For nearly two decades, Nadal was a leading figure in men's tennis, alongsideRoger Federer andNovak Djokovic, collectively known as theBig Three. Early in his career, Nadal became one of the most successful teenagers in ATP Tour history, reaching No. 2 in the world and winning 16 titles before turning 20, including his first major title at the2005 French Open. Nadal became the world No. 1 for the first time in 2008 after defeating Federer in an historicWimbledon final, his first major championship off clay. He followed with an Olympic singles gold at the2008 Beijing Olympics. By defeating Djokovic in the2010 US Open final, Nadal became the youngest man in the Open Era to achieve thecareer Grand Slam at 24, and the first man to win majors onthree different surfaces in the same year.
Nadal won major singles titles in 10 consecutive years from 2005 to 2014, and again in a four-year span from 2017 to 2020. He also won 11 doubles titles during his career, including an Olympic gold medal at the2016 Rio Olympics. Nadal surpassed his joint-record with Djokovic and Federer for the most Grand Slam men's singles titles at the2022 Australian Open, and became one of four men in history to complete thedouble career Grand Slam in singles. Nadal retired from the sport after playing for Spain in the2024 Davis Cup Finals.
As a left-handed player, one of Nadal's main strengths was his forehand, delivered with heavy topspin. He frequently ranked among the tour leaders in return games, return points, and break points won. His game was especially well-suited forclay courts, on which came 63 of his 92 singles titles. Nadal won theStefan Edberg Sportsmanship Award five times and was theLaureus World Sportsman of the Year in 2011 and 2021.Time named Nadal one of the100 most influential people in the world in 2022. Representing Spain, he won two Olympic gold medals, and led the nation to fiveDavis Cup titles. Nadal has also opened atennis academy inMallorca, and is an active philanthropist.
Early life
Rafael Nadal Parera was born on 3 June 1986 inManacor on the island ofMallorca, Spain, to Ana María Parera Femenías and Sebastián Nadal Homar.[6] His father is a businessman who owns an insurance company, a glass and window company, and a restaurant. His mother owned a perfume shop but gave it up to raise Nadal and his younger sister, María Isabel.[7] One of his uncles,Miguel Ángel Nadal, is a retired professionalfootballer who played forRCD Mallorca,FC Barcelona and theSpanish national team.[8] As a child, he idolizedRonaldo, and through his uncle was given access to the Barcelona team dressing room to have a photo taken with the Brazilian.[9] Another uncle, tennis coachToni Nadal, introduced him to tennis when he was three years old.[10]
Nadal started to play tennis at the Manacor Tennis Club, where Toni worked as a coach, hitting his first few shots with his uncle.[7][10] At this stage Nadal's passion was football, which he often played on the streets of Manacor with his friends.[7][11] He began to play tennis more regularly when he was five. Toni quickly realized that his young nephew had both the passion and talent to be a serious player.[10] Nadal often played tennis in a group, but Toni singled him out during sessions, shouting at him instead of the other kids, and making him pick up the balls and sweep the courts.[7] In his 2011 autobiography, he admitted fearing Toni and dreading solo practice sessions with him.[12] Nadal admitted he sometimes returned home from tennis lessons crying.[13]
At age 8, Nadal won an under-12 regional tennis championship while also being a promising football player.[7][14] This victory inspired Toni to train Nadal more intensively. After studying Nadal'stwo-handed forehand, Toni encouraged him to play left-handed for a natural advantage on the tennis court.[14][15] The transition was difficult for Nadal, but Toni helped him make the change, getting him to try it for just 20 minutes per day before gradually increasing that time until he fully adjusted himself to it.[7]
Career
1997–2000: Juniors
Nadal won the Spanish junior championships in 1997 and 1998, beating Ricardo Villacorta andMarcel Granollers respectively.[16][17] In 1998 Nadal reached the final of the U14 Spanish championship at the age of 12, a feat that remains unmatched, losing to Juan Sanchez de Luna in straight sets.[16][18] In late 1998, Nadal won the season-ending U12 Junior Masters at Stuttgart, beating future world No. 5Kevin Anderson in the final.[19]
In February 1998, Nadal competed outside Spain for the first time and won the Open Super 12, an unofficial world championship for U12 players inAuray. He beat 1997 winnerJamie Murray in the final.[20] At the time, Nadal was torn between football and tennis, partly because his uncle Miguel Ángel was preparing to compete in the1998 FIFA World Cup with Spain.[21] Nadal said winning the Auray tournament helped him make the decision to "opt for tennis and try an international career".[20][21] In 1998, when Nadal was runner-up in the U14 event Spanish championship, he was still playing football.[7] Nadal's father insisted he choose between football and tennis to so his schoolwork wouldn't suffer, leading Nadal to quit football.[14]
In 1999, the 12-year-old Nadal was playing in the U14 circuit of the ETA Junior Tour (now theTennis Europe Junior Tour), winning theTim Essonne,[22] and finishing the year at No. 69.[23] In 2000, Nadal dominated the U14 circuit, winningLesPetits As inTarbes, beating Julien Gely in the final,[16][23][24] and theEuropean Junior Masters inPrato.[16][25] On the day he turned 14, Nadal won the Sport Goofy Trophy inGetxo, beating Granollers in the final.[26][27] In July, Nadal won the U14 Spanish championships, beating his friend and training partner Tomeu Salvá in the final,[16][28] despite breaking a finger on his left hand during the first round.[28][29] As a member of the Spanish national team, Nadal won the 2000ITF World Junior Championship for players under 14, winning his matches in both singles and doubles (paired withMarcel Granollers) in a 3–0 win over Russia.[30] Nadal ended 2000 at No. 5 of the ETA rankings for U14s.[23]
His junior results secured Nadal a tennis scholarship inBarcelona, and the Spanish tennis federation requested that Nadal move to Barcelona to continue his tennis training.[7] His family turned down this request, partly because they feared his education would suffer,[14] but also because Toni said, "I don't want to believe that you have to go to America or other places to be a good athlete. You can do it from your home."[7][10] Nadal already was by then practicing three times a week at Palma with former World No. 1Carlos Moyá, who later became Nadal's mentor and confidant,[7][10] and whom Nadal beat in 2000, at the time still a Top-10 player, in an exhibition match.[31] The decision to stay home meant less financial support from the federation; instead, Nadal's father covered the costs.[14]
Rafael Nadal singles-ranking history chart through January 2020Singles ranking composite history chart through January 2020 (Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal,Novak Djokovic)
2001–2002: Start of professional career
Nadal turned professional at the beginning of 2001, at the age of 14. He reached the semi-finals of thejunior singles event at Wimbledon[32] and helped Spain defeat the US in the final of theJunior Davis Cup.[32][33]
In early 2001, aged 14, Nadal began playing the qualifying draws of professional tournaments. In May 2001, he defeated former Grand Slam tournament championPat Cash in a clay-court exhibition match.[8][34] Nadal made his pro debut in the main draw at the Futures in Madrid on 11 September 2001, wasting 13 match points against Guillermo Platel-Varas in the opening round.[29][35] He received a wild card into the main draw of the Challenger inSeville, his first Challenger tournament, and beat world No. 751Israel Matos Gil 6–4 6–4 to claim his first pro win and earn the first five ATP points of his career to become world No. 1002.[36][29] At age 15, Nadal ended 2001 as the world No. 811.[36]
In 2002, Nadal, then ranked No. 762, received a wild card to the ATP 250 event on his home island ofMallorca,[37] where on 29 April, Nadal won his firstATP match by defeating No. 81Ramón Delgado,[38] and became the ninth player in theOpen Era to do so before the age of 16.[36][39] He did not compete for two months as he studied for school exams and missed the junior French Open in June.[40] At junior Wimbledon, he reached the semi-finals before losing toLamine Ouahab.[41] Nadal then won six of the nine Futures events he entered from July until December, including 5 on clay and 1 on hard courts.[36][42] Nadal finished 2002 with a Futures record of 40–9 in singles and 10–9 in doubles.[43][44] In October, Nadal defeated No. 76 Albert Montañés in the quarterfinals of a Challenger at Barcelona,[16] before losing to Albert Portas in the semi-finals.[45] Nadal ended 2002 as the world No. 199.
