Tennis great Rafael Nadal announced his impending retirement from the sport on Thursday at age 38 after winning 22 Grand Slam singles titles during an unprecedented era he shared with his rivals in the so-called Big Three, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic.

The Davis Cup Finals in Malaga marked the conclusion of an extraordinary career as Rafael Nadal, the 22-time Grand Slam champion, played his final professional tennis match.

Rafael Nadal officially retired from professional tennis on Tuesday, November 19, after Spain was eliminated by Netherlands on Day 1 of the Davis Cup Finals. The 22-time Grand Slam champion dreamed of finishing in style in Malaga, but nothing went in the right direction.

Rafael Nadal’s relatively low-key retirement ceremony at the Davis Cup has been defended by the head of the International Tennis Federation as being dictated by the 22-time Grand Slam champion’s wishes.

Fittingly, his bookend Grand Slam titles came at Roland Garros, and it’s impossible to discuss Nadal's career without mentioning that site. Still, it’s also important to remember that he completed a career Grand Slam, earning at least two trophies at each of his sport’s four most prestigious tournaments.

Rafael Nadal's relatively low-key retirement ceremony at the Davis Cup was defended by the head of the International Tennis Federation on Sunday.

Rafael Nadal's tennis career includes 22 Grand Slam trophies, a record 14 French Open titles and plenty of other significant numbers.

According to El Espanol, this was because the retirement ceremony was expected to take place on Friday - on the assumption Spain would win their quarter-final. This has attracted

Davis Cup Finals tournament director Feliciano Lopez and International Tennis Federation president David Haggerty have defended Rafael Nadal’s retirement ceremony. Former world No 1 and 22-time Grand Slam winner Nadal played the final match of his career at the Finals in Malaga this week.