Tennis Great Rafael Nadal to Retire at the end of Year | The World of Sports

Tennis great Rafael Nadal (38) has decided to retire at the end of this year.

Known as the "King of Clay," the Spaniard won 92 ATP singles titles, including 22 Grand Slams (14 French Open titles), during his career. He will play for Spain against the Netherlands in the Davis Cup in Malaga from November 19-21, which will officially be his last event.

"I'm here to let you know that I am retiring from professional tennis," Nadal said in the Twitter/X video linked above. "The reality is that it has been some difficult years, these two especially. I don't think I have been able to play without limitations. It is obviously a difficult decision, one that takes me some time to make."

"But in this life, everything has a beginning and an end. And I think it's an appropriate time to put an end to a career that has been long and much more successful than I could have ever imagined."

"I am very excited that my last tournament will be the final of the Davis Cup and representing my country. I think I've come full circle since one of my first great joys as a professional tennis player was the Davis Cup final in Sevilla in 2004. I feel super, super lucky for all the things I've been able to experience. I want to thank the entire tennis industry."

Nadal's mark on tennis history is undeniable, but his struggles with injuries over the last few years have hurt his run at the most Grand Slams in tennis history. He did surpass his rival Roger Federer, who retired with 20 grand slams. He falls short of only Novak Djokovic and Margaret Court (who both have 24) in the history of tennis. Below is a list of all Nadal's Grand Slam wins.

Tournament Name	Years Won
Australian Open	2009, 2022
French Open	2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2022
Wimbledon	2008, 2010
US Open	2010, 2013, 2017, 2019

Make sure to subscribe to The World of Sports here on #Steemit!
UPVOTE ~ RESTEEM ~ SUBSCRIBE