Spanish star Rafael Nadal is retiring from professional tennis at the age of 38, he has announced. Nadal won 22 Grand Slam singles titles during his career, including the French Open 14 times. He has been one of the greatest players of the modern game, sharing his time at the top with his longtime rivals Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic. The tennis world has long debated which man should be called the "Greatest of All Time" — or "GOAT." Nadal hasn't been able to compete much during the past two seasons because of injuries. He has entered just two of the last eight major tournaments. He said that next month's Davis Cup finals — when he'll play for Spain — will be his final tournament. "It is obviously a difficult decision, one that has taken me some time to make," he said. "But in this life, everything has a beginning and an end." Nadal was known for his physical style of play — he played every point as though it were his last, but he was especially strong on clay courts. There is a statue of Nadal outside those slow, red courts in Paris on which he enjoyed so much success. As well as his French Open titles, he won the US Open four times and won Wimbledon and the Australian Open twice each. "I think it is the appropriate time to put an end to a career that has been long and much more successful than I could have ever imagined," Nadal said. His last major title came in Paris in June 2022. Nadal's tally of Grand Slams has since been surpassed by Djokovic, who has now won 24 majors. In total, the Spaniard won 92 singles titles, spent 209 weeks as the world's number one player and earned almost $135 million in prize money. He said: "Really, everything I have experienced has been a dream come true."