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• Ronaldo hails 'incredible' Nadal as King of Clay announces retirement

  Cristiano Ronaldo has hailed Rafael Nadal as an "incredible" inspiration to millions around the world after the King of Clay announced he will retire from tennis next month.

  Having struggled with injuries throughout the last couple of years, 22-time grand slam champion Nadal confirmed 2024 will be his final year on the ATP Tour on Thursday.

  Nadal will call time on his glittering career after November's Davis Cup finals in Malaga, where he will feature for a Spain team also containing four-time major champion Carlos Alcaraz.

  Only Margaret Court, Novak Djokovic (24 each) and Serena Williams (23) have won more grand slam singles titles than Nadal in tennis history (22), with his 14 triumphs at the French Open a record for titles won at a single major.

  He posted a video explaining his decision to bow out to his social media channels on Thursday, saying he had been playing with "limitations" for the last two years.

  Five-time Ballon d'Or winner Ronaldo was among the first to react to the news, commenting on Nadal's Instagram post: "Rafa, what an incredible race you've had! 

  "Your dedication, passion and incredible talent have inspired millions around the world.

  "It has been an honour to witness your journey and to be able to call you a friend. Congrats on an amazing career! Enjoy your retirement!"

• 'Tough to accept' retirement of idol Nadal, says Alcaraz

  Carlos Alcaraz found it difficult to accept the news of Rafael Nadal's impending retirement, saying the 22-time grand slam winner inspired him to turn professional.

  On Thursday, Nadal confirmed next month's Davis Cup finals will be the final event of his glittering career, having struggled with injuries throughout a difficult few years.

  Plenty of comparisons have been drawn between Alcaraz's stunning emergence and that enjoyed by Nadal at the start of his own career. 

  Alcaraz won his first grand slam title as a 19-year-old at the 2022 US Open and has since gone on to claim three further major crowns. Nadal, meanwhile, is the only man in the Open Era to win multiple grand slams both before the age of 20 and after turning 30.

  The pair teamed up to play doubles at the Paris Olympic Games earlier this year, reaching the quarter-finals before losing to eventual silver medallists Austin Krajicek and Rajeev Ram.

  Speaking after he suffered a surprise defeat to Tomas Machac at the Shanghai Masters on Thursday, Alcaraz appeared to still be digesting the news of Nadal's retirement.

  Asked about the video Nadal posted to social media announcing his decision, Alcaraz said: "When I watched it, it was tough to accept it.

  "I was in shock a little bit. I saw it like one hour before the match, so I had time to accept it and forget it a little bit before the match.

  "It is a really difficult thing, really difficult news for everybody, and even tougher for me. He has been my idol since I start playing tennis. I look up to him.

  "Thanks to him, I really wanted to become a tennis player. Losing him, in a certain way, is going to be difficult for us, so I will try to enjoy as much as I can when he's going to play.

  "But we are going to play in Saudi Arabia, and then the Davis Cup, so I'm going to try to enjoy the time with him as much as I can, but, yeah, it is a shame for tennis and for me."

  Nadal spent much of his career competing with fellow legends Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer, with the sport's 'Big Three' winning 66 grand slam singles titles between them.

  World number one Jannik Sinner, speaking after his win over Daniil Medvedev in Shanghai, said tennis' current crop of contenders should not be placed under pressure to replicate the achievements of that trio.

  "We cannot compare us with them, that's impossible... They have been very consistent for years... not only one or two seasons, they made it for 15 years," Sinner said.

  "What they have done over the years has been amazing. There are not many things to say about pressure, the pressure is always going to be there. 

  "They have been very consistent throughout years and years and years. There are a lot of things what we can take from them. 

  "I think we all were very lucky to see the Big Three playing tennis. I consider myself very lucky to get to know them also as people and to learn from them."

  Writing on X following Nadal's announcement, the Italian said: "Thank you Rafa for everything you have given to the sport. 

  "To have the chance to spend a few weeks training with you a few years ago is something I'll never forget. To watch you work as an athlete but also get to know you as a person off the court was even more special. You will be missed on the tour!"

• Rafael Nadal retires: The King of Clay's career in numbers

  The day tennis fans across the globe had feared was coming for some time has finally arrived, with Rafael Nadal confirming his impending retirement on Thursday.

