Record 14-time champion out of the French Open Rafa Nadal says he plans to retire after the 2024 season.

“I didn’t make the decision, my body made the decision. To play Roland Garros is impossible,” he said.

“Next year will be my last year on tour – that is my idea. If I keep going now I won’t be able to make that happen.”

For the first time in 19 years, Rafael Nadal will miss the French Open after a hip injury ruled him out the record 14-time men’s singles champion.

The 36-year-old Spaniard holds the joint record number of men’s major triumphs alongside Serbia’s Novak Djokovic.

Rafa Nadal has won 70 other ATP titles and spent 209 weeks at world number one – the sixth longest amount in ATP history.

The Mallorcan left-hander aka the ‘King of Clay’, Nadal has won 112 of his 115 matches at the French Open.

However, he has not played since sustaining the problem at the Australian Open in January.

Nadal has been practising in recent weeks, but has not been fit enough to play a tournament in the run-up to Roland Garros.

The French Open starts in Paris on 28 May and runs until 11 June.