2003: First ATP title and ascending to the top 50
Nadal continued his ascent in early 2003, reaching the finals of Challengers atHamburg,Cherbourg andCagliari, and winning atBarletta.[36] He scored a total of 19 Challenger wins in the first three months of the season to find himself inside the Top 150.[46] He then qualified for his second career ATP event, theMonte Carlo Masters, where in the second round he beat the 2002 French Open championAlbert Costa, then ranked No. 7 (his first top 10 career win) and he entered the world's top 100.[36][47] Nadal reached his fifth Challenger final of the year in Aix-en-Provence, which he lost toMariano Puerta.[48] In May, 16-year-old Nadal entered his second Masters event atHamburg, where he upset No. 4Carlos Moyá before losing to future French Open ChampionGaston Gaudio in round three.[49] Nadal postponed his French Open debut after injuring his elbow in a fall while training.[50] He then qualified directly toWimbledon, having never contested in a major qualifying event before.[51] In his major main draw debut in Wimbledon, Nadal defeatedMario Ančić, and reached the third round to become the youngest man to do so sinceBoris Becker in 1984.[31][52]
AtUmag, Nadal lost to Moyá in the semi-finals. This was Nadal's only loss at a clay-court semi-final for the next 12 years, as he then began a streak of 52 consecutive wins in semi-final matches on clay that ended at the2015 Rio Open.[53] Nadal won his first ATP title (doubles or singles) atUmag, partneringÁlex López Morón to beatTodd Perry andThomas Shimada in the final.[54] Nadal won his second Challenger title of the year in August atSegovia, thus entering the top 50 and winning the ATPNewcomer of the Year Award.[36]
At theUS Open, Nadal lost in round two toYounes El Aynaoui.[55] In September, Nadal entered the final Challenger event of his career, on hard courts in Saint-Jean-de-Luz, retiring with an injury againstRichard Gasquet, who never defeated Nadal again.[48][56] Nadal finished the year ranked as the world No. 49.[36]
2004: Davis Cup title
Nadal wonChennai Open doubles, with Tommy Robredo defeatingJonathan Erlich andAndy Ram in the final; Nadal's second doubles title and first on hard courts.[57] In singles, Nadal had his 5th consecutive loss after a first round exit toThierry Ascione; this remains the worst losing streak of his career.[58] AtAuckland he reached the first ATP final of his career, which he lost toDominik Hrbatý.[59] Nadal reached the third round of theAustralian Open, where he lost in straight sets to former world No. 1Lleyton Hewitt.[60] Ranked No. 34, Nadal faced No. 1Roger Federer for the first time in the third round of theMiami Open, winning in straight sets before losing toFernando González in the fourth round.[61][62]
AtEstoril, Nadal suffered a stress fracture in his left ankle during his round of 16 victory over Richard Gasquet, causing him to miss 3 months of play, theFrench Open, and Wimbledon.[36][8] He won his first ATP singles title at theProkom Open by defeating No. 105José Acasuso in the final, but won hardly any other match on the tour.[63] At theUS Open, Nadal lost to defending championAndy Roddick in the second round.[36] In thedoubles he and Robredo upset the No. 4 seeds in the third round and reached the semi-finals; Nadal's best performance in a grand slam doubles event.[64]
In the2004 Davis Cup final, 18-year-old Nadal beat world No. 2 Andy Roddick on clay in Spain to help his nation clinch the title over the United States. In doing so at 18 years and six months of age, he became the youngest player to register a singles victory in aDavis Cup final for a winning nation.[15][31][65] Nadal finished the year ranked No. 51, mainly because he missed most of the clay court season.[36]
He dominated the spring clay-court season. He won 24 consecutive singles matches, breakingAndre Agassi's Open Era record of consecutive match wins for a male teenager.[69] Nadal won theTorneo Conde de Godó in Barcelona defeating the former world No. 1Juan Carlos Ferrero in the final; which meant he was ranked in the top 10 for the first time in his career.[70] He then beat2004 French Open runner-upGuillermo Coria in the finals of the2005 Monte Carlo Masters and the2005 Italian Open. These victories raised his ranking to world No. 5[71] and made him one of the favorites at his career-firstFrench Open. On his 19th birthday, Nadal defeated Federer in the French Open semi-finals, being one of only four players to defeat him that year. Then he defeatedMariano Puerta in the final, becoming the second man to win the French Open on his first attempt.[34] He also became the first male teenager to win a major singles title sincePete Sampras won the1990 US Open at age 19.[8] His ranking rose to No. 3.[71]
Three days later, Nadal's 24-match winning streak was snapped in the first round on grass atHalle, Germany, where he lost to No. 147Alexander Waske.[72] He then lost in the second round of2005 Wimbledon to No. 69Gilles Müller.[73] Following his Wimbledon loss, Nadal won 16 consecutive matches and three consecutive tournaments, theSwedish Open,Stuttgart Open, and theCanada Masters, defeating Agassi in the final of the latter to win the first hardcourt title of his career and to bring his ranking to No. 2 on 25 July 2005, where he remained for the next three years behind Roger Federer.[36] His winning streak ended in the first round of theCincinnati Open at the hands ofTomáš Berdych.[74] Nadal was seeded second at the2005 US Open, but was upset in the third round by No. 49James Blake.[75]
In September, he defeated Coria in the final of theChina Open in Beijing and won both of his Davis Cup matches against Italy.[76] In October, he won his fourth Masters title of the year, againstIvan Ljubičić at the2005 Madrid Masters, his biggest indoor title to this day.[29][77] A foot injury prevented him from competing in the year-endingTennis Masters Cup.[78]
Nadal (with 11 titles) broke Mats Wilander's previous teenage season record of nine in 1983.[15][79] Nadal was awarded ATP Most Improved Player of the Year award.[36]
Nadal missed the Australian Open because of a foot injury.[80] In February, he lost in the semi-finals ofMarseille. Two weeks later, he handed Roger Federer his first loss of the year in the final of theDubai Open, ending Federer's 56-match hard court winning streak.[81] Nadal was then upset in the semi-finals ofIndian Wells by James Blake, and in the second round ofMiami by Carlos Moyá.
Nadal beat Federer in the final of theMonte Carlo Masters[82] and Tommy Robredo in theBarcelona final.[83] He won theItalian Open beating Federer in a fifth-set tiebreak in the final, after saving two match points, and equaledBjörn Borg's tally of 16 ATP titles won as a teenager.[31] At five hours and five minutes, this was the longest match Federer and Nadal ever contested and it is considered to be wheretheir rivalry began in earnest.The New York Times compared it to theMuhammad Ali–Joe Frazier rivalry inboxing.[84] Nadal then broke ArgentinianGuillermo Vilas's 29-year male record of 53 consecutive clay-court match victories by beatingRobin Söderling in the first round of theFrench Open.[85][86] Nadal beatNovak Djokovic in the quarterfinals, the first-ever meeting of theirhistoric rivalry.[87] He won the final over Federer to become the first player to beat Federer in a major final.[88]
AtWimbledon, Nadal beat No. 20Andre Agassi in Agassi's last ever match at Wimbledon.[89] Nadal won his next three matches to reach his first Wimbledon final (the first Spanish man sinceManuel Santana in 1966 to reach the Wimbledon final). Federer won the final and his fourth consecutive Wimbledon title.[90]
Nadal was upset in the third round of theRogers Cup in Toronto and in the quarterfinals ofCincinnati by Juan Carlos Ferrero. At the US Open he lost in the quarterfinals to No. 54Mikhail Youzhny.[91]
Nadal played only three tournaments for the remainder of the year.Joachim Johansson, ranked No. 690, upset Nadal in the second round of theStockholm Open[92] and he lost toTomáš Berdych in the quarterfinals of theMadrid Masters. During the round-robin stage of the year-endingTennis Masters Cup, Nadal lost toJames Blake but defeatedNikolay Davydenko and Robredo. Nadal qualified for the semi-finals, where he lost to Federer. This was Nadal's third loss in nine career matches with Federer.[93]
Nadal went on to become the first player sinceAndre Agassi in 1994–95 to finish the year ranked No. 2 in consecutive years.
