Five best moments of Rafael Nadal's career as he heads to retirement

Rafael Nadal is almost done. This comes as no surprise as he missed almost all of 2023 with a hip injury, hinted heavily that 2024 might be his final year on the ATP tour, and then he was only able to play sporadically due to ongoing injury issues. The question wasn't really if Nadal would retire but when.

He announced on Thursday via his Instagram account that he will be retiring from professional tennis, and his final event will be the Davis Cup final in November. Nadal has always been motivated to play for his home country of Spain and other than retiring at the Olympics, the Davis Cup makes the most sense.

Of course, the Spaniard's retirement will only lead to more questions about Novak Djokovic. Of the Big 4, only the Serb remains. He has had an inconsistent season and did not win a Grand Slam. He also seems to want to spend more time with his family. Might 2025 be his final year?

Five best moments of Rafael Nadal's career

We can save Djokovic for another day, though. What would be Nadal's five best moments of his career? Trimming the list down to just five for a player who has won 22 Grand Slams is difficult. But here is a best guess.

French Open title (2005)

This would be Nadal's first career major title and, obviously, first French Open victory. His first of 14 in Paris, of course. He also was the first male teenager to win a Grand Slam in 15 years. The final might have actually been a step down from the energy he needed to spend in the semifinals as he defeated Roger Federer on his way to the final, but still.

Nadal beat Mariano Puerta in four sets. He won the last three after losing the first-set tie-break. Nadal would win nine of the next ten finals at Roland Garros.

Wimbledon title (2008)

Until Wimbledon in 2008, Nadal had only won the French Open, so he might have seemed to be more of a clay-court specialist. Also, Federer had won the previous five Wimbledon titles and appeared to be nearly unbeatable on grass courts.

In a four-hour and 48-minute match, with the final three sets going to a tie break or extra games, Nadal came through 9-7 in the fifth set. At the time, John McEnroe called it the greatest match ever played.

Olympic gold medal (2008)

In fitting with Nadal's love of playing for Spain and calling the Laver Cup his final event, he won his only Olympic gold at the Beijing Games in straight sets. He defeated Novak Djokovic in the semifinals to reach the final. After the victory, Nadal also became the ATP No. 1 for the first time.

US Open final (2010)

Proving once again that he had a versatile game, Nadal played one of his best tournaments ever in New York and did not drop a set until the final. There he beat Djokovic in four sets. In getting the victory, Nadal became only the second man, other than Andre Agassi, to earn a Golden Slam - all four majors plus an Olympic gold.

French Open title (2022)

In what will be his final major victory, Nadal earned his 22nd Grand Slam title. At the time, he was two ahead of Federer and Djokovic in career majors. Djokovic would pass him, of course. Still, the win was Nadal's 14th win at Roland Garros, which is unlikely to ever be matched.

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