaniard is likely to play with the rising Tennis sensation, Carlos Alcaraz at the Davis Cup final later this season.