Rafael Nadal, one of the greatest tennis players of all time, announced his retirement Thursday at age 38, bringing to a close the most dominant clay-court career in the history of the sport. Nadal’s 22 Grand Slams put him second on the all-time men’s list behind Novak Djokovic. “I don’t think I’ve been able to play without limitations.”Born on the Spanish vacation island of Mallorca, Nadal won two grand slams each at Wimbledon and the Australian Open. The London crowd was treated to five sets over almost five hours, finishing at 9 p.m. in near darkness to become the longest Wimbledon final on record at the time. Nadal took the first two sets, was then pegged back 2-2, before winning the final, epic set 9-7.

---

Persons: Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, November’s, “, ”, I’ve, Nadal, Roland Garros, Serbia's Djokovic, —, Federer, John McEnroe, Jimmy Connors, Djokovic, Maria Perello, Rafael Nadal Jr Organizations: Wimbledon, Australian, Games, U.S ., Laver Locations: Mallorca, London