  Nadal had previously suggested 2024 was likely to be his final year on the ATP Tour after struggling with injuries throughout a difficult few years.

  The Davis Cup Finals, set for Malaga in November, will now be the final event for one of sport's all-time greats.

  Here, we delve into the Opta data to run through the best facts and figures from Nadal's astonishing career.

  The records

  Across the ATP and WTA Tours, only Margaret Court, Novak Djokovic (24 each) and Serena Williams (23) have won more singles grand slam titles than Nadal's 22 in tennis history.

  An astonishing 14 of those triumphs came at the French Open (more on that event later), which is the most of any player at a single major in history. Djokovic's 10 Australian Open titles are the second-most by anyone at a particular grand slam.

  Nadal's first grand slam title came at the 2005 edition of Roland-Garros, while the 2022 season saw him triumph in the French capital and at the Australian Open, speaking to his remarkable longevity.

  He is the only player to win at least one major in 15 different calendar years, and between 2005 and 2014, he never ended a season without a grand slam title. No other player in the Open Era has won at least one major in 10 consecutive seasons. 

  Nadal ended 13 different years in the top two of the ATP World Rankings, more than any other player throughout the Open Era.

  He is also the only player in the Open Era to win multiple grand slam crowns both as a teenager and when aged over 30, and the only player since 1990 to win more than five ATP Masters 1000 finals before turning 20 (boasting a 6-1 record) and since turning 30 (8-3).

  The rivalries

  Nadal's exploits are even more impressive when one considers the competition he faced throughout his career, being a part of tennis' 'Big Three' alongside Djokovic and Roger Federer.

  The other members of the 'Big Three' (Djokovic – 37, Federer – 31) are the only players to compete in more men's grand slam finals than Nadal in the Open Era (30).

  Djokovic (257) and Federer (224) are also the only men to have won more matches against top-10 opponents than Nadal (186) since the ATP Rankings were first published. Nadal has played 289 matches against such opponents (third-most) and his win ratio of 64.4% is the fourth-best among players with a minimum of 100 such victories.

  Nadal and Federer, in particular, enjoyed many titanic tussles through the years, not least the 2008 Wimbledon final, which the Spaniard won 6–4 6–4 6–7 (5–7) 6–7 (8–10) 9–7 in four hours and 48 minutes, a match regarded by some as the greatest of all time.

  The duo faced off 40 times before the Swiss great retired in 2022, with Nadal edging their head-to-head 24-16 overall and 14-10 in finals.

  Djokovic, meanwhile, is the only player to beat Nadal at all four majors, winning 31 of the pair's 60 all-time meetings. 

  The King of Clay

  While Nadal enjoyed success on all surfaces and at all four majors (plus the Olympic Games), it is Roland-Garros that will be remembered as his tournament.

  Nadal's unbelievable 96.6% win rate at the French Open (112 wins from 116 matches) is the best of any player at a grand slam event in men's singles, with only Djokovic (twice), Robin Soderling and Alexander Zverev beating him at the tournament.

  Nadal's 112 French Open wins are the most of any man at a single major in the Open Era, while his 14-0 record in Roland-Garros finals is the best recorded by anyone at an event in that span.

   

  His dominance on clay extended beyond Paris, though, with Nadal's total of 63 career clay-court titles are more than anyone else in the Open Era, with Guillermo Vilas second on 49. His win percentage of 90.5% (484-51) on clay is also the best of any player on any individual surface in the Open Era.

  At the peak of his powers, Nadal managed an incredible 81 consecutive victories on the surface between 2005 and 2007 – the longest streak on a single surface in the Open Era.

  Only three tournaments have been won more than 10 times by the same player in the Open Era – Roland-Garros (14), Barcelona (12) and Monte-Carlo (11), all by Nadal on the clay.

  It was perhaps fitting, then, that Nadal's final match at the very top level – at the Paris Olympics in July – saw him soak up the adulation of the Court Philippe-Chatrier crowd following a hard-fought defeat to old rival Djokovic.

  Current French Open champion Carlos Alcaraz may be the pretender to Nadal's throne, but the title of 'King of Clay' will surely always be his.