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. In an announcement on social media, the Spaniard indicated his decision was related to persistent injury problems. Read: Spanish Tennis Maestro Rafael Nadal Wins Record 21 Grand Slam Titles “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 added he was “very excited” to finish his career at the Davis Cup, which will be played in Malaga, Spain. 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. Read more: Rafael Nadal returns to top of ATP rankings

Australia has advanced to the Davis Cup Finals in November with a tight 3-1 win over Brazil on hard courts at the Memorial Drive tennis center on Saturday.

Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal both played singles and doubles on Friday, but only the Spaniard was able to lead his team into the last four at the Davis Cup Finals.