It’s over. Rafael Nadal has to end his great tennis career.
The body can no longer take part: Spanish tennis legend Rafael Nadal is retiring. He has won 22 Grand Slam titles in his career.
Rafael Nadal retires after 22 Grand Slam victories. The 38-year-old announced this on X. Only one player, Novak Djokovic, has won more major tournaments. In Paris alone, at Roland Garros, he triumphed 14 times.
Roger Federer also made a comment under the video with which Nadal announced his retirement. The Swiss former professional wrote: “What a career, Rafa! I always hoped this day would never come.” He also thanked them for the unforgettable memories that connect the two of them (more on that below). At the same time he congratulated the Spaniard. «Thank you for all your incredible achievements in the game we love. It was an incredible honor.”
There has been speculation about his resignation for a long time
The Spaniard will have his last major appearance in Malaga. There he will compete again for his country in the Davis Cup from November 19th to 24th. Recently he has been repeatedly plagued by injuries.
He had also repeatedly hinted at a possible resignation. At the French Open in early summer of this year he lost in the starting round against Alexander Zverev. Afterwards he said: “If it was my last game here, I can only say thank you. The support this week was great.” And then: “I hope to see you next year.”
Later, in August at the Olympic Games, he failed in the round of 16 against eventual Olympic champion Novak Djokovic. By the way, Nadal also has this title in his Palmarès. He won Olympic gold in Beijing. That was 2008.
Epic duels with Federer
The numbers about Rafael Nadal’s career are impressive: He is one of eight players who won all four Grand Slam tournaments in their career. He achieved this in 2010 at the age of 24, becoming the youngest player in the Open Era. And: He is one of four players who have won every Grand Slam tournament at least twice.
Many duels with Roger Federer are also unforgettable. For example, the final at Wimbledon in 2008. This game is also commonly referred to as the best “Grand Slam final of all time”. Nadal won the epic battle at nightfall after 4:48 hours of play 6:4, 6:4, 6:7, 6:7 and 9:7.
Years later, in 2017 at the Australian Open, Nadal lost out to the Swiss in the final. Federer returned after an absence of several months and surprised the tennis world by triumphing Down Under. The Spaniard lost to the Swiss in the final 4:6, 6:3, 1:6, 6:3 and 3:6.
Last but not least, it will probably not be forgotten how Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer sat together on a bench during the Swiss’s farewell match at the Laver Cup in September 2022, listening to Ellie Goulding and letting their tears flow uninhibitedly.