He won the titles at theMonte Carlo,Barcelona andRome, before losing to Roger Federer in the final ofHamburg.[96] This defeat endedhis 81-match winning streak on clay, which is the male Open Era record for consecutive wins on a single surface. He bounced back quickly in theFrench Open, not dropping a set en route to the final where he faced Federer once again, this time winning in four sets to join Björn Borg as the only men to win three French Open titles in a row.[97] Between Barcelona and Rome, Nadal beat Federer in the "Battle of Surfaces" exhibition match in Mallorca, with the court being halfgrass and half clay.[98][99]
Nadal was upset in the quarterfinals atQueen's. Nadal then won consecutive five-set matches during the third and fourth rounds ofWimbledon before being beaten by Federer in a five-set final. This was Federer's first five-set match at Wimbledon since 2001.[100] In July, Nadal beatStan Wawrinka in the final of the clay-courtStuttgart Open.[101] Nadal was a semi-finalist inMontreal before losing his first match at theCincinnati Open.[102] At 2007 US Open, he was defeated in the fourth round byDavid Ferrer, and spent the tournament dealing with a knee injury.[103][104]
AtMadrid andParis,David Nalbandian beat Nadal in straight sets in the quarterfinals and final.[105] Nadal won two of his three-round robin matches to advance to the semi-finals of theTennis Masters Cup in Shanghai, where Federer defeated him in straight sets.[106]
2008: Two majors, Olympic singles gold, and world No. 1
AtMonte Carlo, Nadal beat Federer in the final for the third year in a row to become the first player to win four consecutive titles there sinceAnthony Wilding in 1914.[109] He also won thedoubles event withTommy Robredo, becoming the first player sinceJim Courier in 1991 to win the singles and doubles titles at a Masters Series event.[109] Nadal won his fourth consecutive title atBarcelona. Nadal won his firstMasters Hamburg title, defeating Federer, to become the third player to have won all three clay-court Masters Series titles, in Rome, Monte Carlo and Hamburg.[110] He then won theFrench Open, becoming the fifth man in the Open Era to win a Grand Slam singles title without losing a set.[111] He beat Federer in the final for the third straight year, losing only four games, and gave Federer his firstbagel since 1999.[112] This was Nadal's fourth consecutive French title, tying Borg's all-time record. Nadal became the fourth male player during Open Era to win the same Grand Slam singles tournament for four consecutive years.[113]
Nadal faced Federer inthe final ofWimbledon for the third consecutive year, in the most anticipated match oftheir rivalry.[114][115] Nadal entered the final on a 23-match winning streak, including his first career grass-court title atQueen's. Unlike their previous two Wimbledon finals, Federer was not the prohibitive favorite, and many analysts picked Nadal to win.[115][116] At 4 hours and 48 minutes, they played the longest final (in terms of time on court, surpassed in 2019) in Wimbledon history, and because of rain delays, Nadal won the fifth set 9–7 in near-darkness. The match was widely lauded as the greatest Wimbledon final ever, with many tennis critics calling it the greatest match in tennis history.[117][118][119][120]
By winning Wimbledon, Nadal became the third man in the Open Era to win both the French Open and Wimbledon in the same year, as well as the second Spaniard to win Wimbledon.[121] He also ended Federer's streak of five consecutive Wimbledon titles and 65 straight wins on grass courts.[121]
At theUS Open, Nadal was the top seed for the first time at a major. He lost in the semi-finals toAndy Murray.[126] Nadal helped Spain defeat the United States in theDavis Cup semi-finals. At theMadrid Masters, Nadal lost in the semi-finals toGilles Simon. He ended the year-end No. 1, making him the first Spaniard to finish the year No. 1 in the Open Era.[127] At theParis Masters, Nadal withdrew from his quarterfinal because of a knee injury and ended his season.[128]
AtQatar Open, Nadal lost in the quarterfinals toGaël Monfils. He won thedoubles withMarc López, beating No. 1-rankedDaniel Nestor andNenad Zimonjić in the final.[129] At theAustralian Open, Nadal won his first five matches without dropping a set, before beatingFernando Verdasco in the semis in the fifth-longest match in Australian Open history (5 hours 14 minutes).[130][131] Nadal beat Federer ina five-set final (their first meeting in a hard-court major) to win his first hard-court major singles title,[132] and was the first Spaniard to win the Australian Open.[133]
AtRotterdam, Nadal sustained a knee injury during the final, which he lost to Andy Murray.[134] In March, Nadal beatJanko Tipsarević and Novak Djokovic to help Spain beat Serbia inDavis Cup round one.[135][136] AtIndian Wells, Nadal won his 13th Masters tournament, beating Andy Murray in the final.[137] At theMiami Masters, Nadal lost to del Potro in the quarterfinals.[138]
AtMonte Carlo, Nadal beat Djokovic in the final to win a record fifth consecutive singles title.[139] He wonBarcelona andItalian Open, defeating Ferrer and Djokovic respectively.[140][141] In the semi-finals of theMadrid Open, Nadal saved three match points to defeat Djokovic in a deciding set tiebreaker to take his career record over Djokovic to 14–4 and his clay record since 2005 to 150–4.[142] At 4 hours 3 minutes, it was at the time the longest three-set singles match on the ATP Tour, and was voted the best match ever at the Madrid Open in 2022.[143] Exhausted, Nadal lost the final to Roger Federer. This was Nadal's first defeat on clay in 33 matches and his first loss to Federer since the semi-finals of the 2007 Tennis Masters Cup.[144]
By beatingMarcos Daniel in the first round of theFrench Open, Nadal brokeBjörn Borg's 28-year male record of 28 consecutive victories at the French Open,[145] and he then brokeChris Evert's overall record of 29 by beatingTeymuraz Gabashvili in round two.[146] This runcame to an end on 31 May 2009, when Nadal was upset by the eventual runner-up,Robin Söderling in the 4th round.[147] This was Nadal's first loss at the French Open. Former championMats Wilander stated after the match that "Everybody's in a state of shock, I would think. At some point, Nadal was going to lose. But nobody expected it to happen today, and maybe not this year."[148] Nadal withdrew fromQueen's andWimbledon due to suffering fromtendinitis in both knees.[149][150] Nadal dropped back to No. 2 behind Federer on 6 July 2009.[151]
At theMontreal, Nadal lost in the quarterfinals to del Potro,[152] meaning he dropped outside the top two for the first time since July 2005.[153] He lost in the semi-finals ofCincinnati to Djokovic in straight sets.[154] At theUS Open Nadal lost in the semi-finals to eventual champion Juan Martín del Potro.[155] At theATP Finals, Nadal lost all three of his matches toRobin Söderling,Nikolay Davydenko, and Djokovic without winning a set.[156] In December, Nadal beatTomáš Berdych in the Davis Cup final.[157] Spain secured its fourth Davis Cup victory.[158]
Nadal finished the year as No. 2 for the fourth time in five years.
