Not many were surprised last week with the news that Rafael Nadal will retire at the end of the 2024 season, by competing in his final professional event at the Davis Cup Finals, to be held in Malaga, Spain, from 19th to 24th November.
In fact, it had been a question of ‘when’, with his injury-plagued last two seasons, when he could not meet up with his counterparts like Novak Djokovic and the young dominants of the tennis rankings, like current Number One Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, Alexander Zverev, Daniil Medvedev, Taylor Fritz, Andrey Rublev, Casper Ruud and many others who would not have been considered to tie Rafa’s shoe laces just a couple of years ago.
His retirement announcement in Spanish in a video posted on ‘X’ was as sharp as his play on court:
“Hello everyone, I am here to let you know I am retiring from professional tennis. The reality is it has been some difficult years, these last two especially. I don’t think I have 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 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 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.”
It was just like September 2022 once again, when we had to say ‘Happy Retirement’ to then 41-year-old Roger Federer, Nadal’s long-time friend and foe on the courts. It was that same period that saw the departure of then 40-year-old Serena Williams retire from tournament tennis.
He was known by several nicknames – El Nino, King of Clay, Rafa, and The Raging Bull which formed his logo.
The Spanish legend fought for the title of King of Tennis with Djokovic and Federer for so long, it was always tough to predict who would win which tournament between the three of them, except of course it was on Clay Court where Rafa practically had no equal.
38-year-old Rafael Nadal won 92 tour-level titles in his career and spent 209 weeks at No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings. He turned pro in 2001 and is a 22-time Grand Slam champion, a record 14 of those titles on the clay court at Roland Garros, France.
His southpaw style and heavy strokes made him a tough act to follow for many opponents, and it took even Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic a while to catch up with his style.
Djokovic was quick to acknowledge that tennis without Nadal, will not be the same.
Hear the Serbian in a tribute to Nadal: “One post is not enough to express the respect I have for you and what you have done for our sport. You have inspired millions of children to start playing tennis and I think that’s probably the greatest achievement anyone can wish for. Your tenacity, dedication, fighting spirit is going to be taught for decades. Your legacy will live forever. Only you know what you had to endure to become an icon of tennis and sport in general. Thank you for pushing me to the very limit so many times in our rivalry that has impacted me the most as a player.”
Federer was of course one of the first to react to Nadal’s retirement announcement. The two legends and former World No. 1s played doubles together at the 2022 Laver Cup, which marked Federer’s last match on the tour.
The Swiss ace said of Nadal’s retirement notice in his Instagram post:
“What a career, Rafa! I always hoped this day would never come. Thank you for the unforgettable memories and all your incredible achievements in the game we love. It’s been an absolute honour!”
Rafael Nadal, known as The King of Clay massed up unbelievable numbers in his career that lasted 23 years and regarded as easily the second-most successful men’s singles player of all time. Djokovic leads the way, having won more Grand Slams than any player in history with 24. Nadal is second with 22, while Federer had 20.
But Nadal was impervious on clay, and everyone else bowed to him in his prime.
Since turning professional in 2001 as a 15-year-old, Nadal, as stated earlier, won 92 ATP Tour titles, including 22 Grand Slams – 14 at the French Open, four at the US Open and two at both Wimbledon and the Australian Open.
In 2010, he became the youngest man in the Open era to complete the ‘career Grand Slam’ when he won all four titles at Melbourne, Australia, Roland Garros in France, Wimbledon in England and Flushing Meadows, US. He also won the Olympic singles gold in Beijing in 2008. The only tennis title Nadal did not win is the ATP end-of-year Finals, although he appeared in 11 editions, reaching the final twice, in 2010 and 2013, and losing to Federer and Djokovic respectively. Fitting that he lost only to his two great ‘friends’.
Here’s wishing the King of Clay a happy retirement!
SOURCE AND IMAGE CREDIT: atptour.com
