"The truth is that they have been difficult years, especially these last two. I have not been able to play without limitations. It is a difficult decision, it took me a while to make it, but in this life everything has a beginning and an end. I think it is the right time to end a career that has been long and very successful, more than I could have ever imagined.
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I am very excited that my last tournament will be the Davis Cup finals representing my country. It will close a circle, since one of my first triumphs as a professional was the final in Seville in 2004. I feel super lucky for all the things I have been able to experience. I want to thank the entire tennis world, my teammates, my great rivals, with whom I spent many hours and experienced many moments that I will remember for the rest of my life."
With these words, through a moving video, Rafael Nadal announced his retirement from tennis, which will take place at the Davis Cup Finals in Malaga, next November. The legendary Spanish champion, after the physical tribulations of the last 22 months, has decided to end his professional career, studded with incredible records, linked above all to his successes on clay-courts.
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Rafa has won 22 Slam titles, 14 of which at Roland Garros; a record that will be difficult to match in the future. Nadal, as mentioned, hoped to live a 2024 in physical health, but the Spaniard's plans were ruined prematurely already in Australia. From there a series of withdrawals and few matches played on clay-courts and at the Olympics.
But when was the moment in which Rafa understood that the time had come for his tennis farewell?
In an interview with Radioestadio Noche, Carlos Moya, coach of the Spaniard, talked about when the moment came to realize that the time had come: Nadal decided to retire after the Paris Olympics.
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"I think that if he had had a more pleasant draw at Roland-Garros we would have seen a necessary change of trend. That didn't happen. In part it could be a relief after these last two years that have been tough for him. The last point is the Olympics, he has a problem the days before and plays against Djokovic in the second round. I think that was his last great hope and that's why he decided it will be his last. We've always been a bit behind. He gets injured, misses the Australian Open, tries to play Indian Wells and gets injured again. And then the clay season begins, for which he had prepared with few hours of training and with limitations due to injuries," explained Moya.