2010: Majors on all three surfaces, year-end No. 1, and Career Golden Slam
Nadal reached the semi-finals of theIndian Wells Open andMiami Masters, losing to the eventual champions.[161][162] Nadal wonMonte Carlo, beatingFernando Verdasco in the final. It was his first title in 11 months, having lost only 14 games en route to become the first player in the Open Era to win the same tournament for six straight years.[163] AtItalian Open, he defeatedDavid Ferrer in the final for his fifth title.[164] AtMadrid, Nadal beat Federer in straight sets to become the first man to complete a clean sweep of the three clay-court Masters 1000 titles[165] and was his 18th Masters title, breakingAndre Agassi's all-time record.[166] He moved back to No. 2 in the rankings.[167]
At theFrench Open, Nadal beat Söderling in the final in straight sets to win his fifth French Open championship. This marked the second time that Nadal won the titlewithout dropping a set.[168] Nadal regained theworld No. 1 ranking from Federer.[169]
AtQueen's, his 24-match winning streak was snapped byFeliciano López in the quarterfinals.[170] AtWimbledon, Nadal needed five sets to defeatPhilipp Petzschner in the third round, receiving warnings and a $2,000 fine for coaching during the match.[171][172] He beatTomáš Berdych in the final to win his second Wimbledon title and his eighth major title.[173][174]
InCanada, Nadal lost in the semi-finals to Murray.[175] He also played doubles with Djokovic in a one-time partnership,[176] losing in the first round. AtCincinnati, he lost in the quarterfinals toMarcos Baghdatis.[177] At theUS Open, Nadal reached his first final without dropping a set and then beatNovak Djokovic to complete his firstCareer Grand Slam while also becoming the second male afterAndre Agassi to complete aCareer Golden Slam.[178] He also became the first man to win majors on clay, grass, and hard courts in the same year, and the first to win the French Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open in the same year sinceRod Laver in 1969.[179] Nadal's victory also clinched him theyear-end No. 1 ranking for 2010.[180]
InBangkok he was upset byGuillermo García-López in the semi-finals despite creating 26 break points.[181] Nadal won theJapan Open after saving two match points againstViktor Troicki in the semi-finals and then beatingGaël Monfils in the final for his seventh title of the season.[182] AtShanghai, he lost toJürgen Melzer in the third round. Nadal won theStefan Edberg Sportsmanship Award for the first time.[183] At theATP Finals in London, Nadal won all of his round-robin matches for the first time in his career. In the semi-finals, he defeated Murray in three sets, before losing to Roger Federer in the final.[184]
Nadal called 2010 his best year. Djokovic said that Nadal had "the capabilities already to become the best player ever", and that "he has the game now for each surface, and he has won each major. He has proven to the world that he is the best in this moment".[185]
Nadal wonMonte Carlo with the loss of one set. In the final he beat Ferrer.[194] Nadal won his sixthBarcelona crown, again defeating Ferrer in straight sets. This was the 31st clay court title of his career, thus breaking a tie that he jointly held with Björn Borg andManuel Orantes for the third most clay titles in the Open Era.[195] He then lost to Novak Djokovic in the finals of theItalian Open andMadrid Open, which ended his 37-match winning streak on clay.[196] However, Nadal retained his No. 1 ranking during the clay-court season and won his sixth French Open title by defeating Roger Federer.[197]
AtWimbledon, Nadal faced Novak Djokovic in the final. Djokovic's victory in the semi-finals meant that he was going to replace Nadal as the world No. 1 at the end of the tournament, regardless of the result at the final, which Nadal lost in four sets. This was Nadal's first defeat at Wimbledon since the 2007 final and ended his 20-match winning streak there.[198] After resting for a month from a foot injury sustained during Wimbledon, he entered theCanadian Open and lost a deciding set tiebreaker to No. 41Ivan Dodig in the quarterfinals.[199] AtCincinnati, he defeated Fernando Verdasco in a third round clash that lasted three hours and 38 minutes with three tiebreaks. This was the fifth time that Nadal played in a three tiebreak match, winning all five.[200] In the quarterfinals, Nadal was hampered by burns to his right hand after an accident at a Japanese restaurant and lost toMardy Fish in straight sets.[201]
After defeatingDavid Nalbandian in the fourth round of theUS Open, Nadal collapsed in his post-match press conference due to severe cramps.[202] Nadal then played Djokovic in their second successive major final, losing the match in four sets.[203] Nadal reached the final of theJapan Open, where he was defeated by Andy Murray.[204] AtShanghai, he was upset in the third round by No. 23 rankedFlorian Mayer. At theATP Finals, Nadal was defeated by Roger Federer and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the round-robin stage, and was eliminated from the tournament.[205] In the Davis Cup final in December, he helped Spain win the title with victories overJuan Mónaco and Juan Martín del Potro.[206]
AtQatar Open, Nadal lost toGaël Monfils in the semi-finals.[207] At theAustralian Open, Nadal won his semi-final match against Roger Federer to set up a third successive major final against Novak Djokovic, which he lost in afive-set epic that lasted 5 hours and 53 minutes, the longest Grand Slam final match (by duration) in history.[208] It is considered to be one of the greatest tennis matches of all time.[209][210][211][212] It was the longest match of both Nadal and Djokovic's careers, and was the only time that Nadal lost a major final after winning the first set.[213] Nadal called it "one of the toughest moments in my career".[214]
Nadal then reached the semi-finals of both theIndian Wells, where he was beaten by Federer, andMiami, where he withdrew because of knee problems.[215] AtMonte Carlo, Nadal did not lose a set en route to the title to become the first man in the Open Era to win the same tournament eight consecutive times. In the final, he defeated No. 1 Novak Djokovic to end a streak of seven straight final losses to him.[216] This was the most lopsided of all their matches, as Nadal only lost four games.[217] Nadal then beat David Ferrer in a three-set final to clinch his seventh title in eight years atBarcelona.[218] AtMadrid, Nadal lost toFernando Verdasco, whom he held a 13–0 record against. He criticized the new blue clay and threatened to skip future events if the surface wasn't changed back to red clay, a sentiment echoed by several players, including Novak Djokovic.[219] He beat Djokovic in a tight straight-set final at theItalian Open.[220]
At theFrench Open, Nadal won his semi-final match against Ferrer to set up another final against Novak Djokovic. This marked only the second time in tennis history (afterSerena andVenus Williams between the2002 French Open and the2003 Australian Open), two players played four consecutive major singles finals against each other. After rain delays pushed the conclusion of the final into a second day, Nadal emerged victorious in four sets. Nadal became the most successful male player at the French Open (overtaking Borg) with seven titles.[221][222][223] Nadal lost a total of only three sets in the 2012 clay court season.
As a warm-up ahead of Wimbledon, Nadal played inHalle, losing to Philipp Kohlschreiber in the quarterfinals.[224] AtWimbledon, Nadal was upset in the second round byLukáš Rosol in five sets. This was the first time since the 2005 Wimbledon championships that Nadal failed to pass the second round of a Grand Slam.[225]
Nadal then ended his season early due totendinitis in his knee.[226][227] Nadal ended 2012 ranked No. 4, the first time in eight years that he was not ranked 1st or 2nd at the end of the year.
Nadal withdrew fromAustralian Open with a stomach virus[228] and dropped out of the ATP Top 4 for the first time since 2005.[229] He returned at theVTR Open in Chile,[230] where he was upset by Argentine No. 73Horacio Zeballos in the final. At theBrasil Open, Nadal beat David Nalbandian in the final.[231] In the final inAcapulco, Nadal defeated David Ferrer, losing just two games.[232]
At theIndian Wells, he lost only one set en route to the title, defeatingRoger Federer,Tomáš Berdych and Juan Martín del Potro in the final.[233] Nadal was beaten by Djokovic in straight sets inMonte Carlo to end his eight-year reign at the tournament.[234] He then won his eighth title atBarcelona beatingNicolás Almagro in the final.[235] Nadal went on to winMadrid, beatingStan Wawrinka in the final.[236] This was the 40th clay court title of his career, equal second in the Open Era withThomas Muster. Nadal then overtook him when he beat Federer for his 7th title at theItalian Open.[237] These victories raised his ranking to No. 4.
