Retiring from tennis

https://www.aol.com/sports/rafael-nadal-announces-retirement-tennis-093206801.html

Rafael Nadal has announced his retirement from professional tennis, which will come after the Davis Cup in Málaga next month.

In a video message released on Thursday morning, Nadal said: “The reality is that it has been some difficult years, these last two especially. I don’t think I have been able to play without limitations. “It is obviously a difficult decision, one that has taken me some time to make. But in this life, everything has its beginning and an end, and I think it’s the appropriate time to put an end to a career that has been long and much more successful than I ever could have imagined.”

Nadal, 38, will go down in history as an essential part of the greatest era of men’s professional tennis – and unquestionably the ultimate master of clay courts.

His 14 French Open titles represent arguably the most mind-boggling feat in any individual sport, with an associated win-loss record of 112-4. There is a strong argument that when Nadal was in good condition, both physically and mentally, he was unbeatable at Roland Garros.

If Nadal does not play singles in Málaga, his final official singles match will remain the one he contested at the Olympics against his great rival Novak Djokovic. This would be fitting, as their 60-match rivalry is the most prolific in the history of men’s tennis.

But Nadal will perhaps be remembered more for his great fire-meets-ice combination with Federer. Their 2008 Wimbledon final, which saw Nadal fight back to triumph in the gloaming, is widely regarded as the greatest tennis match ever played.