Tennis legend calls it quits: Rafael Nadal ends his career

The Spaniard Rafael Nadal has announced his retirement as a professional tennis player.

The 22nd time Grand Slam-Tournament winner shared on his Social media-Channels announced that he will finally end his career after this season. He is very happy that the final round of the Davis Cups His last tournament will be in Malaga from November 19th to 24th, said Nadal. The 38-year-old will compete there again for his home country of Spain.

Recent difficult years

“The reality is that the last two years have been very difficult. I don’t think I’ve been able to play without restrictions.”said Rafael Nadal. The injury-plagued clay court king, who, among other things, achieved 14 wins at the French Open Having set numerous tennis records, it is considered one of the greatest of its sports.

Nadal had already announced in May of the previous year that he wanted to end his glorious career in 2024. However, he added the following qualification: “I can’t say 100 percent because you never know what’s going to happen.”

Federer: “Time eats away at you”

His former long-term rival Roger Federer, who retired in 2022, recently encouraged Nadal to take this step. “Time eats away at you. In the end, it might be helpful to make a decision at some point. And then, when it’s over, you’re just relaxed again and say: Oh, luckily no training, Luckily no more matches”said the Swiss on the sidelines of the Laver Cup in Berlin, which he co-initiated. Rafael Nadal had to cancel participation in the team competition.

Previously, Nadal was also with the for fitness reasons Grand Slam-Tournaments US Open, Wimbledon and Australian Open not started. Nadal made his last appearance on the Grand Slam stage in May at the French Open, when he lost to German tennis star Alexander Zverev in three sets in the first round.

Now Federer wrote in Instagram: “What a career, Rafa! I always hoped this day would never come. Thank you for the unforgettable memories and all your incredible mistakes in this game we love so much. It was an absolute honor.” And Carlos Alcaraz wrote at X: “Rafael Nadal, thank you for everything.” Boris Becker also paid tribute to Nadal on his next farewell to the tour. “Thank you very much, Rafa. “You have made the tennis world a better place.”said Becker on Instagram.

Many titles – but also many injuries

In addition to his 14 victories at the French Open, Nadal also triumphed four times at the US Open and twice each at Wimbledon and at the Australian Open. He was number one in the world rankings for a total of 209 weeks and collected more than 134 million euros in prize money alone. Together with Federer and Novak Djokovic, Nadal formed the “Big Three” that dominated men’s tennis for almost two decades.

But Nadal’s powerful and intensive playing style takes its toll. During his career, the Mallorcan was repeatedly set back by injuries. He was particularly troubled by Müller-Weiss syndrome, a rare disease in which the bone tissue of the scaphoid bone in the foot skeleton dies. At times he seemed to be exploiting his own body during his many comebacks.

“My life and body have been sending me signals for a long time”Rafael Nadal said in the spring. Nevertheless, he struggled back onto the pitch because he wanted to enjoy the game that he loved so much and that had given him so much one last time. And to say goodbye.