Rafael Nadal announces retirement as Spaniard releases emotional statement
Rafael Nadal has confirmed his retirement from tennis.
Rafael Nadal has confirmed that he is retiring from tennis next month.
The Spaniard will play the final match of his career at the Davis Cup Finals in Malaga, bringing the curtain down on his sensational career in his homeland.
Nadal has endured a frustrating few months due to injury and has not played a competitive match since representing Spain at the Olympics, where he was beaten by Novak Djokovic in the singles event and struggled alongside Carlos Alcaraz when playing doubles.
With 22 Grand Slams to his name, Nadal has revealed that he will now bow out of tennis with an emotional statement to his millions of supporters.
In a video shared on social media, the 38-year-old said: “Hello everyone. 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 last two especially I don’t think I’ve been able to play without limitations. It is obviously a difficult decision, one that has taken me some time to make.
“But in this life, everything has a beginning and end and I think it’s the appropriate time to put an end to a career that has been long and much more successful than I could have ever imagined. But, 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 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. All the people involved in this sport, my long-term colleagues, especially my great rivals, I have spent many, many hours with them, and I have lived many moments that I will remember for the rest of my life.”
