Rafael Nadal retired from tennis when Spain lost to the Netherlands in the quarter-finals of the 2024 Davis Cup.
The 22-time Grand Slam champion called it quits two years ago, playing his final tournament in Malaga.
Do you think Rafael Nadal is the GOAT? 🐐
But why did Nadal decide to retire from tennis?
Appearing as a guest on the latest episode of ‘Quick Served with Andy Roddick‘, Nadal explained his decision.
Rafael Nadal says he decided to retire when he realised his hip would never be the same again
Former world number one Andy Roddick asked Nadal why he chose to play the 2024 French Open.
“Easy question, because I did it a lot of times in the past,” he said.
“So I wanted to explore that possibility again.
“If the doctors told me you had 0% chance to come back, to compete again for the things you are used to, I probably would not have done it.
“But the doctors gave me a percentage of positive chances that I will have the chance to come back and recover 100% from the hip.
“That’s why I tried, that’s why I gave myself time to explore if that was the case or not.”
After suffering a serious hip injury in 2023, Nadal only played a handful of tournaments in 2024.
The biggest tournament was, of course, the French Open.
But the 14-time champion was nowhere near the player he once was, losing to Germany’s Alexander Zverev in the first round.
- 2024 French Open 1R – Alexander Zverev defeated Rafael Nadal, 6-3, 7-6, 6-3
Realising his time at the top was over, Nadal decided to announce his retirement.
“When I realised that was not the case and my hip would never be the same as before and I would not have the chance to compete for things that I’m excited for, I decided to take a step away,” he said.
Nadal retired later that year as one of the greatest players of all time, and by far the best player to grace the courts of Roland Garros.
Rafael Nadal’s legendary French Open record
The Spaniard won a record 14 French Open titles during his remarkable career.
No one else in men’s or women’s tennis has reached double digits.
Most French Open titles
| Rank | Name | Country | ATP/WTA | Amateur Era/Open Era | Titles |
| 1 | Rafael Nadal | Spain | ATP | Open Era | 14 |
| 2 | Max Decugis | France | ATP | Amateur Era | 8 |
| 3 | Chris Evert | USA | WTA | Open Era | 7 |
| T-4 | Steffi Graf | Germany | WTA | Open Era | 6 |
| T-4 | Bjorn Borg | Sweden | ATP | Open Era | 6 |
| T-4 | Suzanne Lenglen | France | WTA | Amateur Era | 6 |
| T-7 | Margaret Court | Australia | WTA | Amateur Era/Open Era | 5 |
| T-7 | Henri Cochet | France | ATP | Amateur Era | 5 |
| T-7 | Adine Masson | France | WTA | Amateur Era | 5 |
The likelihood is that Nadal’s record will stand the test of time; however, that’s not to say others won’t try their best to chase it down.
But of the seven active players to have won the French Open, who is most likely to challenge Nadal’s record?
Active French Open champions
- Iga Swiatek – 4 (2020, 2022, 2023, 2024)
- Novak Djokovic – 3 (2016, 2021, 2023)
- Carlos Alcaraz – 2 (2024, 2025)
- Coco Gauff – 1 (2025)
- Barbora Krejcikova – 1 (2021)
- Jelena Ostapenko – 1 (2017)
- Stan Wawrinka – 1 (2015)
Novak Djokovic, Barbora Krejcikova, Jelena Ostapenko, and Stan Wawrinka can forget the record, as the youngest of the quartet, Ostapenko (28), would be 41 by the time she reaches 14 French Open titles, and that’s assuming she wins the next 13 editions of Roland Garros.
That leaves three players, Iga Swiatek, Carlos Alcaraz, and Coco Gauff, as the most likely to challenge Nadal.
All three are young enough and talented enough to mount a challenge, provided they establish themselves as the dominant force on clay.
Swiatek did just that during the early 2020s, winning four titles in five years.
However, she doesn’t quite look as formidable as she once was, casting doubt over her chances of catching Nadal.
Gauff has established herself as one of the best clay-court players in women’s tennis, but it’s hard to imagine her dominating the event until she fixes the very evident problems with her serve.
And finally, Alcaraz will be one to watch, although he may struggle to dominate the French Open thanks to his rival Jannik Sinner.
Perhaps someone will win their first title in 2026 and go on to take Nadal’s record. Only time will tell…
The 2026 French Open begins on Sunday, May 24.
