22-time Grand Slam Champion Rafael Nadal has officially retired from tennis. The 38-year-old Spaniard played his final match in front of his home crowd in Malaga on Tuesday. He was representing Spain in the Davis Cup quarter finals against Dutchman Botic van de Zandschulp but lost the match 6-4 6-4.
Despite the loss Nadal will leave the sport having enjoyed a truly incredible career. At the age of only 24 he secured a ‘Career Golden Slam’ – adding the US Open to the French Open, Wimbledon Championships & Australian Open.
Nadal also went on to win the Olympic Gold medal at the Beijing Olympics is 2008. His phenomenal record include the following statistics;
- Youngest player to win a Grand Slam
- Longest streak in the ATP Top 10 rankings (912 weeks)
- Only players to win multiple Grand Slams in three decades
- Most victories against World No.1 ranked players
- Record winner of the French Open (14)
- The ‘King of Clay’ has the highest percentage wins on clay (90.7%)