Rafael Nadal Had a Full-Circle Moment in the Final Match of His Career (2024)

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Rafael Nadal News: Tennis Great Retires After Davis Cup Loss

After 22 Grand Slam titles and countless memorable moments, tennis legend Rafael Nadal played his final professional match on November 19. The 38-year-old lost 6-4, 6-4 to Botic van de Zandschulp of the Netherlands in the Davis Cup, which he said would be his last tournament before retiring from the sport. The Dutch team ousted Nadal and his fellow Spaniards from play after also winning in doubles.

“I lost my first match in the Davis Cup, and I lost my last one, so we close the circle,” Nadal said afterward. Despite his loss, he was feted by fans and fellow tennis stars, including Roger Federer, Serena Williams, Andy Murray, and Novak Djokovic. Nadal announced his retirement in mid-October, citing his health as the primary factor in his decision. He said he hasn’t been able to play “without limitations” over the last few years, as reflected by his current ranking of No. 154.

Still, Nadal is retiring as one of the sport’s all-time greats. His 22 Slams are second most in men’s history behind Novak Djokovic at 24, and Nadal’s 14 French Open titles are at least double that of any other competitor. He also has two Olympic gold medals, winning men’s singles in 2008 and men’s doubles in 2016 with Marc Lopez.

“The way that I would like to be remembered more is as a good person from a small village in Mallorca,” Nadal said following the match. “A lot of people work hard, a lot of people try their best every single day, but... I have been very lucky that life gave me the opportunity to live unforgettable experiences because of tennis. I just want to be remembered as a good person and a kid that followed their dreams and achieved more than what I ever dreamed.”

Now retired, Rafael Nadal remains one of the most successful men’s tennis players in history, having won 22 Grand Slam singles titles and a record 14 French Open tournaments. The Spaniard began playing tennis at age 3 and turned pro at 15. Known as the “King of Clay” for his skill on clay courts, Nadal rose to become the No. 1 player in the world and won two Olympic gold medals. He retired from the sport in November 2024.

FULL NAME: Rafael Nadal Parera
BORN: June 3, 1986
BIRTHPLACE: Manacor, Spain
SPOUSE: Maria Francisca Perelló (2019-present)
CHILDREN: Rafael Jr.
ASTROLOGICAL SIGN: Gemini

Rafael Nadal Parera was born in Manacor, Spain, on the island of Mallorca on June 3, 1986. When he was 3 years old, his uncle Toni Nadal, a former professional tennis player, started working with him, seeing an aptitude for the sport in young Rafael.

At the age of 8, Nadal won an under-12 regional tennis championship, giving his uncle Toni the incentive to step up his training. Toni noticed at the time that Nadal played his forehand shots with two hands, so he encouraged him to play left-handed, thinking it could give Nadal an edge on the court.

When Nadal was just 12 years old, he won the Spanish and European tennis titles in his age group. He turned professional at age 15.

Nadal, often called by his nickname “Rafa” on the court, proved his success as an amateur was no fluke. At age 16, he made it to the semifinals of the boys singles tournament at Wimbledon. At 17, he became the youngest male to reach the third round at Wimbledon since Germany’s Boris Becker in 1985.

In 2005, when he was just 19 years old, Nadal won the French Open the first time he competed in the tournament. He beat Switzerland’s Roger Federer and Argentina’s Mariano Puerta on his way to the championship, after which his world ranking shot to No. 3. Nadal won 11 singles titles that year, eight of which were on clay, and he was soon dubbed the “King of Clay.”

Despite enduring shoulder and foot injuries, Nadal won his second straight French Open and added four more titles in 2006. The following year, he won again at Roland Garros and took home five other titles.

Nadal poured it on in 2008, winning the French Open for a fourth consecutive year and claiming victory at Wimbledon, where he beat rival Federer in what was then the longest final in Wimbledon history at 4 hours, 48 minutes. After Wimbledon, Nadal’s winning streak stood at a career-best 32 matches. That August, he continued his hot streak at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, where he won gold in the men’s singles after defeating Chilean player Fernando Gonzalez.

World No. 1 Ranking

With his powerful topspin-heavy shots, speed, and mental toughness, Nadal reigned as one of the “Big Four” of men’s tennis—along with Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, and Andy Murray—for the next several years. He took over as the world’s No. 1 in August 2008 and would go on to hold the top ranking for a total of 209 weeks during his career, the sixth most in history. He ended the year as the No. 1 men’s singles player in the world five different times.

Not surprisingly, that meant he won a lot of tournaments. He claimed his first Australian Open victory in 2009. In 2010, Nadal was triumphant at the French Open and Wimbledon, and his win at that year’s U.S. Open made him just the second men’s player to achieve the career Golden Slam: victories at all four majors as well as an Olympic gold medal.

