Rafael Nadal, king of clay who has contributed to writing some of the most memorable pages in the history of tennis since 2001, announced Thursday that he would retire from sports in November, with a phenomenal record including 22 Grand Slams.
“I think the time has come to end my career, which has been long and much more successful than I could have imagined,” said the 38-year-old Mallorcan in a video broadcast on his X account.
Let down by his body these last two seasons, the Spaniard however specified that he would compete in one last competition, the final phase of the Davis Cup scheduled in Malaga (November 19-24), 20 years after the one won in Seville, a way to “close the loop”, he noted.
Djokovic-Federer-Nadal: of the immense trio who reigned over world tennis for two decades, he is the second to draw the curtain.
– Federer, Mbappé, Real –
“What a career, Rafa!”, exclaimed on Instagram Roger Federer, his friend and fiercest opponent on the court, who hung up his phone in September 2022: “Thank you for the unforgettable memories and all your exploits in the game we love It was an absolute honor.”
Novak Djokovic praised the Spaniard’s “tenacity, commitment and combativeness” on social networks: “your legacy will live forever”, assured the holder of the record for victories in Grand Slams (24), current 4th in the world .
The young Spaniard and number 2 in the ATP ranking, Carlos Alcaraz thanked him “for being an example at all levels”. “Your legacy is unrivaled!”
“He is an incredible person. He showed us how to behave on the court (…). He also taught us to stay humble, not to change with success,” added Jannik Sinner, current N. 1 worldwide.
Tributes poured in, and not only from the world of tennis: Cristiano Ronaldo, Kylian Mbappé, Real Madrid – of whom Nadal is a fan -, Alberto Contador, among others, sent him warm messages.
“Rafa’s” last match dates back to the Paris Olympic Games, on his clay court of Roland-Garros, where he wrote the greatest pages in his history. Very far from his best physical level, he exploded in the second round against Djokovic 6-1, 6-4.
– Legendary matches –
Born on June 3, 1986 in Manacor, on the island of Majorca, Rafa left football at a young age for tennis, where he was guided for almost his entire career by his uncle Toni.
Raised on clay, it was on this surface that he built his legend, with the “warrior” character which earned him the admiration of the public: he won Roland-Garros 14 times in 19 participations, exploding the records, and won 112 matches there for four defeats and one withdrawal.
The second most successful player at Roland Garros, Björn Borg, has six titles and the second most successful player in the same Grand Slam tournament is Djokovic (10 times the Australian Open).
But Nadal has also distinguished himself on other surfaces: with Djokovic, they are the only players in the Open era (since 1968) to have won the four Grand Slam tournaments at least twice each.
And the Mallorcan was involved in the most memorable finals of the Australian Open and Wimbledon, as well as one of the most memorable of the US Open.
In Melbourne, he lost the longest final ever played in a Major, in 2012 against Djokovic (5h53).
At Wimbledon, in 2008, he ended Federer’s run of five titles after a match that ended after dark.
– Bearer of the flame –
No stranger to exploits, he was handicapped throughout his career by injuries. Most of them are linked to his ultra-physical game (elbow, knees, wrist, back, ribs, abdominals).
But since the age of 18 he has also suffered from pain in his left foot which flares up and can become unbearable. This pain, which is pathological, rare, incurable and degenerative, is known as Müller-Weiss syndrome.
She almost ended his career in 2021: beaten in the semi-finals at Roland-Garros by Djokovic, he had hardly played all year. His return to the highest level in 2022 has contributed to his legend.
By winning the Australian Open, after being led two sets to zero in the final by Medvedev, he increased the record for Grand Slam titles to 21, which he then shared with Federer (20). Then, a few months later, at Roland-Garros, his foot anesthetized, he pushed the record to 22.
Selected among the final bearers of the Olympic flame during the opening ceremony on July 26 in Paris, Rafael Nadal has always said that tennis was not the most important thing in his life. He will now be able to devote himself to Xisca, married in 2019, and to their son Rafael, born October 8, 2022.
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