Rafael Nadal Announces Retirement From Tennis

Rafael Nadal -- one of the greatest and most successful tennis players to ever pick up a racket -- just announced he's walking away from the sport ... with his last match slated for November.

The 38-year-old Spanish superstar broke the news in a heartfelt social media post on Thursday ... saying the decision has been a long time coming, especially with how the past two years have played out for him.

"I don’t think I have been able to play without limitations," Nadal said. "It is obviously a difficult decision and one that has taken me some time to make."

"But in this life, everything has a beginning and an end. And I think it’s an appropriate time to put an end to a career that has been long and much more successful than I could have ever imagined."

Nadal won his first Grand Slam title at the French Open in 2005 -- when he was just 19 -- and went on to win 21 more. He had his most success on the clay courts at Roland-Garros, winning the tournament a record 14 times.

He won the Australian Open and Wimbledon twice ... as well as the U.S. Open four times.

RAFAEL NADAL THROUGH THE YEARS

Click Image to Open Gallery

Nadal's last appearance will come at the Davis Cup ... which he explained is symbolic to him, as one of his "first great joys" was winning the final in Seville in 2004.

Nadal thanked his fans, family, loved ones and rivals like Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic for all the memories they shared over the course of his career ... calling his time as a pro a "dream come true."