STORY: Tennis legend Rafael Nadal announces retirement
SHOOTING TIME: Oct. 10, 2024
DATELINE: Oct. 10, 2024
LENGTH: 0:03:33
LOCATION: BARCELONA, Spain
CATEGORY: SPORTS

SHOTLIST:
1. various of the video in which Rafael Nadal announced his retirement from professional tennis with images of his career

STORYLINE:

The 22-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal of Spain announced Thursday that he will retire from professional tennis after the Davis Cup finals in November.

"It is obviously a difficult decision, one that has taken me some time to make. But in this life, everything has a beginning and an end," the 38-year-old said in a video on social media.

SOUNDBITE (Spanish): RAFAEL NADAL, Spanish tennis player
"Hello everyone, I am here to inform you that I am retiring from professional tennis.
The reality is that it has been a difficult few years, especially the last two, I think I have not been able to play without limitations.
In this life, everything has a beginning and an end, and I think it's the right time to put an end to what has been a long and much more successful career than I could have ever imagined.
Really, everything I've experienced has been a dream come true, I'm leaving with absolute peace of mind that I've given my all, that I've made an effort in every way.
I can only end by saying a thousand thanks to everyone and see you soon."

Nadal dominated the French Open with a record 14 titles. He also claimed four U.S. Open titles and won the Australian Open twice. Nadal was also a two-time winner at Wimbledon.

Nadal has been a leading figure in men's tennis for over a decade, along with Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic as the "Big Three". The Spaniard has been ranked world No. 1 in singles by the ATP for 209 weeks, and has finished as the year-end No. 1 five times.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Barcelona, Spain.
(XHTV)