Tennis icon Rafael Nadal reveals retirement plan

Tennis icon Rafael Nadal has revealed his plan to retire, with the 22-time championship winner and Olympic gold medallist set to end his career by Christmas.

Rafael Nadal is nearing the end.

The Spanish champion announced he will retire from professional tennis after the Davis Cup finals in November, ending a career in which he won 22 Grand Slam titles and Olympic singles gold.

“I am retiring from professional tennis,” he said.

“The reality is that it has been some difficult years, these last two especially.

“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 38-year-old will end his two decades as a professional with 92 titles and prize money alone of $135 million.

Rafael Nadal waves goodbye after he and Spain's Carlos Alcaraz lose to US at the 2024 Olympics. Picture: AFP

He dominated the French Open where he won 14 of his majors, his first arriving just days after his 19th birthday in 2005, his last in 2022 making him the event’s oldest champion.

On the famous crushed brick of Roland Garros, he lost just three times in 115 matches.

He was also a four-time champion at the US Open and a two-time winner at the Australian Open, his first triumph coming in 2009; his second 13 years later.

Nadal also won Wimbledon twice, in 2008 and 2010 despite grass considered to be the surface most likely to expose any shortcomings in his game.

Mil gracias a todos
Many thanks to all
Merci beaucoup à tous
Grazie mille à tutti
谢谢大家
شكرا لكم جميعا
תודה לכולכם
Obrigado a todos
Vielen Dank euch allen
Tack alla
Хвала свима
Gràcies a tots pic.twitter.com/7yPRs7QrOi

— Rafa Nadal (@RafaelNadal) October 10, 2024

His five-set victory over Roger Federer in the 2008 championship match, which ended in almost complete darkness at the All England Club, is widely regarded as the greatest Slam final ever played.

Nadal claimed a career Golden Slam when he took Olympic Games gold in 2008. For good measure, he also won five Davis Cups.

Nadal was a five-time year-end world number one and never left the top 10 from 2005 until March this year.

In total, he spent 209 weeks in top spot and between 2004 and 2022, won at least one title every year.

Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal played together for Team Europe in 2022. Picture: Getty Images

In his long rivalry with close friend Federer, who retired last year, he enjoyed a 24-16 edge. Nadal surpassed Federer’s mark of 20 majors in Australia last year.

He and Djokovic, the all-time leader with 24 men’s Grand Slam titles, met 60 times with the Serb just ahead by two.

An underpowered Nadal was swept aside by Djokovic in straight sets in their final meeting at this year’s Paris Olympics.

It comes just months after another of the Big Four, Andy Murray, played his last game of professional tennis.

With Roger Federer’s retirement in 2022, it leaves Serbian star Novak Djokovic as the last of the Big Four still on the tour.

Originally published as Tennis icon Rafael Nadal reveals retirement plan