Tennis superstar Rafael Nadal, who announced his retirement on Thursday, will leave the sport as its second-highest earner of career prize money with more than $130 million.
The 22-time Grand Slam champion only trails Novak Djokovic, who has so far amassed $184 million in his career, according to the ATP Tour’s official website.
Nadal said he’s ending his roughly 23-year career in a video message on X. He will play his final professional match for Spain in the Davis Cup in November.
“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,” Nadal said in the clip, citing injuries that have kept him away from a full schedule.
Nadal, 38, stood out from his peers and was admired by fans as a gritty fighter who rose to become one of the greatest tennis players of all time. He was known as the King of Clay for his dominance at the French Open, where he won a record 14 times, including most recently in 2022.
Nadal has also made millions from sponsorship deals, including a longtime partnership with Nike Inc. He got his own logo from the company in 2013.
Nadal hasn’t said what his next steps will be. He’s slated to play in the Six Kings Slam exhibition tournament in the coming weeks hosted in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Nadal will compete against Djokovic, world number one Jannik Sinner, fellow Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz and others. The winner will receive a $6 million prize, more than any of the professional Grand Slam tournaments.
