Facts: Rafael Nadal
Full name: Rafael Nadal Parera.
Nickname: Rafa.
Born: June 3, 1986 (age 36) in Manacor, on the Spanish island of Mallorca.
World ranking: 14.
Highest world ranking: 1.
Total number of weeks as world number one: 209.
Titles won: 103 in total (92 in singles, 11 in doubles).
Grand slam titles: 22 (14 French Championships, 4 US Open, 2 Wimbledon, 2 Australian Open).
Other merits: Olympic gold in singles 2008, Olympic gold in doubles 2016.
Match statistics (ATP and grand slam): 1068–220.
Source: ATP.
There is hardly any tournament that is closer to Nadal’s heart than the French Championships. Ever since the victory in his debut in 2005, the Spaniard has been the king of the Roland Garros clay. He is 112–3 in matches – only Robin Söderling and Novak Djokovic have beaten him – and 14 of his 22 grand slam victories have come in Paris.
So when the 36-year-old announced on Thursday, in a live press conference from his Mallorca home, that he would not be starting this year, it marked the end of an era.
— I will not be able to play at Roland Garros. I’ve been working as hard as I can these past few months, but they’ve been very tough months. Because we haven’t been able to find a solution to the injury I got in Australia. I am not ready to compete at the level that I have to be at, says Nadal.
2024 will be the last year
The next thought immediately becomes whether he will return to the tennis court at all.
That’s the idea. But he is not completely sure.
The hip injury that eludes him now is just the latest of all the ailments that Nadal has battled with. Knees, ankles and feet have all stopped him from playing over the years.
— The last few years have gone very well in terms of results, I have won a few grand slam tournaments and also other competitions. But I haven’t been able to enjoy the daily. I haven’t enjoyed either training or tournaments, because there have been too many problems. I’ve been in too much pain, says Nadal.
The autumn Davis Cup with Spain is a possibility and a hope, but he does not make any promises. However, he says that 2024 will probably be his last as a tennis player at the elite level.
— Now I have to rest for a few months. I have to do what is good for my body and for my own happiness. I don’t want to promise something that I can’t fulfill. But my ambition is to give myself the opportunity to enjoy next year, because it will probably be my last.
Grand slam record
Nadal injured himself at the Australian Open in January and has since canceled tournament after tournament, most recently this week’s Italian Open in Rome – the last before the French Championships.
Nadal and Serbia’s Novak Djokovic are alone on the men’s side to have won 22 grand slam singles titles. Together with the Swiss Roger Federer (20 titles), they have for the last 20 years formed a trio that is generally regarded as the best of all time on the men’s side.
Federer ended his career last year. The question now is whether Nadal can continue the fight for first place in history, or whether the Serb will soon be left alone.
If it goes as Nadal wants, he hopes to have a good farewell to the sport in 2024.
— I will try to enjoy and say goodbye to all the tournaments that have meant the most to me during my career, says Nadal.