Rafael Nadal to retire with amazing record 'bad boy' Roger Federer can't match

has confirmed in Malaga next month and he will walk away from tennis with a particularly rare record. It is not only his French Open dominance that stands Nadal out from his peers.

The 22-Grand Slam champion, a 14-time winner at Roland Garros, has been a gigantic figure on the ATP Tour since his professional debut in April 2002. Only Novak Djokovic has won more Slams than him in the history of male tennis.

But Rafa's uncle Toni only claimed his nephew has never once smashed a racket in frustration, unlike almost all of his rivals. "Rafa has never broken a racquet in his life," he said.

"I once told him, 'You throw one racket and I'm no longer your coach'. There are millions of children in the world who would love to have a racket and don't have one."

That is a record that even the great Roger Federer, many tennis' fans favourite ever player although he was less successful than Nadal and Djokovic, cannot match.

The Swiss is regarded as one of the most elegant players in the history of the sport and is renowned for his class and sportsmanship - but there was a time he was actually regarded as a bad boy on the tour.

In the mid-1990s, Federer was an entirely difficult character. Former Nike director Mike Nakajima explained: "When I met Roger in 94/95 he was just coming out of juniors and he was a really, really talented player but he would smash rackets in a heartbeat.

"He wasn't the Roger Federer that we all know. I asked Roger one day when he stopped being a bit of a brat on the tour to become someone that everybody loves. There is not one person that I know who hates the guy. No one has ever said that.

"I asked him what happened. He explained there used to be a pro player named Marat Safin, a Russian player who has won the Australian Open, US Open and he was one of the guys who Roger was competing with in one of his final junior events.

"It was a match to see who was the best junior in the world and Roger ended up winning in three sets. He came home and watched the highlights and all they showed was Marat and Roger being bad boys on the court.

"Yelling, screaming, smashing, throwing things - that was the highlight - not the great shots that they hit."

Djokovic, too, has been prone to taking his anger out on his equipment on court. Perhaps the most famous occasion in which he did so was when he during his 2023 final loss to Carlos Alcaraz.

He was later handed a £6,000 fine for his behaviour. The Serb has paid a touching tribute to the retiring 'King of Clay' on social media having contested arguably the best tennis match of all time against the Spaniard in the 2008 Wimbledon final.

, Djokovic also added: "My post, you saw it on Instagram, I meant every word. You know, he's been my greatest rival. The rivalry I had with him has impacted me the most in my career by far.

"We knew that that moment is coming sooner than later but it's still a shock when it came officially. Also for Roger a few years ago when he announced retirement and Andy as well this year.

"I mean it's a bit overwhelming for me to be honest. I don't know what to make out of it. I still enjoy competing but part of me left with them, big part of me.

"So it's a tough news for tennis world, for sports world. Rafa has been an inspiration - is an inspiration to millions of children around the world so he can be very proud of his career."

Meanwhile Nadal explained of his decision to walk away at the end of 2024: "The reality is that it has been some difficult years, the last two especially. I don't think I have been able to play without limitations."