TENNIS legend, Rafael Nadal, has announced plans to retire at the end of the season.
Nadal said he would quit this November after representing Spain at the Davis Cup Finals in Malaga.
According to BBC, Nadal revealed his retirement plan in a video message released on Thursday, October 10.
“I am here to let you know I am retiring from professional tennis. The reality is that it has been some difficult years, the last two especially. I don’t think I have been able to play without limitations,” he stated in the video.
Nadal will be retiring after winning 22 Grand Slam singles titles.
In addition, he retires as the second-most successful men’s singles player in history, only surpassed by old adversary Novak Djokovic.
Nadal has won the Australian Open and Wimbledon twice and is a four-time US Open champion.
He has also helped Spain win four Davis Cup titles, most recently in 2019, and he won gold in the Olympic singles and doubles competitions.
Nadal established the ‘Big Three’ with longstanding rivals Djokovic and 20-time major champion Roger Federer, who attracted hordes of spectators and dominated the men’s game starting in the early 2000s.
Nadal stated in his retirement announcement that he intended to retire at the end of 2024 due to a string of ailments that were wearing him down.
The ICIR reports that he grew more uncertain about his future after returning early this season.
The former world champion frequently expressed his desire to continue playing for as long as his body permitted.
He admitted that the decision to quit had been tough and took considerable time to make, but emphasised that everything in life had its beginning and end.
“I think it’s the appropriate time to put an end to a career that has been long and much more successful than I could ever have imagined,” Nadal stated.
At this year’s Olympics in Paris, he was beaten by his oldest rival, Djokovic, in straight sets in their final encounter.
A reporter with the ICIR
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