Rafael Nadal says he doesn't want to retire from tennis — it's his body that 'doesn't want to play anymore'

Rafael Nadal announced his plans to retire after the Davis Cup last month.

Angel Martinez/Getty Images for ITF

• Rafael Nadal announced that his 20-year career in professional tennis has come to a close.
• The 22-time Grand Slam champion lost 6-4, 6-4 to Team Netherlands at the Davis Cup.
• Nadal, 38, said he wants to be remembered as a "kid that followed their dreams."

Rafael Nadal has confirmed his plans to officially retire from professional tennis.

His two-decade career came to a close following his 6-4, 6-4 loss to Botic van de Zandschulp, from the Netherlands, at the Davis Cup on Tuesday.

In a tearful speech at the end of the match, the Spaniard said he wants to be remembered as a "good person and a kid that followed their dreams."

"The truth is that nobody ever wants to arrive at this moment," said the 22-time Grand Slam champion. "I'm not tired of playing tennis, but it's my body that doesn't want to play anymore, so I have to accept the situation."

Nadal, 38, announced his plan to retire on Instagram last month. "It is obviously a difficult decision, one that has taken me some time to make," said Nadal, who underwent surgery for a hip injury last April.

"But in this life, everything has a beginning and 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."

Some professional athletes have gone on to launch second careers. Mary Carillo, for example, retired from professional tennis in 1980. She is now a Peabody Award-winning journalist who covers sports.

Others have chosen to come out of retirement.

In March 2022, six weeks after announcing his retirement from football, Tom Brady announced he would return for another season with the Buccaneers. Last Friday, fans watched multimillionaire boxing legend Mike Tyson step back in the ring at 58, almost 20 years after retiring.

A representative for Nadal did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider sent outside regular business hours.

Facing retirement

Retirement can be daunting, especially if you have no choice but to accept it.

Chris Mott, a veteran, decided to retire at 57 after he became unemployed and struggled to find another job. His wife suggested that they live on the road full time, and he followed her dream.

"My plan was to work until I was 65 or 70, but my wife apparently had a different idea," he said. However, he's come to embrace it. "There is life in retirement, and it's pretty good," he said.

For others, choosing a career pivot can ease retirement concerns.

Chris Andrews, a former management consultant, was worried about losing his sense of purpose. Instead of stopping work completely, he decided to run a bed and breakfast with his wife.

"This decision allowed us to stay active in our own business and get involved in the local community," he wrote.

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