Nadal ended months of speculation regarding his retirement by confirming in a video released earlier today that he would retire from tennis following the Davis Cup Finals in Malaga this November.

The 38-year-old’s career will come to a close after winning 22 Grand Slam singles titles – including a historic 14 French Open titles – and spending 209 weeks as the world No 1.

Nadal’s rivalry with Federer, who retired in 2022, was one of the most enduring parts of both players’ careers, with the two meeting 40 times on court.

The Spaniard held a 24-16 advantage in their head-to-head, with the 2008 Wimbledon and 2017 Australian Open finals among their most famous clashes.

Roger Federer sends Rafael Nadal classy message after retirement announcement

In a classy message to the Spaniard on Instagram, posted in the comments of his retirement video, 20-time major winner Federer revealed he “hoped this day would never come”.

“What a career, Rafa,” he wrote.

“I always hoped this day would never come. Thank you for the unforgettable memories and all your incredible achievements in the game we love.

“It’s been an absolute honour!”

Nadal’s announcement comes after a disrupted 2024 season, which has seen him struggle to string consecutive events together regularly.

After missing most of 2023, he attempted a comeback at the Brisbane International in January, though sustained an injury which ruled him out of the Australian Open.

He did not play again until the clay season with his best display being a run to the fourth round at the Madrid Open, though he was beaten for just the fourth time at Roland Garros – losing to Alexander Zverev in round one.

In his video message, he conceded that the decision to retire was a “difficult” one, but that the Davis Cup Finals felt like the “appropriate time” to call time on his extraordinary two-decades-long career.

He said: “Hello everyone, I’m here to let you know that I am retiring from professional tennis. The reality is that it has been some difficult years, these last two years especially.

“I don’t think I have been able to play without limitations. It is obviously a difficult decision, one that has taken me some time to make.

“But in this life, everything has a beginning and an end. And I think it’s the appropriate time to put an end to a career that has been long and much more successful than I could have ever imagined.”