Nadal won theFrench Open beating Novak Djokovic in the semi-final and David Ferrer in the final, breaking the record for the most match wins in the tournament with his 59th victory, surpassing the previous record held byGuillermo Vilas and Roger Federer.[238] Nadal also became the first man in history to win any major eight times, and tiedRoy Emerson for the third-most major titles in history.[239] His semi-final match against Djokovic has been called one of the greatest clay court matches ever, with Nadal rallying from a break down in the fifth set to win after 4 hours and 37 minutes.[240] This was only the second time Nadal had been pushed to five sets at the French Open (the first was againstJohn Isner in the first round in 2011).[241] This victory meant that since returning from seven months out due to injury, Nadal had reached eight consecutive finals, won 7 titles, and compiled a 43–2 record in 2013. However, Nadal then lost his first-round match atWimbledon in straight sets toSteve Darcis, his first loss in the first round of a major. At the time, he was the lowest-ranked player ever to beat Nadal in a Grand Slam tournament.[242]
In August, Nadal won a close semi-final match inMontreal against Djokovic[243] and won the final overMilos Raonic in straight sets.[244] He won his 26th Masters title in Cincinnati beatingJohn Isner in the final.[245] He won his 4th hard court title of the year, defeating Djokovic in theUS Open final in four sets to achieve theSummer Slam and clinch theUS Open Series. He became only the third player in history, afterPatrick Rafter andAndy Roddick, to win all three events in succession.[246] This granted him $3.6 million in prize money, the most money earned by a male tennis player at a single tournament.[247]
Nadal helped Spain secure a Davis Cup World Group place for 2014, beating Sergiy Stakhovsky and winning a doubles win with Marc Lopez. In October, he reached the final of theChina Open and regained the No. 1 ranking.[248] In the final, he was beaten by Djokovic in straight sets.[249] He lost in theShanghai semis to Del Potro. In November, at theATP Finals in London, he secured the year-end No. 1. He beat David Ferrer, Stan Wawrinka, andTomáš Berdych in the round-robin and Roger Federer in the semis before losing in straight sets to Djokovic in the final.[250]
2014: Ninth French Open title and sustained injuries
At theQatar Open, Nadal won the title beatingGaël Monfils in the final.[251] At theAustralian Open, he defeatedRoger Federer to reach his third Australian Open final. In the final, he facedStanislas Wawrinka, against whom he entered the match with a 12–0 record. However, Nadal suffered a back injury during the warm-up, which progressively worsened as the match wore on.[252] Nadal lost the first two sets, and although he won the third set, he lost the match in four sets. At the inauguralRio Open he beatAlexandr Dolgopolov in the final. However, at theIndian Wells Open, Dolgopolov would avenge his loss, defeating Nadal in three sets in the third round. He reached the final of theMiami Masters, losing toNovak Djokovic in straight sets.
Nadal began his clay court season with a quarterfinal loss toDavid Ferrer atMonte Carlo. He was stunned byNicolas Almagro in the quarterfinals of theBarcelona Open. Nadal then won his 27th masters title atMadrid afterKei Nishikori retired in the third set of the final.[253] Nadal defeated Novak Djokovic in the Men's SinglesFrench Open final to win his 9th French Open title and a 5th straight win. Nadal equaled Pete Sampras' total of 14 Grand Slam wins.[254] Nadal then lost in the second round ofHalle toDustin Brown.[255]
At theWimbledon Championships he was upset by Australian teenagerNick Kyrgios in four sets in the fourth round.[256] Nadal withdrew from the American swing owing to a wrist injury.[257] He made his return at the2014 China Open but was defeated in the quarterfinals byMartin Klizan in three sets.[258] AtShanghai, he was suffering from appendicitis and lost his first match toFeliciano Lopez in straight sets.[259] He was upset byBorna Ćorić at the quarterfinals of the2014 Swiss Indoors. He skipped the rest of the season to undergo surgery for his appendix.[260]
Nadal lost to Djokovic in the quarterfinals of theFrench Open, ending his winning streak of 39 consecutive victories in Paris since his 2009 defeat by Robin Söderling.[272] Nadal went on to win the2015 Mercedes Cup against SerbianViktor Troicki, his first grass court title since he won at Wimbledon in 2010.[273] He lost in the first round of theAegon Championships to Alexandr Dolgopolov in three sets.[274] He lost in the second round of Wimbledon toDustin Brown.[275]
In the third round of the2015 US Open, Nadal again lost to Fognini, despite an early two set lead.[276] This early exit ended Nadal's record 10-year streak of winning at least one Grand Slam.
Nadal lost toDjokovic in straight sets in the final inDoha. This was their 47th match, after which Djokovic led their head-to-head with 24 matches won. At theAustralian Open, Nadal lost in five sets toFernando Verdasco in round one (his first opening round exit at the Australian Open).[277]
In April he won his 28th Masters title in Monte Carlo.[278] He won his 17th ATP 500 in Barcelona, winning the trophy for the ninth time in his career.[279] AtMadrid, he lost to Murray in the semi-final.[280] AtItalian Open he lost in the quarterfinals to Djokovic in straight sets.[281]
At the French Open, he became the eighth male player in tennis history to record 200 Grand Slam match wins when he won his second round match.[282] Following the victory, Nadal had to withdraw from competition owing to a left wrist injury initially suffered during theMadrid Open,[283] handingMarcel Granollers a walkover into the fourth round.[284] The same wrist injury forced him to withdraw from the2016 Wimbledon Championships.[285] At theRio 2016 Olympics, Nadal achieved 800 career wins with his quarterfinal victory over the BrazilianThomaz Bellucci. PartneringMarc López, he won the gold medal in men's doubles event for Spain by defeating Romania's Florin Mergea and Horia Tecau in the final.[286][287] This made Nadal the second man in the Open Era to have won gold medals in both singles and doubles. Nadal lost the bronze medal match in men's singles to Kei Nishikori.[288]
At theUS Open Nadal advanced to the fourth round but was defeated by 24th seedLucas Pouille in 5 sets. The defeat meant that 2016 was the first year since 2004 in which Nadal had failed to reach a Grand Slam quarter-final.[289] After losing in the second round of the Shanghai Masters, he ended his 2016 season.
2017:La Décima, third US Open title, and year-end No. 1
AtAcapulco lost toSam Querrey in the final. Nadal lost to Federer in straight sets in the fourth round atIndian Wells and theMiami final.[291] Nadal then won his 29th Masters title in Monte Carlo; his tenth title, the most wins by any player at a single tournament in the Open Era.[292]Nadal won Barcelona without dropping a set (his 10th title).[293] AtMadrid, he beat Dominic Thiem to tie Novak Djokovic's all-time Masters record of 30 titles.[294]
Nadal beatStan Wawrinka in straight sets to win a record tenthFrench Open title. This marked his first Grand Slam title since2014.[295] Nadal won every set that he played in the tournament, dropping a total of only 35 games in seven matches, which is the second-fewest by any male player en route to a major title in the Open Era. The title "La Décima" ("the tenth" in Spanish) was used to proclaim Nadal's achievement in becoming the first player to win 10 titles at a single major in the Open Era. Nadal also climbed to second on theall-time major singles titles list, with 15, placing him one ahead ofPete Sampras.[296]
In August he retook the ATP No. 1 ranking from Andy Murray. Nadal earned his thirdUS Open title againstKevin Anderson, winning the final in straight sets. This marked the first time that Nadal had captured two Grand Slam tournaments in a year since 2013. Nadal extended his winning streak by winning theChina Open, beating Nick Kyrgios in straight sets in the final.[298] On 11 September 2017, Nadal andGarbiñe Muguruza made Spain the first country since the United States 14 years earlier to simultaneously top both theATP and theWTA rankings.[299]
After defeatingHyeon Chung in the second round of theParis Masters Nadal secured theyear-end No. 1. He became year-end No. 1 for the fourth time in his career, tying him for fourth all-time withNovak Djokovic,Ivan Lendl andJohn McEnroe, behindPete Sampras (6), andRoger Federer andJimmy Connors (5). He became the first player aged over 30 to finish as year-end No. 1 and the first to finish in the top spot four years since he last achieved the feat; he also broke a number of other historical records, all of which he broke again in 2019.[300]
On 16 February, Nadal dropped to the No. 2 ranking after 26 weeks at the top when Roger Federer overtook him. Nadal was then sidelined with an injury. He regained the No. 1 ranking on 2 April due to Federer's second-round Miami loss. After recovering from injury, Nadal helped secure the Spain Davis Cup team a victory over Germany in the quarterfinal. He beatPhilipp Kohlschreiber andAlexander Zverev.[302]
Nadal won his 11thMonte Carlo title without losing a set (beatingKei Nishikori in the final, a then-record-breaking 31st Masters title).[303] He won his 11th title inBarcelona, beatingStefanos Tsitsipas in straight sets, becoming the first player in the Open Era to win 400 matches on clay and hard.[304][305] It was his 20th ATP 500 series title (tied at the top with Federer).
AtMadrid, he beatDiego Schwartzman in straight sets, to extend his record to 50 consecutive sets won on clay and brokeJohn McEnroe's record of 49 straight sets won on a single surface.[306] Nadal lost in straight sets toDominic Thiem in the quarters, ending his 21-match and record 50-set winning streaks on clay. Federer overtook him as world No. 1.
