Rafael Nadal, 22-time Grand Slam Champion, announces retirement, to play his final match in November

Rafael Nadal has confirmed that he will retire from professional Tennis at the end of this season. He will play his final match for Spain in the Davis Cup finals against the Netherlands in Malaga next month. Nadal is a 22-time Grand Slam Champion and is famously known as 'King of Clay'.

Rafael Nadal has confirmed that he will retire from professional Tennis next month after the Davis Cup Finals in Malaga. Spain will face the Netherlands in the Davis Cup Finals and that will be Nadal's final appearance on the court. In the video message, Nadal admitted that the last few years have been very tough for him as he sustained multiple injuries.

"I am here to let you know I am retiring from professional tennis. The reality is that it has been some difficult years, the last two especially. I don't think I have been able to play without limitations," he said in a video message.

For the unversed, Nadal won Grand Slam tournaments a staggering 22 times, second most in the history of Men's Tennis as Novak Djokovic is on top with 24 titles. However, when it came to French Open, he was an absolute boss on the Clay Court having won the competition a stunning 14 times.

Overall, in his 18-year illustrious career, Rafael Nadal won 92 titles in Men's Singles events and 11 titles in doubles. Overall, Nadal won 1080 matches in singles in Tennis and lost only 227 of them during his career that spanned from 2007. His last appearance on the court came during the Paris Olympics when he paired with current champion Carlos Alcaraz in the Men's Doubles event but bowed out of the quarterfinals losing to the fourth-seeded American duo of Austin Krajicek and Rajeev Ram.

However, the 38-year-old won the gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics in Men's Singles while in doubles, he secured gold at the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro. 

Rafael Nadal will turn up for Spain for one final time in the Davis Cup Finals next month which will be played from November 19 to 24. "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 ever have imagined. I’m very excited that my last tournament will be the final of the Davis Cup and representing my country," he added.