Rafael Nadal announces his retirement from tennis after injury woes

Rafael Nadal announced his impending status from tennis connected Thursday astatine property 38 aft winning 22 Grand Slam singles titles during an unprecedented epoch helium shared with his rivals successful the alleged Big Three, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic.

Nadal said helium volition discontinue aft adjacent month’s Davis Cup finals.

“Really, everything I person experienced has been a imagination travel true,” Nadal said successful an announcement connected societal media. “I permission with the implicit bid of caput of having fixed my best, of having made an effort successful each way”

The Spaniard indicated his determination was related to persistent wounded problems.

“The world is that it has been immoderate hard years, these past 2 especially. I don’t deliberation I person been capable to play without limitations. It is evidently a hard decision, 1 that has taken maine immoderate clip to make. But successful this life, everything has a opening and an end,” Nadal said.

Nadal’s unrelenting, carnal benignant of play — each constituent pursued arsenic though it were his last, sprinting and sliding into spot for that high-bouncing bullwhip of a lefty forehand — made him 1 of the greats of the crippled and the unquestioned King of Clay, the slow, reddish aboveground connected which helium claimed his grounds 14 French Open championships.

That’s much than anyone, antheral oregon woman, won astatine immoderate 1 of the sport’s 4 large tournaments, a dominance celebrated by a statue of Nadal that stands adjacent the main entranceway to the grounds of Roland Garros and successful the shadiness of its main stadium, Court Philippe Chatrier.

Nadal besides won 4 trophies astatine the U.S. Open and 2 apiece astatine Wimbledon and the Australian Open, giving him a vocation Grand Slam. His past brace arrived successful 2022, astatine Melbourne successful January and astatine Paris successful June, pushing him up of Federer for the men’s grounds of 20 Grand Slam titles. Federer announced his status erstwhile helium was 41 the extremity of the 2022 season, soon earlier bidding adieu by teaming with Nadal successful a doubles lucifer astatine the Laver Cup.

Both person since been surpassed by Djokovic, who is up to 24.

“I privation to convey the full tennis industry, each the radical progressive successful this sport, my long-time colleagues, particularly my large rivals,” Nadal said implicit images of him playing against Federer and Djokovic. “I person spent galore hours with them and I person lived galore moments that I volition retrieve for the remainder of my life.”

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So overmuch of Nadal’s occurrence was seen, reasonably oregon not, done the prism of his encounters with Federer and Djokovic. The tennis world, and plentifulness extracurricular of it, were consumed with the statement implicit which was astir deserving of the “GOAT” — “Greatest Of All-Time” — moniker.

The world, tennis oregon otherwise, was fascinated by their matchups, their differing styles and personalities. Who among those who witnessed it could perchance hide Nadal vs. Federer successful the 2008 Wimbledon final? Or Nadal vs. Djokovic successful the 2022 French Open quarterfinals? Or Nadal vs. Djokovic successful the 2012 Australian Open final? And truthful on.

Nadal added Thursday that helium was excited to decorativeness his vocation astatine the Davis Cup, which volition beryllium played successful Malaga, Spain.

“I americium precise excited that my past tourney volition beryllium the last of the Davis Cup and representing my country,” helium said. “I deliberation I’ve travel afloat ellipse since 1 of my archetypal large joys arsenic a nonrecreational tennis subordinate was the Davis Cup last successful Seville successful 2004.”

Nadal has not played since the Paris Olympics, wherever helium mislaid to aged rival Djokovic successful the 2nd circular of the singles tourney and reached the quarterfinals of the men’s doubles with Carlos Alcaraz.

“I deliberation it is the due clip to enactment an extremity to a vocation that has been agelong and overmuch much palmy than I could person ever imagined,” helium said.

Associated Press writers Joseph Wilson, Tales Azzoni and James Ellingworth contributed to this report.