At Rome, Nadal won his 8th title beating Alexander Zverev in three sets, to reach fourth place (overtaking McEnroe) on the men's singles titles in the Open Era leaderboard with 78.[307] It was Nadal's record 32nd Masters title and he also regained the No. 1 spot from Federer.
At theFrench Open, Nadal won his 17th Grand Slam title. This tiedMargaret Court's record for singles titles at a Grand Slam event (Court won 11 Australian Opens). Nadal dropped only one set at the event, beatingDominic Thiem in the final in three sets.[308] Nadal became the fourth man in the Open Era to win three or more major titles after turning 30.
AtWimbledon, Nadal beatJuan Martín del Potro in five sets in the quarters. In the semi-finals he faced rivalNovak Djokovic. The match lasted 5 hours 17 minutes, spread over two days, the second-longest Wimbledon semi-final ever. Djokovic won in the fifth set 10–8.[309] It was Nadal's first loss in the semis of a major sinceUS Open 2009 and his first Wimbledon semi final since 2011, ensuring Nadal retained his No. 1 ranking.
He won theRogers Cup, a record-extending 33rd Masters title[310] and his first Masters title on hard court since 2013. AtUS Open he first beatDavid Ferrer in Ferrer's last Grand Slam match, who retired due to injury. In his semi-final againstJuan Martin del Potro, Nadal retired after losing the second set 6–2 due to knee pain. He withdrew from theParis Masters due to an abdominal injury. As a resultNovak Djokovic replaced him as world No. 1.[311]
2019: Fourth French-US title double, Davis Cup, and year-end No. 1
AtAustralian Open, Nadal progressed to his fifth Australian Open final without losing a set, then won only eight games againstNovak Djokovic, which was Nadal's first straight-sets defeat in a major final.[312] After losing in the second round of theMexico Open toNick Kyrgios, he was sidelined with a right hip injury.[313][314]
At theFrench Open, Nadal beatKei Nishikori andRoger Federer (their first meeting at the tournament since 2011) en route to the final, dropping only one set en route. Nadal won in four sets against Thiem to claim his record-extending twelfth French Open title.[318] He broke Margaret Court's all-time record of singles titles won at the same major.[319]
AtWimbledon he reached the semi-finals, where he faced Federer for the first time at Wimbledon since the2008 final and lost in four sets.[320] At theRogers Cup, by defeatingFabio Fognini in the quarterfinals, he surpassed Roger Federer's record of 378 victories at Masters tournaments.[321] In the final, Nadal lost three games toDaniil Medvedev. This victory marked the first time he defended a title on a surface other than clay.[322] At theUS Open, Nadal lost one set (againstMarin Čilić) en route to the final, where he beat Medvedev in five sets to win his fourth US Open title and 19th major title overall, and completed his second-best Grand Slam year.[323] At theParis Masters, Nadal reached the semi-finals, but withdrew due to an abdominal injury.[324]
At theATP Finals, Nadal beat Tsitsipas and Medvedev in the round-robin stage, but failed to progress to the semi-finals.[325] Nadal secured the year-end No. 1 ranking when Djokovic was also eliminated in the round-robin stage. This was Nadal's fifth time as the year-end No. 1 player, drawing level withJimmy Connors, Federer and Djokovic behindPete Sampras (six). He became (at the time) the oldest person to finish as the year-end No. 1 player, and created a record eleven-year gap between his first and last year-end No. 1 seasons (2008 and 2019, respectively).[326]
At the2019 Davis Cup Finals, Nadal helpedSpain win its sixth Davis Cup title, beatingCanada. Nadal extended his winning streak in Davis Cup singles matches to 29 (29–1 record overall), without dropping a set or having his serve broken;[327][328][329] he also won the tournament's Most Valuable Player award.[329]
Nadal won his 13thFrench Open, beating Novak Djokovic in straight sets in the final, only losing seven games. In doing so, he won his 20th Grand Slam title, equalling Roger Federer's men's singles record.[333][334] It also marked his 100th win at the tournament, losing only twice in 16 years, and was the 4th time that he won a Grand Slam without losing a set, doing it also at the French Open in 2008, 2010 and 2017.[335]
At theParis Masters, Nadal defeatedFeliciano López in the second round to get his 1,000 victory on the ATP Tour, becoming the fourth man in the Open Era to achieve that milestone.[336] He lost in the semi-finals toAlexander Zverev in straight sets.[337]
On 9 November 2020, Nadal reached his 790th back to back week as one of the ten highest placed players on theATP rankings and surpassed the record held byJimmy Connors.[338]
At theATP Finals, Nadal defeated Rublev and defending champion Tsitsipas progressing to the semi-finals and securing ending the year as No. 2.[339] Nadal lost his semi-final to eventual championDaniil Medvedev in three sets.[340] This was the seventh time that Nadal had finished Year-end No. 2 and now led the "Big Three" with 12 Top 2 finishes.[341]
2021: 12th Barcelona Open and 10th Italian Open titles, and injury-shortened season
At theAustralian Open, Nadal lost in the quarterfinals to world No. 5Stefanos Tsitsipas, despite being two sets to love up.[342] Nadal next played atMonte Carlo and reached the quarterfinals, where he lost toAndrey Rublev in three sets.[343]On 25 April, Nadal won a record-extending twelfthBarcelona Open trophy with a three-set victory over Stefanos Tsitsipas in the final, saving a championship point in the third set.[344] At 3 hours and 38 minutes, this was the longest best-of-three-set ATP Tour final since ATP began publishing statistics in 1991.[345] In May he reached the quarterfinals at theMadrid Open. He won a record-extending tenthItalian Open title,[346] saving two match points against Denis Shapovalov before beating Novak Djokovic in the final.
At theFrench Open, he beatJannik Sinner andDiego Schwartzman before losing in the semis to eventual champion Djokovic in four sets, in only his third-ever loss at the French Open and his first loss in the semi-finals. After several weeks out with a left foot injury that had flared up at the French Open, Nadal returned to action at the2021 Citi Open.[347] He beatJack Sock in a tight three-set match before being upset by 50th rankedLloyd Harris in the 3rd round.[348] On 20 August 2021, Nadal announced that would be ending his 2021 season due to the left foot issue that had been troubling him for most of the year. His ranking fell to No.6 due to his injury.[349]
2022: 21st and 22nd majors, and double Career Grand Slam
At theMexican Open, Nadal won the title without dropping a set, including a win over newworld No. 1 Medvedev. He extended his winning streak to 15 matches, his best ever start to a season. AtIndian Wells he beatNick Kyrgios andCarlos Alcaraz to reach his fourth final of the year and extend his winning streak to 20 matches.[352] Nadal had a rib injury and lost toTaylor Fritz in straight sets in the final.[353]
Nadal returned at theMadrid Open, where he beatMiomir Kecmanović andDavid Goffin and lost to Carlos Alcaraz. AtRome, he beatJohn Isner in straight sets, but lost to Denis Shapovalov in three sets despite leading by a set and a break.
At theFrench Open, Nadal recorded his 106th win defeatingJordan Thompson in the first round, becoming the player with most wins at a single major. He beatCorentin Moutet in round two (his 300th win in majors).[354][355] He beatFelix Auger Aliassime in the fourth round (his third five setter ever at the French Open). Nadal met Djokovic for the 59th time in the quarterfinals[356] and won in four sets to advance to his 15th French Open semi-final.[357] He facedAlexander Zverev and after more than three hours with two sets played, Zverev retired due to an ankle injury. In the final, he defeatedCasper Ruud in three sets to win his 14th French Open title and 22nd major title overall and reached world No. 4. He became the then-oldest French Open champion ever, and the third man to earn four Top-10 wins en route to a major title since theATP rankings started in 1973, afterMats Wilander (1982 French Open) and Federer (2017 Australian Open).[358]
After treating his foot injury, Nadal returned toWimbledon for the first time in three years. He beat Taylor Fritz in the quarterfinal, but aggravated an abdominal injury, and had to withdraw from the tournament.[359]
At theLaver Cup, Nadal competed for Team Europe alongside Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, and Andy Murray.[362] He played doubles with rival Federer (Roger's final professional match), losing toJack Sock and Frances Tiafoe.[363] At theATP Finals, Nadal won his last match of the year againstCasper Ruud after losing his first two matches. Nadal finished the year ranked No. 2, becoming the oldest year-end top-2 player in the history of theATP rankings.[364]
2023: Injury struggles and exit from Top 10 after 18 consecutive years
Nadal was the defending champion at the2023 Australian Open, but lost in straight sets toMackenzie McDonald in the second round.[365][366] During the match, Nadal was severely hampered by a hip injury. Nadal withdrew fromIndian Wells andMiami to recover from his Australian Open injury and didn't play on tour again in 2023.[367]As a result, he exited the Top 10 for the first time since 25 April 2005 on 20 March 2023, ending the longest Top-10 streak inATP rankings history.[368]
Following a second-round loss toAlex de Minaur at theBarcelona Open, Nadal reached the fourth round at theMadrid Open, defeating de Minaur en route. He lost in round two at theItalian Open. In May, Nadal lost in the first round of theFrench Open to world No. 4 and eventual runner-upAlexander Zverev.[370] This brought his final Roland-Garros record to 112–4.
