One of tennis’ greatest ever players, Rafael Nadal, announced his retirement this morning. The ‘King of Clay’ won 22 Grand Slam titles, including 14 at Roland Garros, the venue where his legend first began.
The 38-year-old took to X to announce the retirement in a video message.
“Hello everyone. I’m here to let you know that I am retiring from professional tennis,” the Spanish superstar announced.
It remains to be seen what the exact reasons are for this retirement, but Nadal has suffered multiple injuries throughout his career, including to his foot, hamstring, back, wrist, and perhaps most damaging was a recurring knee injury.
Despite all these injuries, Nadal continued to win several titles across all the sport’s surfaces. But Roland Garros was his home.
Nadal holds a 97% win rate at the French Open; his 14 titles there are the most any player has won at a single Grand Slam in history.
His signature forehand became the most feared shot in tennis; with an unprecedented amount of whip and topspin, it was next to impossible to succeed against the King on any clay surface.
Nadal will be immortalised in the sport for his achievements and his legendary rivalries with both Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic. His 2008 Wimbledon final against Roger Federer, where he won his first Wimbledon title, is often regarded as the greatest tennis match ever seen.
2 Australian Opens, 14 Roland Garros, 2 Wimbledon, 4 US Opens, 2008 Beijing Olympics Gold Medallist, 36 Masters 1000 titles, 92 ATP titles, over 1000 tour victories, the youngest player to ever win a career Grand Slam (24-years-old) and the greatest clay courter to ever live. All while battling potential career-ending injuries throughout.
Simply one of the greats, not just of tennis but of all sports.
Happy retirement to the King of Clay, Rafael Nadal.
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