Rafael Nadals career is nearing its end, which will take place at the Davis Cup Finals in Malaga in November. The former world number 1 made this very painful decision after a couple of months of reflection, where he thought his choice well and realized that it did not make sense to continue playing at a level too far from the standards to which he was accustomed.
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The Spanish legend has made history in the sport and will try to help his country win the Davis Cup in November, although it is not yet clear if he will be ready to play in singles. The 22-time Grand Slam champion has not played an official match since the Paris Olympics, having decided to miss both the US Open and the Laver Cup in Berlin.
The legend from Manacor will do everything possible to be ready for November and will play the 'Six Kings Slam' in Saudi Arabia next week, where he will face the winner of the match between Carlos Alcaraz and Holger Rune in the semi-finals. The poor results obtained in 2024 and physical problems have led Rafa not to prolong his career, although the 14-time champion of the French Open had not excluded that he could be on the court in 2025.
Darcis on beating Rafa
Rafa has won many titles and won many memorable matches during his long career, but he also suffered some really painful defeats. Fans of the Spaniard will remember the shocking loss to Steve Darcis in the first round of the 2013 Wimbledon Championships, perhaps one of the biggest surprises in the history of this tournament.
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In a recent interview with RTBF, Darcis recalled that day: I said at the time, I really thought that I could win at 7 6 7 6 5 4 40-15, so really on the match ball. Then I thought it might do it. But before, until the last minute, you say to yourself: Well there he goes again, it will be hell again. Before the match ball, yes, honestly I didnt believe it. It seemed too big to me, actually.
The news of Nadals retirement has made it all around the world and everyone has paid their tribute to a living legend of sport. The 22-time Grand Slam champion has had the strength to stand up even in the most complicated moments and has become a model for all young athletes.
A dream career
During an interview with MARCA, uncle Toni reflected on Rafas amazing career: We have a family chat and Rafa said on Thursday that in a few hours a video was coming out announcing his retirement. In the group we are the five brothers and older nephews. Im a pretty dry guy and I wrote to him: Congratulations, youve had a good career. The others went on a bit longer. I say things up front, which makes me less lazy. Rafa would have liked to have another good season on clay and that means winning or, at least, performing at a good level. He has not retired as he would have liked I always told him not to complain because life has treated us better than we expected.
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He also revealed his worst loss: Since 2005, Rafa has been unable to finish 90% training sessions because of injuries. He took painkillers in every Grand Slam. The worst defeat was the Australian final against Djokovic in 2012. I havent watched that match again because I left devastated. The injuries made us live with the sword of Damocles without knowing when Rafaels career would end. We always thought it would end soon. The retirements due to injury, at Roland Garros, in Australia.
The Spaniards career has exceeded all expectations, as well as his ability to improve his game and win many titles even outside of his beloved red clay. Fans dreamed that Rafa could win another great title before retiring, but his level was not good enough to achieve yet another feat.
During the interview, Toni Nadal also spoke about the future of this sport with Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz as a leaders: "It is true that there are two who stand out above the rest now, Alcaraz and Sinner, but I don't see any young people who can stand up to them, and that happened before.
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If I may return to Alcaraz, since he is the one we care about, I must say that I still enjoy his game more - I like him even more - but I must also admit and fear that the current leader's notable improvement, especially on a mental level, will make things really difficult for him. The rivalry is definitely on.
