Spanish tennis legend Rafael Nadal announced on Thursday that he is retiring from tennis after the Davis Cup Finals in November. The 38-year-old hangs up his racquet with 22 Grand Slams in his kitty, just two behind Serbia's Novak Djokovic. Swiss great Roger Federer is number three, with 20 Grand Slams.
Rafael Nadal was born in Manacor, Spain to Sebastian Nadal and Ana Maria Parera. He was introduced to tennis by his uncle Toni, who encouraged the naturally right-handed Nadal to play left-handed as it would give him an advantage. The rest, as they say, is history.
WATCH: Rafael Nadal left teary-eyed after Roger Federer's emotional final match
Here's a look at his career timeline:
Australian Open (2009, 2022)
French Open (2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2022)
Wimbledon (2008, 2010)
US Open (2010, 2013, 2017, 2019)
Nadal turned professional in 2001 and won the junior Davis Cup with Spain in 2002.
Won the ATP newcomer of the year in 2003.
Won his first ATP singles title in Poland in 2004.
Defeated the world no. 2 Andy Roddick to help Spain win the Davis Cup title in 2004. Spain won the tournament in 2008, 2009, 2011 and 2019, too.
Nadal made his debut at the French Open in 2005. He has a 112-4 win-loss record at Roland Garros.
In 2006, he beat Roger Federer in the French Open final.
In 2007, he became the first man since Bjorn Borg in 1980 to win a hat-trick of French Open titles.
Won his first Wimbledon title in 2008 with an epic five-set win over Roger Federer.
Won a gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics in singles.
Suffered his first French Open loss in 2009, when he was knocked out in the fourth round by Sweden's Robin Soderling.
Regained the title the following year, beating Soderling in the final.
Also won Wimbledon for a second time in 2010 before claiming his first US Open title, becoming the seventh man to win all four Grand Slams.
Matched Borg's record of six French Open titles with his 2011 victory and overtook the Swede in 2012.
Became the first man with eight titles at the same Grand Slam when he beat fellow Spaniard David Ferrer in the 2013 final at Roland Garros. He also won the US Open that year.
Became the first man to win five successive French Open titles in 2014.
Lost to Djokovic in the 2015 quarterfinal at Roland Garros.
In 2016, Nadal withdrew before his third round match due to a wrist injury.
Clinched doubles gold with Marc Lopez at the 2016 Rio Games.
Won his second Grand Slam of 2017 at Flushing Meadows after a 10th French Open title in June.
Claimed an 11th French Open title and his 17th major with win over Dominic Thiem in 2018.
Defeated Thiem again in the 2019 final to seal his 12th Roland Garros title. He also won a fourth US Open crown by beating Russian Daniil Medvedev in the final.
Matched Federer's record of 20 Grand Slam titles by defeating Djokovic in the French Open final in 2020.
Suffered only his third-ever loss at Roland Garros in 2021 when he was beaten by Djokovic in the semifinal.
Missed most of the 2021 season, including Wimbledon, the Olympics and the US Open, due to a long-standing foot injury.
Defeated Medvedev in the 2022 Australian Open final to win a men's record 21st Grand Slam title. He also beat Norway's Casper Ruud to extend his record with his 22nd Grand Slam title and 14th French Open crown.
Knocked out of the Wimbledon semifinals and US Open last-16 in 2022.
In 2023, failed to retain his Australian Open crown where Djokovic triumphed and tied his record for 22 Grand Slam titles. He missed the French Open after failing to regain full fitness from a hip injury.
Skipped Wimbledon in 2024 to prepare for the Paris Olympics, where he was defeated in the singles by eventual champion Djokovic.
Knocked out in the first round at Roland Garros in 2024 by Alexander Zverev.
Missed the US Open and Laver Cup over fitness issues concerns.