On 10 October 2024, Nadal stated his intention to retire from the sport after playing for Spain in theDavis Cup Finals in Málaga, Spain, in November.[373][374][375] Later that month he participated in the6 Kings Slam exhibition tournament, losing his matches against Alcaraz[376] and Djokovic.[377]
At the Davis Cup Finals in Málaga,Botic van de Zandschulp beat Nadal as Spain lost to the Netherlands in the quarterfinals.[378][379] After the conclusion of the tie, Nadal gave a speech and a video montage was played of career highlights and personal messages, including from Federer, Djokovic,Serena Williams, Andy Murray, footballerAndrés Iniesta and golferSergio García.[380]
"It's true that with Novak I played more matches than with Roger, but I started it with him (Federer). Someone I have admired, whom I have rivaled and also with whom I have shared many beautiful things on and off the court. A part of my life left with him."
–Nadal, on his rivalry with Roger Federer following his retirement in November 2022.[381]
Roger Federer and Nadal played each other from 2004 to 2019, and their rivalry was a significant part of both men's careers.[382][383][384] They held the top two rankings on the ATP Tour from July 2005 to 14 August 2009,[385] and again from 11 September 2017 to 15 October 2018. They are the only pair of men to be consistently ranked in the Top 2 for four years continuously (from July 2005 to August 2009).[386][387] Nadal ascended to No. 2 in July 2005 and held this spot for a record 160 consecutive weeks before surpassing Federer in August 2008.[388] Nadal and Federer are also the only pair of men to have ever finished six consecutive calendar years at the top 2 positions (from 2005 to 2010).[389]
Nadal and Federer faced each other 40 times, with Nadal leading 24–16 overall and 10–4 in Grand Slam matches. Nadal had a winning record on clay (14–2) and outdoor hard courts (8–6), while Federer led on indoor hard courts (5–1) and grass (3–1).[390]
24 of their matches were in tournament finals, including a joint-record nine major finals (tied withDjokovic–Nadal).[112] From 2006 to 2008, they played in every French Open and Wimbledon final, and also met in the title matches of the 2009 Australian Open, the 2011 French Open and the 2017 Australian Open.[112] Nadal won six of the nine, losing the first two Wimbledon finals and 2017 in Australia. Four of these matches were five-set matches (2007 and 2008 Wimbledon, 2009 and 2017 Australian Open), andthe 2008 Wimbledon final has been lauded as the greatest match ever.[117][391][392][393] Nadal was the only player to defeat Federer in the final of a major on all three surfaces (grass, hard court, and clay).
Novak Djokovic and Nadal met 60 times, more than any other pair in the Open Era. Nadal led 11–7 at Grand Slam events but trailed 29–31 overall.[243][394] They played a record 18 Grand Slam matches and a joint-record nine Grand Slam tournament finals (tied withNadal–Federer). Nadal led on clay (20–9), while Djokovic led on hard courts (20–7), and they were tied 2–2 on grass.[243][394] In 2009, this rivalry was listed as the third greatest of the previous 10 years by ATPworldtour.com.[395] Djokovic was one of only two players to win at least ten match wins against Nadal alongside Federer and was the only person to defeat Nadal seven consecutive times, doing so twice. They also played in arecord 14ATP Masters finals.
In their first Grand Slam final at the 2010 US Open, Nadal beat Djokovic in four sets, achieving the career Grand Slam.[396] In 2011–12, they contested four consecutive major finals, with Djokovic winning the first three at Wimbledon,[397] the US Open, and the Australian Open, the last being the longest Grand Slam final in history at 5 hours and 53 minutes.[208] It remains the longest match of both Nadal and Djokovic's careers, and the only time Nadal lost a major final after winning the first set.[213] In 2013, Djokovic defeated Nadal in straight sets in the final at Monte Carlo, ending Nadal's record eight consecutive titles there, but Nadal earned revenge in the French Open semifinals in an epic five-setter.[240] Later that year, Nadal defeated Djokovic in the US Open final to complete theSummer Slam.[394]
Nadal is, without a doubt, the best athlete in the history of Spain. Spain has to pay him a tribute for many, many years. Nadal is the king of Roland Garros and of world tennis. He has achieved a record that is very difficult to beat.
—Felipe VI, on Nadal's legacy after he won his 22nd Grand Slam at the French Open in 2022.[400]
Nadal is one of three men, along with Agassi and Djokovic, to win the Olympic gold medal as well as the four majors in singles in his career, a feat known as aCareer Golden Slam. He is the only male player in history to complete theCareer Grand Slam and win an Olympic gold medal in both singles and doubles.[f] He is one of four men in history, along withRoy Emerson,Rod Laver and Djokovic, to complete thedouble Career Grand Slam in singles.
In 2019, former world No. 1 and 1995 French Open championThomas Muster stated: "Rafael Nadal is the best clay-court player ever".[427] Former world No. 1Carlos Moyá stated in 2010 that Nadal was "one of the greatest ever. But he is on his way to become, who knows, maybe the greatest".[428] Former world No. 1Juan Carlos Ferrero: "Rafa is the king of knowing how to adapt to any situation in the match".[29] Former world No. 1 and rival Novak Djokovic: "Our encounters have made me the player I am today".[29] Former world No. 1 and rival Roger Federer: "I have always had the utmost respect for my friend Rafa as a person and as a champion. I believe we have pushed each other to become better players".[29]
Nadal played an instrumental role in the sport's revival, ushering in aGolden Age of tennis, which saw increased interest and higher revenues across tennis venues globally. His rivalries withDjokovic andFederer are widely considered by players, coaches, and pundits to be among the greatest rivalries in sports history.[429][430]
Player profile
Playing style
Nadal generally played an aggressive, behind-the-baseline game based on heavytopspin groundstrokes, consistency and shrewd court coverage; an aggressive counterpuncher.[431]
Nadal hitting a forehand.
