Another piece of tennis history is ready to farewell: Rafael Nadal has announced his retirement from all of them at the end of the season. The Spanish champion will only play the Davis Cup Finals scheduled in Malaga in November before officially saying goodbye to tennis.
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The Spanish legend believes that the right time has come to put an end to a sensational career. Rafa has sensational records especially on clay, a surface on which he will always be considered the undisputed dominator. The 14 titles won at Roland Garros have elected him the King of Clay.
Among the unforgettable rivalries are those with his great rivals and companions on this unforgettable, endless journey: Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic.
Roger and Rafa have met 40 times in their careers, with the Spaniard leading 24-16 in head-to-head matches. From 2006 to 2017, the two rivals faced each other in four finals at the French Open, three at Wimbledon and two at the Australian Open. Of those nine matches, four ended in the fifth set, with two victories each. The 2008 Wimbledon final, won by the Spaniard, is considered one of the greatest tennis matches ever. Nadal leads 14-10 in their finals played, and 10-4 in Slam clashes. Nadal leads head-to-head at Australian Open (3-1) and Roland Garros (6-0), while Federer leads at Wimbledon (3-1).
Nadal and Djokovic have faced each other 60 times since 2006 (a record for the Open Era), with the Serbian leading the head-to-head 31-29. Theirs is also the greatest rivalry in the history of both the Grand Slam tournaments - with 18 matches played (11-7 for Nadal), including 9 finals (5-4 for Nadal) - and the ATP Masters 1000 tournaments, with 29 matches played (16-13 for Dokovic), including 14 finals (7-7). Djokovic leads the Australian Open (2-0) and Wimbledon matches (2-1), while Nadal is ahead at Roland Garros (8-2) and the US Open (2-1).
