Rafael Nadal to retire from tennis at end of season

 


Rafael Nadal to retire from tennis at end of season



Tennis great Rafael Nadal will retire from the sport at the end of the year.

Nadal, 38, has enjoyed a career that has seen him win 22 Grand Slams, including 14 French Open titles. But he has been hampered by injuries in recent years, and he announced Thursday that this will be his final year playing the sport.

He will play for Spain against the Netherlands in the Davis Cup in Malaga from Nov. 19-21. That will be his final act on the tennis court, in a sport where he stood alongside Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray as four modern greats in the men's game.

"I'm here to let you know that I am retiring from professional tennis," Nadal said in a video statement posted to social media. "The reality is that it has been some difficult years, these two especially. I don't think I have been able to play without limitations. It is obviously a difficult decision, one that takes 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.

"I am very excited that my last tournament will be the final of the Davis Cup and representing my country. I think I've come full circle since one of my first great joys as a professional tennis player was the Davis Cup final in Sevilla in 2004. I feel super, super lucky for all the things I've been able to experience. I want to thank the entire tennis industry."

Nadal went pro in 2001 and won the 2005 French Open in his first attempt. From there he established remarkable dominance on clay, winning 14 tournaments in 18 years at Roland Garros (2005-08, 20-14, 2017-20, 2022).

He also triumphed at the Australian Open (2009, '22), Wimbledon (2008, '10) and the US Open (2010, '13, '17, '19).


He also won four Davis Cup titles.

"I feel super lucky for all the things I've been able to experience," Nadal said. "I want to thank the entire tennis industry, all the people involved in this sport, my longtime colleagues, especially my great rivals. I've spent many, many hours with them, and I've lived many moments that I'll remember for the rest of my life. Talking about my team is a little bit more difficult for me, because in the end, my team has been a very important part of my life. They're not just co-workers. They are friends.

"And finally, you the fans -- I can't thank you enough for what you've made me feel. You give me the energy I've needed every moment, really."Everything I have experienced has been a dream come true. I leave with the absolute peace of mind of having given my best, of having made an effort in every way I can only end by saying, a thousand thanks to you all. See you soon."

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

U.S. Northern lights forecast maps for tonight show best areas in U.S. to see aurora borealis

Image
  U.S. Northern lights forecast maps for tonight show best areas in U.S. to see aurora borealis The  northern lights  made an incredible display over much of the United States on Thursday — and might make a return appearance Friday night.  The aurora borealis was visible as far south as Florida on Thursday. Photos show the sky lit up in red and purple, even in some brightly-lit areas like  New York City  and  Chicago .  The  strong geomagnetic storm that created such a show  has subsided, according the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, but some parts of the U.S. may again see the northern lights tonight. Here's what to know.  The Northern Lights are visible over the Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge on October 11, 2024 near New York City. Roy Rochlin / Getty Images Where will the northern lights be visible tonight? The northern lights will be visible for parts of the northern U.S., according to the  NOAA Space ...
Read more

Cissy Houston, Whitney Houston’s mother and a Grammy-winning singer, dies at 91

Image
Cissy Houston, Whitney Houston’s mother and a Grammy-winning singer, dies at 91 LOS ANGELES (AP) — Cissy Houston, the mother of the late Whitney Houston and a two-time Grammy winner who performed alongside superstar musicians like Elvis Presley, and Aretha Franklin, has died. She was 91. Houston died Monday morning in her New Jersey home while under hospice care for Alzheimer’s disease, her daughter-in-law Pat Houston told The Associated Press. The acclaimed gospel singer was surrounded by her family. “Our hearts are filled with pain and sadness. We loss the matriarch of our family,” Pat Houston said in a statement. She said her mother-in-law’s contributions to popular music and culture are “unparalleled.” “Mother Cissy has been a strong and towering figure in our lives. A woman of deep faith and conviction, who cared greatly about family, ministry, and community. Her more than seven-decade career in music and entertainment will remain at the forefront of our hearts.” Houston wa...
Read more

Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine awarded for discovery of microRNA

Image
  Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine awarded for discovery of microRNA American scientists Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun won the 2024 Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine Monday for the discovery of microRNAs, a class of tiny molecules that have been connected to heart disease, a wide variety of cancers and viral diseases. Mutations in microRNAs, just like those in genes, can lead to diseases, and fixing or replacing mutant microRNAs may prove crucial to developing treatments. Ambros and Ruvkun figured out that these small molecules have the power to reduce or block production of proteins, responsible for virtually every human action from breathing to thinking. Not to be confused with messenger RNA — which acts as a “middleman” in the process of translating genetic material into proteins — microRNAs add a crucial, previously unrecognized layer to the process. MicroRNAs can bind on to the messenger RNA and are able to help cells regulate the kinds and amounts of proteins that ar...
Read more