After long fight for glory, 'King of Clay' Nadal leaves with a legacy of memories

Rafael Nadal was the "King of Clay" who also reigned on every other surface as he accumulated 22 Grand Slam titles while his even-keeled and humble demeanour, on and off the court, endeared him to rivals and legions of fans.

One of his defining qualities was the astonishing ability to tough out marathon wins, but he clearly enjoyed playing and competing and showed humility in victory and poise in defeat.

"The important legacy is that all the people I have met during these 20 years have a good human memory of me," said the 38-year-old Spanish superstar who will retire from tennis at the Davis Cup Finals in Malaga this week.

"At the end of the day, the personal issue, education, respect and the affection you can treat people with comes before the professional issue, because that is what remains."

Nadal was born on the island of Mallorca in June 1986. His father Sebastian was a businessman, his mother Ana gave up working to raise her children.