Soain’s Rafa Nadal retires at 38 with 92 titles and 22 Grand Slams. He expressed excitement for his last tournament, the Davis Cup final, and thanked his family for their support.
Spanish tennis champion Rafa Nadal officially announced his farewell to professional sports in an emotional video on Thursday. His final matches will be with the Spanish Davis Cup team in November.
“The reality is that the last two years have been difficult and I have not been able to play without limitations. It is a difficult decision, which has taken me time but in this life everything has a beginning and an end,” he said in the video posted in X.
“I think it 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,” continued the player.
“I’m very excited that my last tournament is the Davis Cup final and representing my country. I think it is closing the circle since one of my first great joys as a professional tennis player was the final in Seville in 2004.”
At 38, the Spaniard ends his career with 92 titles, including 22 Grand Slam trophies.
He also won Olympic gold medals in singles and doubles and has been instrumental in winning five Davis Cup titles.
Rafa Nadal retires: ‘Family is everything to me’
In his farewell video, Rafa said “family is everything to me”.
“My mother made all the sacrifices so that we could have everything. My wife Mery, we’ve been together for 19 years, thank you for everything you’ve done. You were my perfect travelling companion. Coming home and seeing my son grow up has been a force that has kept me alive.”
One of the greatest tennis players of all time, Nadal retires with a legacy that will be hard to match.
Renowned for his tireless spirit and his ability to recover from injuries, the Spaniard leaves a legacy that goes beyond numbers, establishing himself as an iconic figure in the history of world sport.
Nadal’s association with Greece
Rafael Nadalrecently visited the Rafa Nadal Tennis Center in Kassandra, on the Halkidiki Peninsula in Greece.
Nadal was pictured being shown the facilities of his academy, which is located at the Sani Resort, and interacting with young fans who train at the facility.
The famous tennis player, operates several tennis centers that complement the Rafa Nadal Academy by Movistar. The Rafa Nadal Centers are located in Cancún, Mexico, and Halkidiki, Greece.
Last year, the tennis superstar was spotted enjoying the holiday season touring the Greek islands on his luxury yacht. He visited the Ionian islands of Corfu, Meganisi, and Ithaca.
Nadal has previously expressed his love of the sea and time spent yachting. No doubt, the Mediterranean, dotted with Greek islands, proved an excellent place for the athlete to unwind on his luxury vessel.