Record Titles at the French Open

The following year, Nadal led the Spanish team at the Davis Cup to victory for the fourth time, but he surrendered his No. 1 ranking after losing to Djokovic in the Wimbledon final. He gained some revenge by defeating the Serbian star at Roland Garros in spring 2012 to claim a seventh French Open singles crown, a new record for men’s tennis.

However, Nadal followed with a surprising second-round loss to Czech player Lukas Rosol at 2012’s Wimbledon, a match some commentators labeled as one of the biggest upsets in tennis history. Afterward, Nadal announced he was withdrawing from the 2012 Summer Olympics due to knee tendinitis, an injury that knocked him out of action for several months.

In June 2013, Nadal won his eighth French Open title by defeating fellow Spaniard David Ferrer in straight sets. “I never like to compare years, but it’s true that this year means something very special for me,” Nadal said after the match, in an interview with ESPN. “Five months ago nobody of my team dreamed about one comeback like this because we thought that [was] going to be impossible. But here we are today, and that’s really fantastic and incredible.”

Moreover, the victory at Roland Garros pushed him past American woman Chris Evert in the record books for most French Open titles in history. He has since extended his lead to 14 wins at the Grand Slam tournament, twice as many as Evert claimed and more than double all other competitors. Nadal captured a fifth consecutive title at the French Open in 2014, marking his longest winning streak at the tournament. He also won in 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2022.

Mixed Results Amid Injuries

Despite his dominance at the French Open in June 2013, Nadal couldn’t hold on later that month at Wimbledon. He lost in straight sets in the first round to Belgium’s Steve Darcis. It was a shock to tennis fans who expected a strong performance from the Spanish player, leading to speculation about the state of his health and overall game. But Nadal was back on the upswing by the U.S. Open, where he defeated Novak Djokovic to win his second championship at the tournament. The win helped propel Nadal back to the top spot in the world that October.

In June 2014, Nadal won his ninth French Open championship by topping Djokovic in four sets. It was his 14^th Grand Slam title, tying him with Pete Sampras for second all-time behind the 17 won by Roger Federer. Shortly after his French triumph, Nadal withdrew from the 2014 U.S. Open, citing a wrist injury, and played a limited schedule for the remainder of the year.

Nadal advanced through the field at the 2015 Australian Open, but his physical capabilities appeared compromised when he fell to hard-hitting Tomas Berdych in the quarterfinals. He then suffered a stunning quarterfinal loss to Djokovic at the French Open, his first defeat at the tournament since 2009 and just the second overall of his career.

After winning the 2015 Mercedes Cup in Germany, Nadal stumbled in a second-round loss to Dustin Brown at Wimbledon. He then fell to Fabio Fognini in the third round of the U.S. Open, snapping his streak of 10 consecutive years with at least one Grand Slam title.

The 2016 season brought more mixed results for the Spaniard. After suffering a first-round loss at the Australian Open in January, he rebounded to win titles in Monte Carlo and Barcelona. However, Nadal’s attempts to play through a nagging wrist injury took its toll, and he was forced to pull out of his favorite tournament, the French Open, after two rounds. At the 2016 Rio Olympics in August, Nadal took home the gold medal in men’s doubles with his fellow countryman Marc Lopez.

In 2017, Nadal faced off against Federer in the finals at the Australian Open but was ultimately defeated in five sets. After his win, Federer, who also came back from a series of injuries, paid tribute to Nadal: “I’d like to congratulate Rafa on an amazing comeback, too,” Federer said. “I don’t think either one of us thought we would be in the final at the Australian Open this year. I am happy for you. I would’ve been happy to lose to you tonight, too, really.”

Nadal rebounded later in the 2017 season. He defeated Stan Wawrinka of Switzerland at Roland Garros followed by Kevin Anderson of South Africa at the U.S. Open. Now with 16 Grand Slam titles to his name, Nadal returned to the No. 1 ranking. “For me personally, it’s just unbelievable what happened to me this year after a couple of years with some troubles: injuries, moments playing not good,” he said after his U.S. Open win. “From the beginning of the season, it has been very emotional.”

Chasing the Grand Slam Record

As he had been since the end of the 2014 season, Nadal stubbornly remained three Grand Slam titles behind rival Roger Federer through 2018. Injuries that year hampered the “King of Clay” from narrowing the gap, though he did claim his 400^th career win on clay that year and his 17^th overall Grand Slam championship with a straight-set victory at Roland Garros. Meanwhile, Federer won his 20^th Grand Slam tournament at the 2018 Australian Open.

