Tennis Fans, Brace Yourselves — Rafael Nadal Is Expected to Announce His Retirement
Rafael Nadal, one of the all-time greats of tennis, is expected to announce his retirement from the sport in a press conference later today, Thursday, May 18 (Aus time).
Reportedly, the announcement Nadal is expected to make will concern whether or not he will play in this year’s Roland-Garros tournament in France. However, fans have been speculating that, in addition to his withdrawal, he will also be announcing that he is hanging up his racket for good.
The 36-year-old Spaniard has won a record 22 Grand Glam titles and 92 ATP singles titles, many of which were on clay. This has earned him the nickname ‘the King of Clay’ and he is widely considered to be the best player of the format.
Retirement rumours have however been circulating around Nadal since he left the Australian Open earlier this year following an ankle injury. His 2021 season was also cut short after he developed a rare foot condition.
Nadal is one of the ‘Big Three’, the other two being Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer. Together they are thought of as the greatest of their generation however it appears their time in the sun may nearly be up.
Federer announced his retirement from the game in September last year and Djokovic has been hinting towards the same following injuries.
In a similar vein, tennis GOAT Serena Williams also announced her retirement last year. Perhaps there’s something in the air around tennis legends right now.
In March, Toni Nadal, Rafael’s uncle and former coach, told reporters that he would expect such an announcement from his nephew soon in March of this year.
The conference is set for 4pm CET on Thursday 18 May, 12am AEST Friday. The eyes of the sporting world will be watching.
