Spanish tennis superstar Rafael Nadal, one of the most victorious players in the history of the sport, will retire after next month’s Davis Cup. Nadal will play for his home country during the tournament alongside his compatriot Carlos Alcaraz, the youngest men’s player to win four championships and Nadal’s heir to the throne. The Davis Cup final is scheduled for November 24th.

Nadal recently held the record for the most Grand Slam singles titles in Open Era history with 22. He has since been surpassed by Novak Djokovic with 24. Nadal’s major has long been known as the “King of Clay” for his ferocity on clay courts. His title list includes a long-standing record of 14 French Open championships.

The former world No. 1 also has four US Open titles, as well as two Wimbledon and Australian Open titles each. This makes him one of only four men’s tennis players to have completed the “Career Slam” (i.e. winning all four majors) twice. In total, the 1.90 meter tall native of Mallorca has won 92 singles titles, the fifth most in the Open Era, as well as 11 doubles titles.

Nadal has won two Olympic gold medals – the 2008 men’s singles title and the 2016 men’s doubles title. Nadal’s career earnings of $134,946,000 are the second-best in men’s tennis history, behind only Djokovic.

The 38-year-old took to his various social media platforms on Thursday to officially announce that his next tournament will indeed be his last. He has struggled with serious injuries throughout his career due to the wear and tear of his explosive style on his lower body, but there have been clear signs of decline over the past two years.

“Hello everyone. “I am here to inform you that I am retiring from professional tennis,” Nadal announced on Thursday. “The reality is that it has been a difficult few years, particularly the last two. I don’t think I could play without restrictions. It’s obviously a difficult decision. One that took me some time. But.” In this life everything has a beginning and an end. And I think it is the right time to end a career that has been long and much more successful than I could have ever imagined. The last tournament will be the Davis Cup final, representing my country.

After various ailments hampered much of his availability over the last two seasons, Nadal had a nice little swansong over the summer, qualifying for the ATP 250 Nordea Open final in Bastad, Sweden. He then lost in straight sets to Nuno Borges.

Read more: Rafael Nadal reaches his first ATP singles final in two years at the Nordea Open

Health problems have meant he has been unable to compete since the Paris Olympics this summer in 2024.

Djokovic, who along with 20-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer was one of Nadal’s fiercest rivals during their shared heyday, went to X to pay his respects.

“Rafa, one post is not enough to express the respect I have for you and what you have done for our sport,” Djokovic wrote in part. “Your tenacity, dedication and fighting spirit will be taught for decades. Your legacy will live on forever. Only you know what you had to endure to become (an) icon of tennis and sports in general.”

“Thank you for pushing me to my limits so many times in our rivalry, which has shaped me the most as a player,” Djokovic continued. “I wish you the best possible farewell in Malaga with the Spanish Davis Cup team. I will be there in person to pay respect to your outstanding career.”

Federer, who set standards with his tear-jerking farewell videos on social media two years ago, has not yet commented on the retirement of his long-time nemesis and friend off the field.

With Nadal, Federer and Andy Murray all retiring, only Djokovic remains of the decades-dominant “Big Four” in men’s tennis. Nadal’s legacy as one of the game’s absolute legends is assured.

Saludo, Rafa.

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