Rafael Nadal’s retirement statement in full: ‘I leave with absolute peace of mind’

Rafael Nadal has announced that he will retire at the end of the 2024 tennis season, bringing to an end an astonishing 20-year career.

The Spaniard has won 22 Grand Slams, including 14 Franch Opens, but has been blighted by injuries in the last two years.

The 38-year-old will retire next month after the season-ending Davis Cup FInals in Malaga, representing his country one last time:

Nadal posted an emotional video on social media on Thursday, speaking to camera and paying tribute to his family and the tennis world.

In full, Nadal said: “Hello everyone, I’m here to let you know that I am retiring from professional tennis. The reality is that it has been some difficult years, these last two especially. I don’t think I have been able to play without limitations. 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.

“But I am very excited that my last tournament will be the final of the Davis Cup and representing my country. I think I’ve come full circle, since one of my first great joys as a professional tennis player was the Davis Cup final in Seville in 2004.

“I feel super, super lucky for all the things I’ve been able to experience. I want to thank the entire tennis industry, all the people involved in this sport: my long-time colleagues, especially my great rivals. I have spent many, many hours with them, and I have lived many moments that I will remember for the rest of my life.

“Talking about my team is a little bit more difficult for me, because in the end my team has been a very important part of my life. They are not just my co-workers, they are my friends. They have been by my side at all the times I have really needed them. Very bad moments, very good moments, moments when I had to be pushed, moments they gave me more slack. We have lived so much together that it is hard to explain.

“My family is everything to me. My mother: I think she has made all the sacrifices she had to make so that we would always have everything.

“My wife Mery: we’ve been together for 19 years. Thank you for everything you have done. I think you’ve been the perfect travel companion during all these years of career.

“To come home and see how my son is growing every day has been a force that has really kept me alive and with the necessary energy to continue.

“My sister, I think we have always had an incredible relationship. My uncle [Toni], who is the reason I started playing tennis. I believe that thanks to him, I have also been able to overcome many situations that have been difficult in my sporting career.

“And to my father, who I believe has been a source of inspiration for me in every sense of the word. I think he has been an example of effort, of overcoming. Many, many thanks to my father in a very, very special way.

“And finally, you, the fans. I can’t thank you enough for what you have made me feel. You have given me the energy I have needed at every moment. Really, everything I have experienced has been a dream come true.

“I leave with the absolute peace of mind of having given my best, of having made an effort in every way. I can only end by saying a thousand thanks to all and see you soon.”