Rafael Nadal, 22-time Grand Slam champion, will retire from tennis after next month’s Davis Cup final

Rafael Nadal announced Thursday that he will retire from tennis at the age of 38 after next month’s Davis Cup final.

Nadal won 22 Grand Slam titles during an unprecedented era shared with his rivals in the so-called Big Three, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic.

“Truly, everything I have experienced has been a dream come true,” Nadal said in an announcement on social media. “I leave with absolute peace of mind that I did my best, that I did my best in every way possible”

The Spaniard indicated that his decision was related to this persistent injury problems.

“The reality is that it has been a difficult few years, especially the last two. I don’t think I have been able to play without limitations. It is clearly a difficult decision, one that has taken me some time. But in this life everything has a beginning and an end,” Nadal said.

Nadal’s ruthless, physical style of play – each point pursued as if it were his last, sprinting and sliding into place for that high-bouncing bullwhip of a lefty forehand – made him one of the greats of the game and the undisputed King of Clay. the slow, red surface on which he claimed his record 14 French Open championships.

That’s more than anyone, male or female, has won at any of the sport’s four major tournaments, a dominance celebrated by a statue of Nadal that stands at the main entrance to the Roland Garros grounds and in the shade from the main stadium, Court Philippe Chatrier.

Nadal added Thursday that he was excited to end his career at the Davis Cup, which will be played in Malaga, Spain.

“I am very excited that my last tournament will be the Davis Cup final and will represent my country,” he said. “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 Seville in 2004.”

Nadal has not played since the Paris Olympics, where he lost to old rival Djokovic in the second round of the singles and reached the quarter-finals of the men’s doubles with Carlos Alcaraz.

“I think this is the right time to end a career that has been long and much more successful than I could ever have imagined,” he said.

In 2022, Nadal won his 14th French Open singles title at the age of 36. he told “CBS Mornings” he “couldn’t be happier” – despite playing in pain.

“Well, I’m used to it, first of all,” he told CBS. “At the end of the day, it’s about passion and how much you love what you do. And because I’ve done this my entire tennis career, I think I had the determination to keep going.

“No matter what situation brings me to the position I am now, that is without a doubt unexpected, because at the age of 36 I thought I would be doing other things than playing tennis… But here I am, and I couldn’t be happier,” he said.