Rafa Nadal announced his retirement from tennis. Last October 10, 2024 will go down in history as the day when one of the best tennis players of all time said goodbye. The Spaniard communicated the sad news through a moving video on his social networks. After a long and successful career, the Spaniard will hang up his racket at the end of this year.
“Hello everyone, I am here to inform you that I am retiring from professional tennis“, the winner of 22 Grand Slam tournaments began by saying in the video published on his official profiles on social networks. Even if true, the news was an open secret. The injuries left the tennis player from Manacor very affected. Over the past two years, Rafa has barely been able to step onto a tennis court.
Nadal He did everything to reach the Paris Olympic Games last summer and be able to play doubles with Alcaraz. And he got it. Shortly before, he had gone to Roland Garros to play what was the last time he had stepped foot on the Philippe Chatrier, and it was by chance against a tennis player with whom he had great battles, Novak Djokovic, on Parisian clay. After more than 20 years of career, the best Spanish tennis player of all time will end it after the Davis Cup final.
Full declaration
“Hello everyone, I am here to inform you that I am retiring from professional tennis. The reality is that the last two years have been difficult and I haven’t been able to play without limits. It’s a difficult decision, and it took me a while, but in this life, everything has a beginning and an end. I think now is the right time to end what has been a long and more successful career than I could have ever imagined.
I am very happy that my last tournament will be the Davis Cup final and that I will represent my country. I think this comes full circle as one of my first great joys as a professional tennis player was the final in Seville in 2004.
I feel super lucky for everything I have been able to experience. I would like to thank the entire tennis industry, all the people who make up this sport and those who have been my teammates for so many years, especially my great rivals. I spent many hours with them and experienced moments that I will remember for the rest of my life.
Talking about my team is a little harder for me because they have been a very important part of my life. They are not workers, they are friends and they have been by my side whenever I have needed them. There were really bad times, really good times, times where they had to squeeze me or loosen me. We have experienced so much together that it is difficult to explain,” he continues while photos of his coaches, his doctor, his agent and his communications manager appear.
Family is everything to me. My mother made all the sacrifices she had to make so that we could have it all. My wife Mery, we have been together for 19 years, thank you for everything you have done. You have been my ideal travel companion. Coming home and seeing how my son is growing has been a force that has really kept me alive and given me the energy to continue.
My sister and I have always had an incredible relationship. My uncle, who is the reason I started playing tennis. I think that thanks to him, I was able to overcome situations that were difficult in my sporting career. And my father, who has been a source of inspiration to me in every way. It was an example of effort, of surpassing myself… A big thank you to my father in a very special way.
And finally, you, the fans. I have no way to thank you for how you made me feel. You gave me the energy I needed every moment. Everything I have experienced is a dream come true. I leave with the absolute peace of mind of having given everything, of having made an effort in every way. I can only end by saying a thousand thanks to everyone and see you soon.
