The Swiss tennis player paid tribute to Rafa Nadal after he announced his retirement, both men having one of the great rivalries.

The following is Rafa Nadal's retirement statement in which the 22-times Grand Slam champion said on Thursday that he would end his career at the Davis Cup next month: "Hello everybody. I'm here to tell you that I'm retiring from professional tennis.

Rafael Nadal has announced he will retire from tennis next month with a video on social media. The clip, which lasts a total of four minutes and fourtyfive seconds, sees the Spaniard overcome with emotion as he declares that he has been forced to make the tough decision to bow out from the sport.