Rafael Nadal is preparing to retire from professional tennis after one last event: he will be part of the Spanish team in the Davis Cup final, which starts on Tuesday in front of the home crowd in Málaga. Nadal, 38, has been on the tour for more than 20 years and is the second member of the so-called Big Three of men's tennis to stop playing. Roger Federer announced his departure in 2022, while Novak Djokovic is still near the top of the game. This is obviously a difficult decision, one that has taken me some time to make. But in this life, everything has a beginning and an end,” said Nadal, who has been practicing daily in Málaga for the past week. “And I think it is a suitable time to end a career that has been long. And it's been more successful than I ever imagined.” Here's what Nadal said about retiring from tennis:
When will Nadal play his last match? It is not entirely clear when Nadal's last match will be, largely because the Davis Cup is a team event and what is now known as the “Final 8” begins at the quarterfinal stage. Spain begins play against the Netherlands on Tuesday. By winning that, the Spaniards will advance to the semi-finals on Friday against either Canada or Germany (who will face each other on Wednesday). Other quarterfinals are scheduled for Thursday: United States vs. Australia, and defending champions Italy vs. Argentina. The championship round will take place on Sunday.
Each matchup consists of two matches in singles and one in doubles; The first country to win twice advances. The other wild card in all this: No one knows for sure whether Spain captain David Ferrer will choose to play Nadal in singles, doubles, both or – theoretically possible, if improbably – neither. .
“If I didn't really see myself ready to have a chance to win in singles,” Nadal said, “then I would be the first person who wouldn't want to play.” Who are Nadal's teammates in Spain's Davis Cup team? Along with Nadal, Spain's team includes four-time Grand Slam champion Carlos Alcaraz, Roberto Bautista Agut, Pedro Martínez and Marcel Granollers. Why is Nadal retiring now? The biggest reason for his move is that he has been troubled by injuries for some time, including a painful foot, an abdominal muscle problem and a hip problem that required surgery last season.
“The reality is that the last few years have been difficult, especially the last two,” Nadal said. “I don't think I've been able to play without any limitations.” When was Nadal's most recent match? Nadal has played little in the last two seasons due to injuries; Their record in 2024 is just 12-7. His most recent official competition came at the Paris Olympics in early August, where he lost to his old rival – and eventual gold medalist – Djokovic in the second round of singles, before being eliminated in the doubles quarterfinals by Alcaraz. Had reached. Nadal also played two exhibition matches in Saudi Arabia last month.
Nadal has won 22 Grand Slam singles titles, trailing only Djokovic's 24 among men in the history of tennis, and ahead of Federer's 20. Details: 14 at the French Open, U.S. Four in the Open, two in Wimbledon, two in the Australian Open. Nadal's last major championship came in Paris in 2022, when he required nerve-numbing injections in his left leg.
Has Nadal helped Spain win the Davis Cup in the past? Nadal has been a part of the Spain team when the country won the Davis Cup five years in a row – in 2004, 2008, 2009, 2011 and 2019. The first title came when teenage Nadal defeated then No. 2-ranked Andy Roddick, leading Spain past the United States. “I'm very excited that my last tournament will be the Davis Cup final and I will represent my country,” Nadal said. “I feel like I have come full circle, because one of my first greatest joys as a professional tennis player was the Davis Cup final in Seville in 2004.”
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