Tennis
Tennis Legend Rafael Nadal Confirms Retirement At End Of Season
Kyle Curran is a sports writer who specialises in football (soccer), horse racing and darts, but has the ability to write about a range of different sports. He can regularly be found providing live football (soccer) commentary on Flashscore. He was also formerly an editor and accredited journalist at Prost International covering Premier League and EFL fixtures. Kyle also holds a degree in Football Journalism (BA Hons) from the University of Derby.
Get to know Kyle Curran betterPublished7 hours ago on October 10, 2024
Tennis is set to lose a legend at the end of this season after Rafael Nadal announced he will retire after the Davis Cup in Malaga next month.
Rafael Nadal Announces Retirement From Tennis
22-time Grand Slam champion Nadal will retire at the end of the season, with his last tournament being November’s Davis Cup Finals in Malaga.
The Davis Cup will be the Spaniard’s first appearance on a tennis court since the Paris Olympics earlier this year, but it will also be his last.
Spain will play the Netherlands in the quarter-finals between 19 and 21 November and Nadal was added to the squad after ruling himself out of the group stage due to injury.
Nadal released a video announcing his retirement, saying: “In this life, everything has a beginning and an 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.
“I’m very excited that my last tournament will be the final of the Davis Cup, representing my country. I think I’ve come full circle since one of my first joys as a professional tennis player was the Davis Cup final in 2004.”
With a string of injury issues over the past few years, the 38-year-old clearly feels that it is the right time to hang his racket up.
There is plenty of talent coming through the ranks though, with Jack Draper being one of the sport’s rising stars.
Nadal Won 22 Grand Slams During His Illustrious Career
Over the past 10-15 years, Nadal has been one of Tennis’ modern greats alongside the likes of Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray.
He turned professional in 2001 and broke onto the scene when winning his favourite tournament in 2005, the French Open. It was at Roland Garros where he dominated most, succeeding in 14 tournaments there over 18 years.
Nadal is a dual Australian Open and Wimbledon winner, whilst he also enjoying success in the US Open, with four victories.
Rafael Nadal Grand Slam Wins (22)
- French Open (14) – 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2022
- US Open (4) – 2010, 2013, 2017, 2019
- Australian Open (2) – 2009, 2022
- Wimbledon (2) – 2008, 2010
Spaniard Has Over 100 Titles Across Singles & Doubles
Enjoying success in both singles and doubles, see Nadal’s record in both below.
Singles Record
- Overall Record – 1080 wins, 227 losses (82.6%)
- Career Titles – 92
- Highest Rank – No. 1 (2008)
- Current Rank – No. 154 (2024)
Doubles Record
- Overall Record – 142 wins, 77 losses (64.8%)
- Career Titles – 11
- Highest Rank – No. 26 (2005)
- Current Rank – No. 857 (2024)