Rafael Nadal (38, Spain), who dominated the clay court as part of the ‘Big 3’ in men’s tennis along with Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer, will retire after the Davis Cup held in November. Nadal announced on social media on the 10th, “I am retiring from professional tennis.”
Nadal, who reversed his retirement announcement last May, was never able to overcome his injury. Nadal, who was often unable to get on the court due to hip injuries, etc., left the possibility at the official press conference for the French Open tennis tournament on May 25 by saying, “Don’t assume that” when asked by reporters whether he would retire.
Nadal, born in 1986 and now 38 years old, was unable to overcome the injury that had plagued him for a long time and eventually decided to leave the court after the tournament in November of this year. “The last two years have been really difficult,” Nadal said. “It was definitely a difficult decision, and it took time to make it,” he said. “But everything in this world has a beginning and an end.”
The 2024 Davis Cup Finals, a national tennis tournament held from November 19th to 24th, will be the stage of Nadal’s retirement. Spain, led by Nadal, will play the quarterfinals on the 19th against the Netherlands. Attention is also focused on whether this game will be the last game for Nadal, who turned professional in 2001 and has been on the court for 24 years.
Nadal said, “I am excited because it will be my last time representing my country, Spain, in the Davis Cup Finals. “The first time I experienced great joy as a professional player was when I won the Davis Cup in 2004,” he said, adding, “It feels like I’ve come full circle.”
Meanwhile, Nadal, a living legend in the tennis world who won 22 major singles championships, was considered one of the ‘Big Three’ along with Roger Federer (Switzerland, retired) and Novak Djokovic (Serbia), dominating the court for more than 10 years. In particular, he won the French Open held on clay courts a whopping 14 times and was called the ‘King of Clay Courts.’
Federer, who won 20 times, retired in September 2022, the earliest of the three, and Nadal also announced his retirement, so Djokovic, who won 24 times, is expected to maintain the status of ‘most major winner’ for a while.
