Rafael Nadal was one of the world’s best male tennis players for two decades but the Spaniard hung up his racket and retired in 2024.
Nadal burst onto the scene in 2001 and won the first of his 14 French Open titles four years later. Indeed, his exploits at Roland Garros have been so remarkable that beating him there was often described as the ‘hardest thing in sport’.
Yet, the ‘King of Clay’ has excelled on every surface, forming part of the Big Three beside Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic that dominated all four Grand Slams over a long period of time.
The Tennis Gazette tells you all about his retirement and everything else from his net worth to world ranking.
Profile
Rafael Nadal age
Nadal was born on June 3, 1986, in Manacor, Mallorca – the largest of the Balearic Islands, which belong to Spain.
He now lives in Porto Cristo, close to Manacor – where the Rafa Nadal Academy by Movistar has been based since 2016.
Rafael Nadal height
Nadal is six feet, one inch tall (1.85 meters), which is about average among players on the ATP Tour. He is the same height as Federer, while Djokovic is an inch taller (6 ft 2).
Tennis career
Rafael Nadal retirement
Nadal’s retirement did not come as a surprise following years dealing with numerous injuries but it still sent shockwaves through the tennis universe. He is one of the all-time greats and will be sorely missed.
The 38-year-old played his very last professional tennis match at the 2024 Davis Cup finals in Malaga, where Nadal and Spain lost to the Netherlands.
What is Rafael Nadal’s world ranking?
Nadal retired in 2024 still ranking 153rd in the ATP Tour men’s singles world rankings, having fallen massively in the preceding years as a result of missing most of them through injury.
However, Nadal was the number one player in the world for 209 weeks of his lengthy career and finished as the year-end No. 1 five times. His highest-ever doubles ranking was 26, which he achieved in 2005.
Rafael Nadal Grand Slam results
Nadal had won the second-most Grand Slams of any male tennis player at the time of his retirement with 22, behind only Djokovic (24). Of those, Nadal lifted an astonishing 14 French Open titles, as well as four US Open, two Australian Open and two Wimbledon titles.
While the grass court was thought to be his least successful surface, his victory over Federer in the 2008 Wimbledon final is widely recognised as the greatest tennis match of all time.
The Spaniard’s best doubles finish at a Grand Slam came in the 2004 US Open, where he made the semi-final alongside Tommy Robredo.
Rafael Nadal racket
Nadal played with the Babolat Rafael Nadal Pure Aero Origin 2023 tennis racket. He was one of several men’s tennis stars to be signed with Babolat, alongside the likes of fellow Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz and Holger Rune.
What is Rafael Nadal’s net worth?
Nadal’s net worth is believed to be $220 million. As well as Nadal earning over $118m in prize money through playing tennis, he also signed a number of sponsorship deals throughout his career, such as with Nike, Tommy Hilfiger and Kia Motors.
Family
Who is Rafael Nadal’s wife?
Nadal has been in a relationship with Maria Francisca Perello, who he married in 2019, for nearly two decades. Perello is also from the island of Mallorca.
Rafael Nadal son
Nadal and Perello had their first and only son, Rafael Jr, in October 2022. The couple do not have any other children as of June 2024.
Social media
Rafael Nadal Instagram
You can find Nadal on Instagram under the handle @rafaelnadal. He has over 21.5 million followers and his bio reads: ’Rafa Nadal’.
Does Rafael Nadal have Twitter?
Nadal has over 15.4m followers on his Twitter/X account: @RafaelNadal.
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