Rafale Nadal is officially retiring from professional tennis at the end of the 2024 season. The Spaniard tennis great has announced on social media that at age 38 and after 22 Grand Slams including 14 French Open titles, he is hanging up the racquet due injuries in recent years. This will be his final year playing professional tennis.
Nadal’s final event will be next month’s Davis Cup in Malaga where he will represent his country for a Spain vs. Netherlands match from Nov. 19-21. In a video statement, he calls it a full circle moment since one of his first successes was playing in the “Davis Cup final in Sevilla in 2004.” He began addressing his fans in the video with, “I’m here to let you know that I am retiring from professional tennis. The reality is that it has been some difficult years, these two especially. I don’t think I have been able to play without limitations. It is obviously a difficult decision, one that takes me some time to make.” He adds, “But in this life, everything has a beginning and an end. And I think it’s an appropriate time to put an end to a career that has been long and much more successful than I could have ever imagined.” On the Davis Cup being his final event, Rafa shares, “I am very excited that my last tournament will be the final of the Davis Cup and representing my country. I think I’ve come full circle since one of my first great joys as a professional tennis player was the Davis Cup final in Sevilla in 2004. I feel super, super lucky for all the things I’ve been able to experience. I want to thank the entire tennis industry.”
Since the beginning of his career, Rafa has established dominance in the sport of tennis. Having played against other tennis greats like Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray, Rafa continuously carved his own path since he went pro in 2001. In 2005 he won the French Open in his first attempt and later established a dominance on clay like no other. He won 14 tournaments of the 18 years at Roland Garros and also triumphed in the Australian Open twice, Wimbledon in ‘08 and ‘10 and the US Open in 2010, ‘13, ‘17 and ‘19. Rafa has won four Davis Cup titles and will return to the cup next month for his final dance on the tennis court.
