Courtesy: X
On Thursday, October 10, Rafael Nadal, the 22-time Grand Slam champion, announced his retirement from professional tennis in an emotional post on his official X account, talking about the difficult last couple of years on and off the court. The Spanish tennis star confirmed that he will be playing his final match at the end of the ongoing season, making an appearance for Spain at the Davis Cup Finals in Malaga in November of this year.
Notably, after turning professional in 2001, during his illustrious career, Rafael Nadal won the French Open on a whopping 14 occasions, apart from four US Open, two Australian and Wimbledon titles. He also won the gold medal twice at the Olympics, in the men’s singles at the Beijing 2008 and the men’s doubles alongside Marc Lopez at the Rio 2016 apart from winning five Davis Cup titles for Spain, with the latest one in 2019.
The reality is that it has been some difficult years, the last two especially.: Rafael Nadal
In an emotional post on his official X account, Rafael Nadal confirmed his retirement from professional tennis and why he took the decision to leave the sport after being on the ATP World Tour for more than 23 years. The Spaniard was quoted as saying, “I am here to let you know I am retiring from professional tennis. The reality is that it has been some difficult years, the last two especially. I don't think I have been able to play without limitations.”
Watch the emotional video of Rafael Nadal announcing his professional tennis retirement:
“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 ever have imagined. I’m very excited that my last tournament will be the final of the Davis Cup and representing my country,” stated Rafael Nadal on when his journey on the professional tennis circuit will end. Notably, he will be retiring as the second highest Grand Slam men’s singles winner, only two titles behind his counterpart Novak Djokovic from Serbia.
