- On Tuesday, Rafael Nadal officially retired from professional tennis after Spain was eliminated from the Davis Cup.
- The 38-year-old Nadal was hampered with injuries down the homestretch of his career.
- Nadal retires with 22 Grand Slam titles, including 14 French Open titles.
A tennis legend decided to hang up his racket for good on Tuesday, as Rafael Nadal retired as a professional after Spain was eliminated from the Davis Cup.
This is not a surprise, as Nadal dealt with injuries in the twilight of his career. However, he leaves a legacy on the game that future players can only dream of reaching.
Nadal Struggled with Injuries, But Still Won Everything
Nadal’s bow came at the Davis Cup, an international team competition in which his native Spain was taking on the Netherlands. The Spanish legend lost his singles match against Botic van de Zandschulp, and that was the last time Nadal would play a match on a professional court.
Nadal’s Spanish heir, Carlos Alcaraz, won his singles match against Tallon Griekspoor. But Alcaraz and Marcel Granollers would lose their doubles match against van de Zandschulp and Wesley Koolhof to eliminate Spain, and officially end Nadal’s career.
The 38-year-old Nadal has struggled mightily with various injuries. He had hip surgery in June 2023, and has also dealt with knee and foot injuries throughout his career. It was simply getting too much for Nadal to prepare for these tournaments, and he has barely been able to play in the Grand Slam. He won his 14th French Open in 2022, followed by a semifinal run at Wimbledon.
Then Nadal lost in the fourth round of the U.S. Open that year and didn’t play in six of the next eight Grand Slams. Nadal was eliminated in the second round of the 2023 Australian Open, and then the first round of the 2024 French Open.
However, that doesn’t hurt Nadal’s legacy, as he will go down as one of the all-time greats.
What Did Nadal Mean to Tennis?
Rafael Nadal is one of the greatest players to ever grace a tennis court. From 2005 to 2022, his odds to win the French Open at most tennis betting sites were among the lowest you would ever see for an outright winner of a Grand Slam tournament.
That’s hardly a surprise because the Spaniard is definitely the greatest clay-court player ever, earning the nickname “The King of Clay” after multiple insane records on the surface.
But Nadal worked hard to expand his game, going on to win two Australian Opens (2009, 2022), two Wimbledon titles (2008, 2020), and four U.S. Opens (2010, 2013, 2017, 2019). His 2008 Wimbledon final win over Roger Federer may be the best match ever played in tennis. Federer wrote a nice tribute to Nadal on his X account on Tuesday.
The Spaniard also won Olympic gold in singles in 2008, and doubles gold in 2016. He’ll also be known in his part in the “Big Three” with Federer and Novak Djokovic. These guys dominated tennis for almost two decades. Only Djokovic remains, and it was the Serbian legend who eliminated Nadal at the 2024 Olympics.
But Nadal will be remembered fondly for his resilience and fighting spirit, clay-court domination, and passion for the game. It was sad to watch him struggle with injuries so badly, but people should remember the peak of Nadal, chasing down shots along the baseline, and pumping his fist after winning a big point.
Farewell, legend!
