Rafael Nadal is undoubtedly one of the greatest tennis players of all time, with an inimitable career that it is impossible to conceive.
He has won 22 Grand Slams, including a record 14 French Open titles, and an Olympic gold medal, and is one of only three men to complete the Career Grand Slam in singles.
The Spaniard is frequently hailed as ‘The King of Clay’ because of his total dominance on the clay courts of Roland Garros. He won 81 times consecutively on clay courts, constituting the longest single-surface win streak in the Open Era, with 63 of his 92 singles titles coming on the surface.
Rafael Nadal’s Retirement From Professional Tennis
Nadal retired aged 38 in 2024 after a difficult year in which he missed the Australian Openthrough injury and had multiple early tournament exits, including a first-round loss in the French Open to the eventual runner-up Alexander Zverev.
He reached the quarter-finals of the 2024 Olympics in a doubles partnership with fellow Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz, but lost his last career ATP Tour final at the Swedish Open to Nuno Borges in straight sets.
His last professional tennis match was at the Davis Cup Finals in Malaga, where he was beaten by Botic van de Zandschulp as Spain lost to the Netherlands in the quarter-finals, bringing to an end his illustrious 23-year career.
With Wimbledon currently being played, the Mallorcan has been asked whether he’ll ever pick up his racket again and come out of retirement, but he seems more than satisfied with how his career ended.
Speaking to CNBC Sport, he said: “For me, that chapter is completely closed. I don’t miss competing.
“Obviously, I miss some of the sensations because they are emotions that I’m unlikely to experience again in any other area of my life. But I am at peace with the decision I made. I made it when I felt I could no longer compete at the level I wanted.”
Nadal accepted that his body could no longer stand the intensity and physicality of the matches, but also admitted he never lost his love for the sport.
I tried absolutely everything before retiring, and when I realised my body wasn’t going to respond in the way it needed, I accepted that it was time to close that chapter.”
Despite this, he asserted: “I never came to hate tennis. I always enjoyed playing, even during the most difficult times with injuries or all the challenges that come with such a long career. I retired because my body no longer allowed me to compete at the level I wanted, not because I had lost my passion for the sport.”
Rafael Nadal Reveals Why He Thinks Novak Djokovic Still Plays
Nadal’s great rival, Novak Djokovic, meanwhile, is still competing at the highest level, finishing runner-up at the 2026 Australian Open to Alcaraz, who became the youngest man to win the Career Grand Slam in singles, then aged 22.
Djokovic, by contrast, was 38 and the oldest man in history to reach the Australian Open final, though, his unbeaten 10-0 record in Australian Open finals crumbled before his eyes.
Djokovic won his most recent and record-breaking 24th Major at the 2023 US Open, beating Daniil Medvedev in straight sets to become the oldest US Open men’s singles champion in the Open Era.
Nadal and Djokovic met 60 times in their careers, with the Serb being the only player to have triumphed over the Spaniard at all four Majors. Djokovic took victory in the pair’s last match, defeating his old adversary in the second round of the 2024 Paris Olympics in straight sets on his way to the gold medal