MALAGA, Spain (AP) — Rafael Nadal's remarkable tennis career came to end on Tuesday and he heads into retirement after Spain lost to the Netherlands in the quarterfinals at the Davis Cup Final 8. The 38-year-old Nadal played on tour for more than two decades and collected 22 Grand Slam titles , including 14 on his favorite clay at the French Open, and 92 singles titles overall . He reached No.
1 in the ATP rankings and spent the longest consecutive span in the top 10 in history — nearly 18 full years — until playing sparingly the past two seasons because of several injuries. Nadal forever will be remembered as a member of the Big Three of men’s tennis , along with Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic. Here is a year-by-year look back at the victories, losses, rivalries and injuries that marked Nadal's career: Nadal gave it one last go, but he missed three of the four Grand Slam tournaments and went just 12-8 in singles.
He got a tough draw at his beloved French Open and lost in the first round to eventual runner-up Alexander Zverev . At the Paris Olympics, contested at Roland Garros, Nadal was eliminated by Djokovic in the second round of singles, then bowed out in the doubles quarterfinals alongside Carlos Alcaraz . On Oct.
10, Nadal announced that his last professional appearance would be at the Davis Cup, representing Spain at home in Malaga. On Tuesday, Nadal played his final match, losing 6-4, 6-4 to Botic van de Zandschulp of the Netherlands. Nadal lost in the secon.
