When a teenaged Rafa Nadal bounced in to Roland Garros in pirate pants and sleeveless shirt in May 2005 before scything through the draw, few realised it marked the start of an unprecedented era of sporting domination.
Rafael Nadal on Thursday announced he will retire after the Davis Cup finals in November, ending a career which brought 22 Grand Slam titles, global respect and inspired epic, iconic rivalries with Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic.
He last played the tournament in 2022.
Nadal looked sharp on court and appeared to have no issues with his movement after the long lay-off for a hip problem
The 22-time Grand Slam champion has undergone surgery twice in 2023 after struggling with a hip injury.
Djokovic will spearhead Serbia at the tournament from December 29-January 7 in Sydney and Perth as he builds towards the defence of his Australian Open title.
While Novak Djokovic reclaimed the World No. 1 ranking from Carlos Alcaraz after winning a record 23rd Grand Slam title at the French Open, there were clear signs of the end of an era as Rafael Nadal dropped out of the top 100 and reached his worst position in the rankings since March of 2003, when he was just a 16-year-old.
Nadal has been struggling with a hip injury he suffered at the Australian Open in January, and fears the Spaniard may miss the Paris Grand Slam grew after he pulled out of this week's Italian Open
The 19-year-old brushed aside Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-3, 6-4 to add the Barcelona trophy to wins in Buenos Aires and Indian Wells in 2023. He now has nine career titles
Rafael Nadal storms through his opening match of the China Open as he seeks to redeem his injury-blighted season with a strong run in Beijing.
Mo Farah, Rafael Nadal and Justin Rose are among athletes targeted in the latest leak of confidential medical documents that the world anti-doping agency (WADA) says were hacked by a Russian cyber espionage group.
Novak Djokovic, well rested after not playing since Monday, resumes his US Open title defence against fiery Russian Mikhail Youzhny, a two-time semi-finalist in New York.
Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal get their US Open campaigns under way Monday in the shadow of Arthur Ashe Stadium's spectacular $150 million retractable roof and alongside rock music legend Phil Collins.
Rafael Nadal describes his second Olympic gold as "unforgettable" after marking his return from his latest injury misery by partnering close friend Marc Lopez to the men's doubles title in Rio.
Rafael Nadal concedes he is not yet sure that he will be able to represent Spain at the Rio Olympics as his fitness concerns linger.
Rafael Nadal will be fit and ready for Rio, the head of the Spanish Olympic Committee insisted Thursday, even though the 14-time Grand Slam title winner is still sweating on his place in the squad.
Spanish tennis ace Rafael Nadal has said that he had no intention of missing out on the Olympic Games starting from August 5 in
Rafael Nadal will miss Wimbledon after failing to recover from the wrist injury which forced his withdrawal from the French Open, he announced on Facebook.
The moment Novak Djokovic accepted that being part of the Roger Federer/Rafael Nadal era was a chance, not a curse, everything improved for him. After winning his first French Open title, world's number one tennis player holds all four grand slams at the same time.