By Iliana Pagano, Year 12
After 23 years, 1250 rackets and 1080 successful matches, Rafael Nadal has finally bid farewell to his professional tennis career.
On the 3rd of June 1986 in Manacor, a town on the Spanish island of Mallorca, was born a young boy that would end up becoming one of the greatest players of all time. Nadal started playing tennis as early as the age of 4. His uncle, seeing his potential, coached him till he turned professional back in 2001. At just 8 years old he won an under-12 regional tennis championship. Shortly after, at 12 years old, he won the Spanish and European tennis titles in his age group. He turned professional at age 15.
Throughout his professional career, Nadal didn’t stay unnoticed very long on the Wimbledon stage, making it to the semi-finals of the boys tournament at age 16. One year later, he became the youngest male to reach the third round of Wimbledon since Becker in 1985 and became known on the court as “Rafa”.
In 2005, Nadal dominated the French Open (this was the first time he participated in this event) beating two of the most renowned players: Roger Federer and Mariano Puerta bumping his world ranking all the way to number 3. That same year, Nadal brought home 11 single titles, 8 of which were on clay, earning him the title of “King of Clay”.
Despite some injuries to his foot and shoulder, he won a second year in a row the French Open and claimed another 4 more titles in 2006. The year that followed he won Roland Garros and collected another 5 titles.
However, the 22 year old didn’t stop there, obtaining for a fourth year in a row the title of the French Open, and beating Federer at the Wimbledon in what is known as the longest final in the Wimbledon history, lasting a total of 4 hours and 48 minutes.
2008 was Nadal’s golden year, where his winning streak stood at its best: 32 matches. That same year he also brought home the Olympic Gold medal at Beijing against Fernando Gonzalez.
Known for his speed, forehand delivered with heavy topspin, mental toughness and perseverance, Nadal earned a spot within the “Big Four” of men’s tennis along with Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray. He became the highest ranking player in August 2008 and would cling on to this spot for a total of 209 weeks. He ended up as the number 1 player five times.
In the 2012’s Wimbledon Nadal lost in the second round against Lukas Rosol, commentators labelling it as one of the most upsetting moments in the history of tennis.
Shortly after, Nadal had to withdraw from the Summer Olympics due to an injury to the knee. Fortunately, he was able to make a comeback in June 2013 winning his eight French Open title. Despite further health complications, he was still able to beat Djokovic in the US Open.
In June 2022, Nadal was diagnosed with Mueller-Weiss syndrome, a rare condition which affects the navicular bone in the midfoot. This caused him chronic pain in the left foot. Shortly after he lost at Roland-Garros, losing two consecutive matches on clay, the field he dominated in, for the first time in his entire career. In mid-October 2024, Nadal announced his plan to retire from professional tennis following November’s Davis Cup.
He lost his final match at 6-4, 6-4 against Botic Van der Zandschulp.
“I lost my first match in the Davis Cup, and I lost my last one, so we close the circle,” these were the last words from Nadal, the world renown player, whose legacy will forever be remembered by tennis fans all over the world.
His career did indeed close a full circle, coming back right to his place of birth, the King of Clay wishes to be remembered as a “good person from a small village in Mallorca”.
