Nadal announces retirement with emotional farewell message

The 14-time French Open champion, Rafael Nadal, admits retiring was a 'difficult decision' for him to make

Transcript

00:00Hello everyone. I'm here to tell you that I'm retiring from professional tennis.

00:11The reality is that these last two years have been difficult.

00:18I think I haven't been able to play without limitations.

00:23It's a decision that is obviously difficult, that has taken me a long time to make.

00:31But in this life, everything has a beginning and an end.

00:37I think it's the right time to put an end to what has been a long and much more successful career than I could have ever imagined.

00:50But I'm very excited that my last tournament will be the final of the Copa Davis, representing my country.

01:03I think it's about closing the circle, since one of my first great joys as a professional tennis player was the final in Seville in 2004.

01:14I feel super, super lucky for all the things I've been able to experience.

01:26I want to thank the entire tennis industry, all the people that make up this sport, my teammates for so many years, especially my great rivals.

01:38I've spent many hours with them, and I've lived many moments that I will remember for the rest of my life.