King of clay gly: Tennis ace Rafa Nadal, 38, retires
Rafael Nadal on Thursday announced he will retire after the Davis Cup finals in November, ending a career which brought him 22 Grand Slam titles.
Nadal, 38, said in a video posted on social media: “I am retiring from professional tennis. 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 Spaniard is set to end his two decades as a professional with 92 titles and prize money alone of $135 million, his status long since secured as one of the greatest tennis players of all time.
Nadal will sign off at the Davis Cup in Malaga next month and adds: “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.
“But I am very excited that my last tournament will be the final of the Davis Cup and representing my country…”
Mil gracias a todos
— Rafa Nadal (@RafaelNadal) October 10, 2024
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
Nadal 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 briefly making him the event’s oldest champion before the record was eclipsed by Novak Djokovic a year later.
He was also a four-time champion at the US Open, a two-time winner at the Australian Open as well as Wimbledon.
Nadal claimed a career Golden Slam when he took Olympic Games gold in 2008.
dailyvoice@inl.co.za