The 22-time major tennis champion Rafael Nadal has announced that he would be retiring at the end of the year.
Nadal is set to hang up his racquet for good in Spanish colours and in front of a home crowd at the Davis Cup finals in Malaga next month.
In a video posted on social media, the 38-year-old indicated his decision was related to persistent injury problems that had resulted in “some difficult years, these last two especially.”
“I don’t think I have been able to play without limitations,” he said. “It 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, and I think it’s an appropriate time to put an end to a career that has been long and much more successful than I could have ever imagined.”
With an immediate outpouring of sympathy coming from fans, pundits, and many of his fellow players, Nick Kyrgios was the first to send Nadal a retirement message.
Kyrgios more or less announced his name to the world when he shocked Nadal at the 2014 Wimbledon when he was still a teenager.
In a post on X, Kyrgios begged Nadal to put his retirement on hold so he could play against the Spaniard one last time.
Kyrgios later added a more personal message, but sought to acknowledge the disagreements the pair have had over the years.
“We had our differences but you were one hell of a warrior. Best wishes and good luck with whatever comes next,” Kyrgios said.
Source: thetennisgazette.com.
