By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
Adios, Rafa.
After dominating lawn tennis for 23 long years, living legend Rafael Nadal confirmed that he is set to retire from the sport announced on October 11, 2024.
The 38-year-old ace will officially drop his racket after the Davis Cup Finals in Malaga, where he will represent Spain in the prestigious tennis tourney.
In a heartfelt video message that was posted on social media, Nadal bade all of his fans goodbye and thanked the tennis world after an illustrious career in professional tennis.
“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 Seville in 2004. I feel super, super lucky for all the things I’ve been able to experience,” said Nadal.
After five years of inconsistent Grand Slam appearances due to multiple injuries, Nadal knew it was time to call it a career and pass the torch to the new generation of superstar tennis players.
Nadal is a 22-time Grand Slam champion winner and will go down as one of the most dominant tennis players in history.
He is the record-holder for the most titles in the French Open Grand Slam with 14 championships and became the oldest active player to enter multiple Roland Garros semifinals.
The leftie power hitter first took the professional tennis scene by storm last 2001 and immediately introduced himself as a dominant force in the clay court.
Little did the kid from Spain know that his career would blossom in the pros, capping off his 23-year campaign with 22 Grand Slams, 92 ATP titles, 36 Masters titles, and an Olympic gold medal.
“I want to thank the entire tennis industry. All the people involved in this sport, my long-time colleagues, especially my great rivals. I have spent many, many hours with them and I have lived many moments that I will remember for the rest of my life,” Nadal added.
Thank you for everything that you left in the sport of lawn tennis, Rafa.
Every kid will always shout, ‘Vamos’ after scoring every forehand bomb because of you.
Gracias, Rafa!
