Rafael Nadal Out… Will Retire from Tennis in 2024.

Legendary tennis player Rafael Nadal did not participate in the 2023 French Open due to a hip injury that had sidelined him since the Australian Open in January.

CNN’s Matias Grez reported that the 36-year-old Nadal announced his withdrawal from the French Open on a Thursday and revealed that 2024 would be his final year as a professional tennis player.

Nadal also mentioned that he would be out for the next “few months,” indicating he would miss not only the French Open, which started on May 28, but likely Wimbledon in July as well.

Nadal was the most dominant player in French Open history, having won the tournament a record 14 times with an overall career record of 112-3 at Roland Garros in Paris.

Since first qualifying for the French Open in 2005, Nadal had never missed the event until that year.

The Spaniard had won every Grand Slam tournament at least twice and was tied with Novak Djokovic for the most men’s Grand Slam singles titles, each with 22.

With Nadal missing at least the next two Grand Slams, Djokovic had a prime opportunity to claim the record outright.

Djokovic had tied Nadal’s record earlier that year by winning the Australian Open, where Nadal was eliminated in the second round by American Mackenzie McDonald, hindered by his hip injury.

While Spanish compatriot Carlos Alcaraz was expected to be a major contender at Roland Garros, Nadal’s absence made Djokovic the favorite to win the tournament.

Nadal had struggled with injuries in recent years, missing the U.S. Open in 2020 and both Wimbledon and the U.S. Open in 2021.

It remained uncertain if Nadal would return in time for the U.S. Open in late August and early September, but he expressed a clear goal.

According to Grez, Nadal aimed to be fit to represent Spain in the Davis Cup finals starting in September.

The hope was that Nadal would be healthy enough to have a proper farewell at the French Open and other Grand Slams the next year, even if he missed the rest of that year’s major tournaments.

With Nadal set to retire, Roger Federer already retired, and Andy Murray nearing the end of his career, Djokovic seemed poised to be the last active member of the “Big Four” that had dominated men’s tennis for nearly two decades.