The 38-year-old Spaniard, winner of 22 Grand Slam trophies, including 14 at Roland Garros, retired from the sport after his final match at the Davis Cup in Malaga in November.
For over two decades, the "Big Three" of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic dominated the sport, pushing each other to unimaginable heights. Now, a new story begins.
Retired Swiss star Federer and Nadal faced each other 14 times at Grand Slam tournaments with Nadal holding a 6-3 advantage in finals.
The 38-year-old Nadal last month announced he was putting an end to his glittering tennis career after the Davis Cup final
Spanish superstar Rafael Nadal is aiming to cap his emotional farewell from tennis with another Davis Cup triumph in Malaga next week.
Carlos Alcaraz said he was hoping to make Rafael Nadal's tennis farewell at the Davis Cup Finals a victorious one after he was dumped out of the ATP Finals at the group stage with a straight-sets defeat to Alexander Zverev on Friday.
Novak Djokovic implored long-time adversary Rafael Nadal to put off his planned retirement after defeating the Spaniard Saturday in what was likely to be the final chapter of their "amazing rivalry".
The 38-year-old Nadal announced last week he would retire from tennis after the Davis Cup Finals in Malaga next month.
Nadal, the winner of 22 Grand Slam titles, announced last week that he will retire from tennis after the Davis Cup Finals in Malaga next month.
Rafael Nadal swept into the Wimbledon quarter-finals on Monday, staying on course for a crunch meeting with Nick Kyrgios, who was on his best behaviour in a battling five-set win.
Stefanos Tsitsipas believes Rafael Nadal must feel "immortal" after winning the French Open and moving halfway to the first men's calendar Grand Slam in more than half a century.
Following is reaction to Rafa Nadal securing a men's record-extending 22nd Grand Slam title after beating Casper Ruud in Sunday's French Open final:
Rafael Nadal won a record-extending 14th French Open by crushing Norwegian Casper Ruud 6-3 6-3 6-0 on Sunday to claim an all-time best men's singles 22nd Grand Slam title.
Rafael Nadal reached his 14th French Open final on Friday when Alexander Zverev was forced to quit their semi-final after suffering a sickening right ankle injury.
Rafael Nadal insisted he still has work to do to win a 14th French Open despite knocking out Novak Djokovic and said it was "too late" to be playing after their quarter-final ended in the early hours of Wednesday.
Rafael Nadal edged a late-night classic against old rival Novak Djokovic in the early hours of Wednesday in four sets to reach his 15th French Open semi-final.
Rafael Nadal set up a blockbuster French Open quarter-final against world number one Novak Djokovic on Sunday when he defeated Felix Auger-Aliassime in a five-set fourth round epic.
Novak Djokovic set up a possible quarterfinal meeting with old rival Rafael Nadal at the French Open with an impressive straight-sets victory over Diego Schwartzman on Sunday.
"I'm always very motivated when I get on the court, with the desire to produce my best level each time. It's not always possible to do it, but today it was very good," said Djokovic.
