Introduction: 22-time Grand Slam

MADRID (AP) — Rafael Nadal announced
Thursday he will retire from professional
tennis at age 38 after winning 22 Grand Slam

titles (14 at the French Open), an
unprecedented streak shared with rivals Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic.

Nadal has played sporadically over the
past two seasons due to injury and has
announced he will not take part in next
month’s Davis Cup final. He underwent hip surgery

in 2023 and played in just two of
the last eight major league games.
“The truth is, it’s been a tough few
years, especially the last two. I don’t

think I can play without limits,” Nadal
said in a video message. “Obviously,
this difficult decision came at the right
time for me.” But everything in this
life has a beginning and an end.

Nadal’s tireless physical play—following
every point with the last, a sprint with
a backhand whip—has made him one
of the game’s best players and the
undisputed king of the clay court.

His record-breaking 14 men’s and
women’s French Open tennis victories, which
he won at all four major tournaments, are

commemorated by the Nadal statue next to
the main entrance of Roland Garros and his
dominant presence in its shadow. Acquittal, trial Philippe Chatrier.

It’s certainly fitting that Nadal won his last major title

Two years ago at the French Open (where he beat Djokovic along the way) while also receiving painkillers for chronic pain in his left leg. He has battled and often overcome various injury issues over the years, and his playing time in the 2023 and 2024 seasons was limited by hip and abdominal issues.

Nadal injured his hip flexor in a second-round loss at the Australian Open in January 2023 and was sidelined for the rest of the year. I had surgery in June.

After a brief comeback in January during a conditioning competition for the Australian Open, he dropped out of the year’s first major with a hip strain, then returned to his favorite clay court in Barcelona in 2019. He was gone again until the Open. April.

Nadal was just 14-14, including 12-7 this year, until his fourth-round loss to Francis Tiafoe at Flushing Meadows in late 2022.

However, his entire career is impeccable. He was No. 1 in the ATP rankings for a total of 209 weeks and was in the top 10 for almost 18 consecutive years. 92 singles titles. The win-loss record is 1080 wins and 227 defeats. The total prize money is only $135 million.

“Really, everything I experienced was a dream,” Nadal said. “I’m relieved that I did my best and tried every step.”