Rafael Nadal Announces His Retirement at Age 38

The End of an Era: Rafael Nadal's Retirement

Rafael Nadal, one of the greatest tennis players of all time, announced his retirement Thursday at age 38, bringing to a close the most dominant clay-court career in the history of the sport. Nadal's 22 Grand Slams put him second on the all-time men's list behind Novak Djokovic. Known for his mastery of clay and on-court rivalry with Roger Federer, the Spanish star said he would play his final match in November's Davis Cup. "It’s obviously a difficult decision, one that has taken me some time to make," the Spanish star said in a video on X. "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 ever could have imagined."

Challenges and Triumphs

The latter part of Nadal's career has been plagued by injuries, one of the reasons for his retirement, he said. "It has been some difficult years, these last two especially," he said over footage of him receiving physiotherapy. "I don’t think I’ve been able to play without limitations." Born on the Spanish vacation island of Mallorca, Nadal won two grand slams each at Wimbledon and the Australian Open. But his generational career was built on his sheer dominance of the French Open, where he won 14 titles in 17 years between 2005 and 2022. He has won almost $135 million in prize money, according to the Association of Tennis Professionals governing body.

A Monumental Legacy

His record at Roland Garros remains an astonishing 112 wins and 4 losses. And he became so synonymous with the tournament that in 2021 a statue was unveiled there depicting his trademark left forehand. Despite being the sport's premier left-handed player, Nadal is actually right-handed for other tasks such as writing. "I’m a little bit strange in all of that," he said in 2020. "I eat and play basketball with the right; I play tennis and football with the left." His bond with the French capital was capped at the Paris 2024 Olympics this summer when he was one of the torchbearers who carried the flame up the river Seine at the opening ceremony.

Although he competed at those Games, losing to Serbia's Djokovic in the second round, he then withdrew from the U.S. Open and Laver Cup, citing physical limitations.