KUALA LUMPUR – It is the end of an era as the tennis star and one of the greatest players of all time, Rafael Nadal, has announced his retirement from the sport with the upcoming Davis Cup final being his last tournament as a professional player.
The Davis Cup Final 8 event 2024 takes place in Malaga, Spain from November 19 to 24.
In a video posted on the player’s official social media channels, Nadal said: “I’m here to tell you that I’m retiring from professional tennis.
“It’s been a rough few years, especially the last two. I haven’t been able to play without limitations.
“It’s been a difficult decision, one that has taken me a while to make, but in this life everything has a beginning and an end, and I think this is the right time to put an end to what has been a long and much more successful career than I could have ever imagined.
“I’m very excited that my last tournament will be the Davis Cup final, representing my country. I think it’s coming full circle, as one of my first great moments of joy was the (Davis Cup) final in Seville in 2004,” he said in the video, in which he spoke in Spanish.
The former men’s world number one has Olympic gold medals in singles (Beijing 2008), and doubles (Rio 2016), in addition to 22 men’s singles grand slam titles including a record 14 at the French Open, making him the undisputed king of the clay courts. – October 10, 2024