Rafael Nadal announced Thursday he will retire from tennis at age 38 following next month’s Davis Cup finals.

Nadal won 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.

“Really, everything I have experienced has been a dream come true,” Nadal said in an announcement on social media. “I leave with the absolute peace of mind of having given my best, of having made an effort in every way”

The Spaniard indicated his decision was related to persistent injury problems.

“The reality is that it has been some difficult years, these last two especially. I don’t think I have been able to play without limitations. 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,” Nadal said.

Nadal’s unrelenting, physical style of play – every point pursued as though it were his last, sprinting and sliding into place for that high-bouncing bullwhip of a lefty forehand – made him one of the greats of the game and the unquestioned King of Clay, the slow, red surface on which he claimed his record 14 French Open championships.

That’s more than anyone, man or woman, won at any one of the sport’s four major tournaments, a dominance celebrated by a statue of Nadal that stands near the main entrance to the grounds of Roland Garros and in the shadow of its main stadium, Court Philippe Chatrier.

Nadal added Thursday that he was excited to finish his career at the Davis Cup, which will be played in Malaga, Spain.

“I am very excited that my last tournament will be the final of the Davis Cup and representing my country,” he said. “I think I’ve come full circle since one of my first great joys as a professional tennis player was the Davis Cup final in Seville in 2004.”

Nadal has not played since the Paris Olympics, where he lost to old rival Djokovic in the second round of the singles tournament and reached the quarterfinals of the men’s doubles with Carlos Alcaraz.

“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,” he said.

In 2022, Nadal won his 14th French Open singles title at the age of 36. At the time, he told “CBS Mornings” he “couldn’t be happier” — despite playing through pain.

“Well, I’m used to it, first of all,” he told CBS. “At the end of the day, it’s about passion and about how much you love what you do. And doing it all my tennis career, I think I had the determination to keep going. 

“It doesn’t matter the situation that brings me to the position that I am today, that is unexpected without a doubt because at the age of 36, I thought I would be doing other things, not playing tennis… But here I am, and I couldn’t be happier,” he said.

MIAMI – Windy conditions continued in South Florida Wednesday evening as Hurricane Milton, a powerful Category 3 storm, made landfall on Florida’s west coast.

Milton was packing maximum sustained winds of 120 mph as it made landfall in Siesta Key near Sarasota. The storm is expected to bring life-threatening storm surge, destructive winds, flooding, and tornadoes as it moves across the state to the east coast.

South Florida experienced strong winds of 30 to 40 mph Wednesday, which are expected to continue through Thursday. 

Milton’s impact on South Florida

Hurricane Milton spun at least two tornadoes in South Florida.

Earlier in the day, a tornado touched down along Alligator Alley in western Broward County near Collier County, though no damage was reported.

Another tornado touched down in the Wellington area of Palm Beach County, causing damage to some homes and bringing down trees.

All of South Florida had been under a tornado watch until 9 p.m. Wednesday. Several tornado warnings had also been issued for Broward County.

In recent days, South Florida has experienced a “one-two punch” of storms. A non-tropical low-pressure system brought heavy rain and flooding on Sunday and Monday, followed by Hurricane Milton’s approach on Wednesday, which was forecast to bring more rain and windy conditions through Thursday as the storm crosses the state.

The region remains under threat of flooding, with an expected rainfall of 4 to 7 inches or more.

Strong winds brought down a power line in Broward County near NE 28th Street in Wilton Manors.

Airports report delays and cancelations

Hurricane Milton continued to affect flights at South Florida airports on Wednesday. 

Cancellations and delays were reported at Miami International Airport and at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International. 

Nearly 2,000 flights within, into or out of the United States were canceled by Wednesday night, according to the tracking service FlightAware. That includes over 380 flights canceled at Tampa International Airport.

When will conditions improve? 

“By late Thursday, things will begin to wind down,” said CBS News Miami chief meteorologist Ivan Cabrera. “Conditions will improve into Friday, and we’re looking forward to a quiet and tranquil pattern setting up for the weekend and into next week.” 

On Friday, there will be a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms. It will be cloudy with a 20% chance of rain in the day and 20% at night, according to NWS.

North winds will be around 14 mph with gusts as high as 23 mph during the day, and north winds of 10 to 13 mph with gusts as high as 22 will be seen at night.

Highs are expected to be near 86 and lows around 75.

Dangerous storm surge forecast for Florida

Forecasters warned of dangerous storm surge.  

“The deepest water will occur along the immediate coast near and to the south of the landfall location, where the surge will be accompanied by large and dangerous waves,” the hurricane center said.

“Rainfall amounts of 6 to 12 inches, with localized totals up to 18 inches, are expected across central to northern portions of the Florida Peninsula through Thursday,” the hurricane center said.

“This rainfall brings the risk of considerable flash, urban  and areal flooding, along with the potential for moderate to major river flooding.”

Milton will also produce rainfall totals 2 to 4 inches across the Florida Keys through Thursday.