Spanish tennis superstar Rafael Nadal has announced that he will retire from professional tennis at the end of this season.
The 22-time Grand Slam champion made the announcement in a video message on Thursday.
In the video, the 38-year-old said, “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.”
Nadal’s final tournament will be the Davis Cup Finals in Malaga this November. Spain is set to face the Netherlands in the quarter-finals from November 19 to 21. Nadal had not played since the Paris Olympics earlier this year due to injury but has been included in the squad for this important match.
Over his remarkable 23-year career, Nadal has won 14 French Open titles, four US Opens, and two titles each at Wimbledon and the Australian Open. He is considered one of the greatest clay court players of all time. His long-standing rivalries with Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic have produced some of the most memorable moments in sports history, with the three of them together winning 66 Grand Slam titles.
Nadal reflected on his career, saying, “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. I’m very excited that my last tournament will be the final of the Davis Cup, representing my country. I think I’ve come full circle since one of my first joys as a professional tennis player was the Davis Cup final in Seville in 2004.”