Nadal underwent ankle surgery in the offseason but recovered enough to make a run to the 2019 Australian Open final. He overcame more nagging injuries to reestablish his clay-court dominance that spring, culminating with a four-set win over Austria’s Dominic Thiem for his 12^th French Open crown. At Wimbledon that summer, fans were treated to another Nadal-Federer classic, with the Swiss great winning their semifinal matchup in four sets. Novak Djokovic ultimately won the tournament, halting Federer from another Grand Slam win. But there was no stopping Nadal in New York two months later, as he held off a stubborn Daniil Medvedev of Russia in five sets to claim his fourth U.S. Open and 19^th career Grand Slam title. Nadal was now one Grand Slam away from tying his longtime rival.

Unsurprisingly, that title arrived at the next French Open, held uncharacteristically in September and October 2020 after a pandemic-induced delay. Nadal beat Djokovic in the final, marking his 13^th victory at Roland Garros and tying the men’s record of 20 Grand Slam singles titles. The defending champion opted out of U.S. Open competition in 2020 due to travel concerns related to the coronavirus.

The Grand Slam record stood still in 2021, though Djokovic made it a three-way tie at 20 by winning that year’s Australian and French Opens as well as Wimbledon. Then in January 2022, Nadal beat Medvedev at the Australian Open for his 21^st Grand Slam championship. That June, Nadal won his 14^th French Open, cementing the men’s Grand Slam record at 22 titles and placing him two wins above Djokovic and Federer, who retired in September 2022.

Final Seasons and Retirement

In June 2022, ESPN reported Nadal was diagnosed with Mueller-Weiss syndrome, a condition that caused chronic pain in his left foot. He suffered abdominal and hip injuries as well, contributing to his absence from three major tournaments in both 2023 and 2024. Meanwhile, Novak Djokovic was able to pass the left-handed Spaniard to set a new men’s record for Grand Slam titles; he leads with 24 as of November 2024.

Even his nagging health woes couldn’t keep Nadal from competing at Roland Garros in 2024. But he was quickly eliminated in straight-set first round loss by Alexander Zverev of Germany. It was the first time Nadal lost two consecutive matches on clay since the start of his career. “If it’s the last time that I played here, I am at peace with myself,” Nadal said after the match.

That proved to be true. In mid-October 2024, Nadal announced he planned to retire from professional tennis following his participation in November’s Davis Cup. “It is obviously a difficult decision, one that has taken me some time to make. But in this life, everything has a beginning and an end. And I think it’s the appropriate time to put an end to a career that has been long and much more successful than I could have ever imagined,” said Nadal, who cited his health struggles as a primary factor.

His final match was a 6-4, 6-4 loss against Botic van de Zandschulp of the Netherlands on November 19, 2024.

Representing Spain, Nadal made his Olympic debut in 2004 at the Athens Games, where he was the youngest participant at age 18. He played doubles with Carlos Moya, though the pair didn’t make it past the first round.

Nadal returned in 2008 for his second Summer Games in Beijing, where he played both singles and doubles. The 22-year-old cruised into the singles semifinals, losing only one set along the way. He completed his run by defeating Novak Djokovic of Serbia, who later won bronze, then Fernando Gonzalez of Chile in the final to win his first Olympic gold medal. He and double partner Tommy Robredo bowed out in the second round.

At the 2016 Rio Games, Nadal won his second gold medal in the men’s doubles tournament with partner Marc Lopez. In singles competition, he lost to eventual silver medalist Juan Martín del Potro of Argentina and Kei Nishikori of Japan in the semifinals and bronze medal match, respectively.

Nadal played in his final Olympic tournament in 2024 in Paris. He lost to rival Djokovic in the second round of singles play, marking their 60^th head-to-head match, and fell in the semifinals of doubles with partner Carlos Alcaraz.

Nadal began dating Maria Francisca Perelló, more commonly known by her nickname “Xisca,” in 2005. They were together for more than a decade by the time they got engaged in January 2019. The couple married later that year in November.

Since April 2012, Perelló has worked for the tennis player’s Rafa Nadal Foundation, which promotes healthy physical activity and aims to improve education for underprivileged children. She started as a project manager before her promotion to CEO in November 2019, according to People.

Nadal and Perelló have one child together. Their son, Rafael Jr., was born in October 2022. “Everything surprises you because everything is new,” Nadal said of fatherhood in March 2024. “Especially the first kid you have, everything is 100 percent new for my wife and for me. So you learn every day, and every day is unexpected.”

According to the ATP Tour, Nadal has earned just under $135 million in career prize money. So, it’s no surprise his net worth is similarly large. Celebrity Net Worth estimates Nadal’s total fortune at around $220 million as of June 2024. This also includes money earned from endorsements with brands such as Nike, Kia Motors, and Emporio Armani.

• Always I believe that I can play better. But I am happy.
• If you don’t lose, you can’t enjoy victories. You have to accept both things.
• The only way of finding a solution is to fight back, to move, to run, and to control that pressure.
• I just want to be remembered as a good person and a kid that followed their dreams and achieved than what I ever dreamed.
  

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