Legendary Spanish tennis star Rafael Nadal has announced retirement.
The winner of 22 Grand Slam titles, Nadal announced on X Thursday that he will end competitive tennis at the end of this season.
The Davis Cup Finals, to be held in Malaga from November 19 to 24, will be the 38-year-old Spaniard’s final professional event.
“Hello everyone, I am here to let you know I am retiring from professional tennis,” Nadal said in a video. “The reality is 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 a 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 could have ever imagined.”
Since turning pro in 2001, he spent 209 weeks at No. 1 in ATP Rankings.
Dubbed the ‘King of Clay’, Nadal’s 22 Grand Slam titles include a record 14 crowns at Roland Garros.
The four-time US Open champion has won both the Australian Open and Wimbledon twice.
He also won Olympic gold medal and Davis Cup for Spain.