Why did Rafael Nadal retire? Looking into every major injury that has plagued the Spaniard over the course of his career
Rafael Nadal announced his retirement from tennis this year and played his final match at the Davis Cup quarterfinals. The Spaniard lost 4-6, 4-6 to Botic van de Zandschulp and his nation lost their tie to the Netherlands.
Nadal had a stellar career in tennis, winning 22 Grand Slam titles, among other achievements. What is impressive is that the Spaniard accomplished what he did despite having more than his fair share of injury issues throughout his playing days.
Injuries have had a role in Nadal announcing his retirement, as he said in his video that he found difficulty to play without any problems over the past couple of years.
"The reality is that it has been some difficult years, these last two especially. I don't think I have been able to play without limitations," the Spaniard said.
Nadal's first major injury came right after his first hugely successful season in 2005. The Spaniard was diagnosed with Muller Weiss Syndrome, a degenerative foot condition. This condition prevented him from competing at the 2006 Australian Open and affected him later in his career as well.
Nadal suffered from knee issues during 2009 after sustaining an injury during the final of that year's ABN Amro Open in Rotterdam, which led him to withdraw from his title defense at Wimbledon. The following year, he was forced to retire during his Australian Open quarterfinal against Andy Murray. However, he bounced back by winning the other three Grand Slams that year.
Knee injuries also played a role in the Spaniard concluding his 2012 season after that year's grass-court Major and his comeback in 2013 was delayed by a stomach virus. Nadal did make his return to action later that year and enjoyed a phenomena l season, winning 75 out of 82 matches, clinching two Grand Slams, among other titles.
Another major injury the Spaniard suffered was in 2016 when he hurt his wrist during the Madrid Open and this led to his withdrawal ahead of his fourth-round match at the French Open. He also missed that year's Wimbledon Championships and his season came to an end after the Shanghai Masters.
Nadal returned to action in 2017 and ended up having a sensational season, winning the French Open and the US Open.
Rafael Nadal's foot injury in 2021 kept him out of action for several months
One major injury that affected Nadal at the latter part of his career was the foot injury during the 2021 season. The Spaniard played just one tournament following that year's French Open due to this and he eventually cut his season short after withdrawing from the US Open.
"It’s the same injury I’ve been having since 2005. In that moment, the doctors were very negative about my future career, but honestly, I’ve been able to have a career that I never dreamed about so I am confident I will recover again, and if the foot is better, I am confident that my tennis and my mentality will be there again soon," Nadal said of his injury.
The Spaniard eventually made a remarkable comeback in 2022, as he won the Australian and French Opens. He also made it to the Wimbledon semifinals before suffering an abdominal injury during his quarterfinal against Taylor Fritz. Nadal won just four out of nine matches in the remainder of the 2022 season.
The Spaniard then suffered what would be a season-ending injury at the 2023 Australian Open. Nadal hurt his hip during his second-round loss to Mackenzie McDonald and later underwent surgery, thus not competing in any other event that year.
The 22-time Grand Slam champion's injury issues persisted in 2024, as he missed the Australian Open and the Masters 1000 events in Indian Wells and Miami. He competed sporadically before eventually bidding farewell to tennis at the 2024 Davis Cup Finals.