Rafael Nadal, the joyful, beating heart of tennis, announces he will retire at the end of 2024

Time has finally come for Rafael Nadal. The 38-year-old tennis great who was the first man in history to win 22 Grand Slam trophies announced Thursday his intention to retire at the end of the year. His final event will be the Davis Cup, where he’ll be representing his home country of Spain.

Nadal announced his retirement in a heartfelt video message posted to social media. It was a little strange seeing Rafa, usually so open with his emotions, calm and composed when he spoke about the end of his time in competitive tennis.

We’ve seen Nadal through it all. We met him when he was a gangly, mop top teenager with boy band good looks. Now, 22 major trophies later, he’s a 38 year old man with a wife and child who has gotten tired of fighting his body.

While Nadal won trophies on all four surfaces, it was clear from a young age that he was highly proficient on clay. At one point he won 81 straight matches on clay, the most any tennis player has ever won on any surface in the history of tennis. He won 14 French Open championships, and is so beloved by French tennis fans that a Nadal statue was erected at Roland Garros years before he called it a career.

In a way, Nadal’s retirement feels like the beating heart of the men’s tour has been removed. Years of being in the spotlight as one of the most talented and competitive athletes on the planet didn’t change him. He continued to be humble and kind. Here’s an exchange sportswriter Jon Wertheim overheard back in 2018.

What’s next for Nadal? Only he knows. The only thing we all know for sure is that he’s earned the rest.