On Sunday, we witnessed the farewell of a tennis legend: Rafael Nadal, “King of Clay” and a symbol of inspiration.
Roland Garros will pay tribute to its greatest champion with a ceremony for the retired Rafael Nadal on Sunday, while Aryna Sabalenka gets her French Open campaign up and running on the opening day of the tournament.
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".
Rafa Nadal's withdrawal from the Monte Carlo Masters has cast doubt over the 22-times Grand Slam champion's participation at the French Open, but Novak Djokovic said he is still hoping for a final chapter in their storied rivalry.
For any other player but Novak Djokovic, a below-par Australian Open at the age of 36 would have had pundits brushing up his tennis obituary. Djokovic, of course, is no ordinary player.
Rafael Nadal on Wednesday hailed longtime rival Novak Djokovic as the best player in the history of the sport.
The popular American former world number one, himself widely considered among the best the sport has seen, also had lavish praise for Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.
The changing of the guard in men’s tennis has long been on an asymptotic course, getting closer and closer to the inevitable but not quite materialising.
The 22-time Grand Slam winner has been plagued by injuries throughout his career, including missing 11 majors through a series of injuries
"Right now I am not ready to compete at the maximum level in five-set matches. I'm flying back to Spain to see my doctor, get some treatment and rest," he said on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Rafael Nadal said he would have to wait and see how his body recovered after needing a medical time-out towards the end of his quarter-final loss at the Brisbane International on Friday.
Spanish great Rafael Nadal's comeback to tennis came to an end when he lost a 3hr 25min marathon quarter-final to Australian Jordan Thompson at the Brisbane International on Friday.
Playing his first tournament since being forced to retire injured at the 2023 Australian Open, Nadal was far too strong for the Australian, who did not have the shots to harm the Spaniard.
