Rafael Nadal surprised by announcing through their social networks his retirement from professional tennis. “It is a decision that is obviously difficult, one that has taken me time to make. But in this life everything has a beginning and an end. And I think it is the right time to put an end to what has been a long and much more successful career than I could have ever imagined,” the 38-year-old Spaniard began by saying in his farewell video.
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Then, he added: “I feel super lucky for all things. I have been able to experience many things. I want to thank the entire tennis industry. To all the people who encompass this sport. To my teammates for so many years, especially my great rivals. “I have spent many hours with them and I have lived many moments that I will remember for the rest of my life.”
Afterwards, the winner of 22 Grand Slam tournaments became emotional when talking about his family and at the end he left a message for his fans. “Thank you all. I have no way to thank you for what you have made me feel. You have given me the energy that I have needed at every moment. Truly, everything I have experienced has been a dream come true. I leave with the absolute peace of mind of having given my all, of having made an effort in every way,” he concluded.
Nadal’s last official tournament will be the Davis Cup 2024. The Spaniard will play the finals in Malaga, in November, along with the team also made up of Carlos Alcaraz, Roberto Bautista, Pablo Carreño and Marcel Granollers. Rafa will look for his sixth salad bowl after the 5 obtained in 2004, 2008, 2009, 2011 and 2019.
Rafael Nadal announced his retirement from professional tennis through a message on his social networks
The Spanish tennis player’s post on his social networks. (Photo: @RafaelNadal/Twitter)
How many titles did Rafa Nadal win in his entire career?
He debuted in 2002 on the ATP circuit. In total, the Spanish tennis player accumulates 92 individual titles, to which are added the collective titles and those of the Davis Cup, thus surpassing the 100of which 22 They are Grand Slam. In addition, he has a gold medal in the Olympic Games, 36 Masters 1000, 22 ATP Tour 500 and 10 ATP Tour 250.
Rafael Nadal’s nightmare: 24 injuries in 21 years
2003 | Crack in the right elbow: When he was 17 years old, the Spaniard suffered a fall during practice with Toni Nadal, his uncle and coach, after the Hamburg Masters Series. The diagnosis showed a crack in the right elbow and a month-long recovery.
2004 | Fracture in left foot: He suffered a fracture in the scaphoid of his left foot, caused by stress. The repetition of movements and the overload on the left side caused the injury that would keep him away from Monte Carlo, Barcelona, Rome, Hamburg, Roland Garros and Wimbledon.
2005 | Müller-Weiss syndrome in the left foot: He had an injury called Müller-Weiss Syndrome, which is an anomaly in the development of the tarsal scaphoid tissue that occurs in childhood and is suffered in adulthood. The disease is congenital and, therefore, he suffers from it today. It is a degenerative injury, a deformity in one of the bones of the foot that is essential for movement.
2006: Left shoulder discomfort: In June, during a match against Australian Lleyton Hewitt, he had to retire due to discomfort in his left shoulder.
2007 | Pains in the left arm: at the Cincinnati Masters Series He had to retire during the debut against the Argentine Juan Mónaco due to systematic discomfort in his left arm.
2008 | Tendinitis in the right knee: He had tendonitis in the patellar tendon, which serves as a link between the kneecap and the tibia.
2009 | Tendonitis in both knees: no They allowed him to continue on the circuit and he had to leave the grass tour and was unable to defend the title at Wimbledon.
2011 | Inflammation in the peroneal tendons: Rafa’s 2011 season was very positive, although he had to deal with inflammation of the peroneal tendons in his ankles for a good number of weeks.
2012 | Left patellar tendon rupture: In mid-2012 he suffered the most serious injury of his career: the rupture of the patellar tendon in his left knee, a problem that arose from having endured the discomfort for several years with palliative treatments.
2014 | Right wrist sheath disinsertion: He suffered the detachment of the posterior ulnar sheath of his right wrist, an injury that would leave him out of the circuit for three months, a period in which he missed Toronto, Cincinnati and the United States Open.
2016 | Inflammation of the sheath of the left wrist: At Roland Garros, the Spaniard suffered inflammation of the sheath of his left wrist, which did not allow him to play anymore.
2017 | Discomfort in the right knee: In March, during his debut at the ATP 500 in Acapulco against the German Mischa Zverev, he had already felt pain in his right knee. He would reach the final and lose to the American Sam Querrey. He played all year with various appearances of discomfort until, towards the end of the season, he couldn’t take it anymore.
2018 | Injury to the iliopsoas: In his comeback at the Australian Open in January, he won four matches and had to leave when he was playing in the quarterfinals against the Croatian Marin Cilic due to a severe ailment in the iliopsoas, a muscle that is located in the abdominal cavity and in the front part of the thigh.
2018 | Chronic pain in the patellar tendon of the right knee: Nadal had pain in his right knee, a result of the chronic injury he suffers to the patellar tendon.
2018 | Abdominal injury: The Spaniard had to suspend his return on the European indoor tour due to an abdominal injury, an area that usually suffers in racket sport due to the sudden movements that occur during the service.
2018 | Arthroscopy on the right ankle: Away from the courts due to other injuries, Nadal took advantage of the break to correct a problem in his right ankle, for which he had to undergo surgery in November 2018, in Barcelona, to undergo an arthroscopy.
2019 | Chronic pain in the patellar tendon of the right knee: once again the right patellar tendon, one of the worst enemies of his career, would keep him away from the courts. The discomfort began in March, in the Indian Wells quarterfinals against the Russian Karen Khachanov, and prevented him from performing in the semifinals against Federer.
2019 | Swelling in left wrist: dAfter playing his first match in the Laver Cup in Geneva, in September, against the Canadian Milos Raonic, the Spaniard decided abandon the exhibition tournament due to severe inflammation in his left wrist.
2019 | Abdominal tear: In October, before playing in the Paris semifinals against Canadian Denis Shapovalov, he decided to withdraw from the tournament due to an abdominal tear.
2021 | Müller-Weiss syndrome in the left foot: Nadal had to stay away from the courts due to the reappearance of pain in his left foot. He was away for two months and, after missing Wimbledon and the Tokyo Olympics, he played in Washington for the first time in his life, with a hard-fought victory against Jack Sock and an early farewell in the second round.
2022 | Stress fissure of the left third costal arch: He had a stress fissure of the left third costal arch during the Indian Wells Masters 1000 semifinal match.
2022 | Abdominal tear: He suffered a 7-millimeter tear in one of his abdominal muscles, another weak point in his punished physique.
2023 | Level 2 injury to the iliopsoas: A grade 2 injury was confirmed in the iliopsoas of the left leg. The absence led him to lose his top ten status in March for the first time in 18 years, in addition to having to undergo two operations.
2024 | Microtear in a muscle: The player announced that he suffers from a “micro tear in a muscle” that is not in the area of the injury that sidelined him for so long and that he pulled out of the Grand Slam to face his recovery.
