Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal announces retirement

After 22 Grand Slam Titles, tennis great Rafael Nadal announced his retirement from professional tennis.

The 38-year-old tennis star announced his plans to step away from his professional game in a video message on Thursday morning, The Associated Press reported.

“The reality is that it has been some difficult years, these last two, especially. I don’t think I have been able to play without limitations,” Nadal said. “It is obviously a difficult decision, one that has taken me some time to make. But in this life, everything has a beginning and an end.”

The AP described the way he played as “every point pursued as though it were his last, sprinting and sliding into place for that high-bouncing bullwhip of a lefty forehand” calling him “one of the greats of the game.”

He missed the Laver Cup last month because of fitness concerns, CNN reported. He also missed most of 2023 because of a hip injury and despite returning to tennis at the Brisbane Open, a thigh injury forced him to not play in the Australian Open.

Of his 22 Grand Slam championships, 14 of them were during the French Open, a record that saw him honored with a statue outside the entrance of Roland Garros and near the main stadium Court Philippe Chatrier, the AP reported.

While he announced his impending retirement, he isn’t leaving the game just yet. He will play for Spain in the Davis Cup from Nov. 19 to 21 as his final competition, ESPN reported. The game will be played in Malaga.

Nadal has won the Davis Cup four times and also earned two Olympic gold medals over his career.

Davis Cup organizers wrote on X, “One last dance.”

Long-time rival Roger Federer said, “What a career, Rafa! I always hoped this day would never come. Thank you for the unforgettable memories and all your incredible achievements in the game we love. It’s been an absolute honor!,” the AP reported.

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