Rafael Nadal announced on Thursday that he will be retiring from competitive tennis after his hip injury from last year’s French Open had not healed.
The 36-year-old Spanish player, who has competed in the claycourt major every year since 2005 and won it 14 matches, said: “It’s not a decision I’m taking, it’s a decision my body is taking.”
Nadal stated that he will take a few months off before beginning to play again, which means he will also undoubtedly miss Wimbledon and probably the US Open. And he added that his career, which has so far yielded 22 Grand Slam singles trophies, will come to an end the following year.
He said at a news conference, “I can’t say this 100% because you never know what’s going to happen, but it’s probably going to be my last year on the professional circuit.
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“We had anticipated that the damage I sustained in Australia would heal quickly.
“Roland Garros ceased to exist. After many years and everything the tournament means to me, I won’t be there.
Nadal stated he won’t set a comeback date but hinted that the Davis Cup in November would be a possible goal.
The former world number one hasn’t competed since suffering a hip injury in a shocking second-round loss to American Mackenzie McDonald at the Australian Open in January.
He was predicted to be fully recovered in six weeks, giving him plenty of time to prepare for the clay court season and begin his quest for a record-breaking 15th victory at Roland Garros.
Nadal, though, seems to be in a losing battle as his 37th birthday approaches in less than two weeks and he has missed the Masters events at Indian Wells, Miami, Monte Carlo, Madrid, and Rome.
The warning bells have been blaring louder over the last year after a career marred by several injuries, particularly to the knee, wrist, and foot.
The Australian Open championship and Nadal’s unbeaten start to 2022 came to an end at Indian Wells due to a chest issue.
He said, “It feels like a needle inside all the time.”
In June, he won his 14th French Open, but not before admitting that Mueller-Weiss Syndrome, a rare degenerative ailment, had forced him to have daily injections for pain relief in his foot.
“I played with no feeling in my foot and a nerve-blocking injection. I was allowed to play since the foot was dormant at the time, he said in Paris.
He continued by saying that he would get a procedure to burn the nerves in his foot, which would permanently numb the agony.
Weeks later, an abdominal strain forced him to retire from the semi-final, ending his hopes of winning a third Wimbledon championship.