Known for his athleticism and speed around the court in his 20s, Nadal has been called "the best defender in tennis".[432] who hit well on the run, constructing winning plays from seemingly defensive positions. He also played very fine dropshots, which worked well because his heavy topspin often forced opponents to the back of the court.[433]
Nadal employed a semi-western grip forehand, often with a "lasso-whip" follow-through, where his left arm hit through the ball and finished above his left shoulder.[434][435] Nadal's forehand allowed him to hit shots with heavy topspin – more so than his contemporaries.[436]
San Francisco tennis researcher John Yandell used a high-speed video camera and special software to count the average number of revolutions of a tennis ball hit full force by Nadal. Yandell concluded:
The first guys we did were Sampras and Agassi. They were hitting forehands that in general were spinning about 1,800 to 1,900 revolutions per minute. Federer is hitting with an amazing amount of spin, too, right? 2,700 revolutions per minute. Well, we measured one forehand Nadal hit at 4,900. His average was 3,200.[437]
While Nadal's shots tended to land short of the baseline, the characteristically high bounces his forehands achieved tended to mitigate the advantage an opponent would normally gain from capitalizing on a short ball.[438] Although his forehand was based on heavy topspin, he hit the ball deep and flat with a more orthodox follow through for clean winners, but instead of being admired for his finesse and angles, it was the brutality of his groundstrokes that caught the public eye.[29]
Nadal's serve was considered a weak point in his game, although his high number of first-serve points won and break points saved allowed him to consistently compete for and win major titles on faster surfaces. Before the 2010 US Open, he altered his service motion. He arrived in the trophy pose earlier, pulled the racket lower during the trophy pose and modified his service grip to a more continental one,[185] He increased his average speed by around 10 mph during the 2010 US Open, maxing out at 135 mph (217 km/h), allowing him to win more free points on his serve.[439] After the 2010 US Open, Nadal's serve speed dropped to previous levels and was again cited as in need of improvement.[440][441][442] From 2019 onwards, several analysts praised Nadal's improvement on the serve, noting the speed of his serve had increased.[443][444][445]
Nadal, a clay court maestro, was also successful on hard courts. However, Nadal himself admitted that playing a lot on them is tiring and takes a physical toll onATP Tour players, so he repeatedly requested for a reevaluated tour schedule featuring fewer hard court tournaments and increasing the weeks of rest.[446]
Early in his career some questioned his longevity in the sport, citing his build and playing style as conducive to injury.[447] After winning the 2010 US Open, former world No. 1 Pete Sampras stated: "The only question with Rafa is physically how much his body can handle the pounding with how hard he works for every point. You just watch him play, the kid is relentless".[448] This "longevity" narrative was proven inaccurate, and pundits later admired his resilience to come back from devastating injuries and his ability to play with physical pain.[449]
Attitude and demeanor
Freezing cold water. I do this before every match. It's the point before the point of no return. Under the cold shower I enter a new space in which I feel my power and resilience grow. I'm a different man when I emerge. I'm activated. I'm in "the flow"... Nothing else exists but the battle ahead.
Despite his success, his uncle Toni ensured that Nadal remained as normal, modest, and down to earth as possible and believed these qualities had a tremendous impact on his results and motivation.[7] He rarely if ever touted his achievements, refused to put down his rivals, and lingered after matches and practices to sign autographs.[451] For instance, in 2007, Nadal would often interrupt his training sessions on the public courts of Manacor, just to hit a few balls with fans and foreign tourists that had asked him to, even though they were not very good, and even against his uncle Toni’s wishes.[10]
Nadal was also noted for his visceral delight in competing, whether he won or lost.[451] He also had a rare philosophical approach to tennis and life that one sportswriter described as a "model of humility, empathy, and perspective".[451]
Nadal was known for his on-court rituals including specific bodily movements and the positioning of items courtside.[452][453] At changeovers, he always waited until his opponent crossed the net, refused to step on the lines, and lined up his drinks bottles in precise positions near his chair, labels always facing out, before stepping back into action.[454] His water-bottle routine was so well-known that when they fell over during a match at the 2015 Australian Open, a ball boy dashed over to return the bottles to their upright position, with the labels facing the court as Nadal had intended.[451] Nadal explained that such rituals were meant to work as a psychological mechanism to help him stay calm in stressful situations.[451][455]
There was a pattern to the way he approached a serve. He usually took three balls, examined them, discarded one, shook the strands of hair that were not corralled by his headband out of his eyes, and then served.[456] Nadal's extensive time taken between points received criticism from other players includingRoger Federer andDenis Shapovalov,[457][458] with the latter wanting Nadal to be given a code violation for pushing the 25-second serve clock to the limit, stating that he was being given preferential treatment because of his status in the game.[454]
Coaching and personal team
Nadal's first and most important coach was his uncleToni Nadal, who coached him from 1990 to 2017 (aged 4 to 31).[459] Though strong physically as a player, Toni Nadal struggled to be aggressive with his forehand and possessed no big shots. Along with working on the mental and physical sides, he ensured that his nephew developed a good technical, all-round aggressive game, became competent at the net, and developed his forehand into a weapon.[7]
Aged 12, Nadal began attending the Balearic Islands training centre 50 kilometers away from Manacor in Palma.[7] He and his uncle trained there three times a week, so that Nadal could train with the best boys in the Balearic Islands. There, he was trained along with his uncle Toni, by Toni Colom, who travelled with Nadal at mainly Futures events for the next four years, between 1999 and 2003.[7] Colom explained that he "was traveling to those tournaments because I had a bigger availability of traveling [than Toni] and not because I was more experienced".[460] After 2005, Nadal left the structure of the Balearic School and created his own team.[461]
Nadal worked with the same team from 2006 to 2017, which consisted of members from his family and professional staff, whom Nadal also considered his family.[462] Besides Toni, the first members of his team were Joan Forcades, Nadal's instructor since childhood,[462] and doctor Ángel Ruiz Cotorro.[463] Cotorro, who also worked withJuan Martín del Potro andArantxa Sánchez Vicario, helped him play after facing injuries and his suggestions were pivotal to his game.[463] Nadal said of his doctor that: "I trust Dr. Cotorro with my life".[463] Forcades was the lead fitness expert for Nadal and developed his training program.[462]
Toni has described his coaching style as 'hard', saying that he occasionally put too much pressure on Nadal, but that he did so because he wanted him to succeed.[464] Together, they won 16 major titles between 2005 and 2017, making them the second most successful tennis coach-player partnership only behindMarián Vajda andNovak Djokovic.[464]
Carlos Costa was Nadal's agent from 2005.[465][466] In 2006, Costa and Nadal's father convinced Benito Pérez Barbadillo, who had been working as the press officer of the ATP since the late 1990s, to open his own company (B1PR) to work with them as Nadal's communications director (PR manager).[465][467] Nadal then hired physiotherapist Rafael Maymó, who designed his physical preparation with Forcades and who was one of Nadal's closest friends, thus also acting as a psychologist.[462][465]
After signing his new coachCarlos Moyá in December 2016,[468] Nadal's game style acquired a more offensive approach. Under Moyá's direction, Nadal improved his serve,[469][445] and incorporatedserve-and-volley as a surprise tactic in some of his matches.[470] Moyá, who has known Nadal since he was 12, was more a friend than a coach, and when he realized that Nadal was going through a bad time, he left his duty as a coach and acted like a friend with whom Nadal could speak to.[464]
Nadal wearing his signatureNike sleeveless shirt at theFrench Open in 2007, while holding hisBabolat racquet
Nike served as Nadal's clothing and shoe sponsor. Nadal's signature on-court attire entailed a variety of sleeveless shirts paired with 3/4 lengthcapri pants.[472] For the 2009 season, Nadal adopted more-traditional on-court apparel. Nike encouraged Nadal to update his look in order to reflect his new status as the sport's top player at that time.[473] In 2009, Nadal played matches in apolo shirt specifically designed for him by Nike,[474] paired with shorts cut above the knee. Nadal wore Nike's Air CourtBallistec 2.3 tennis shoes,[475] with various customizations throughout the season, including his nickname "Rafa" on the right shoe and a stylized bull logo on the left.
Nadal used an AeroPro Drive racquet with a4+1⁄4-inch L2 grip. As of the 2010 season[update], Nadal's racquets were painted to resemble the Babolat AeroPro Drive with Cortex GT racquet in order to market a current model that Babolat sold.[476][477] Nadal used no replacement grip, and instead wrapped two overgrips around the handle. He used Duralast 15L strings until the 2010 season, when he switched to Babolat's new, black-colored, RPM Blast string. Nadal's rackets were always strung at 55 lb (25 kg), regardless of which surface or conditions he played on.[478][479]
Off the court
In popular culture
Nadal's autobiography,Rafa, written withJohn Carlin, was published in 2011.[480]
In February 2010, Rafael Nadal was featured in the music video forShakira's "Gypsy".[481] In 2016, Nadal was one of many celebrities appearing in the music video forRedOne's "Don't You Need Somebody".[482]
Commemorative plaque to Rafael Nadal unveiled at the Court Philippe Chatrier during a tribute at the 2025 French Open
In April 2017, the centre court of theBarcelona Open was named Pista Rafa Nadal.[484] In 2021, prior to the tournament, the French Open paid tribute to Nadal by installing a statue atStade Roland Garros, created by Spanish sculptor Jordi Díez Fernández.[485]128036 Rafaelnadal is an asteroid discovered in 2003 and named after Nadal.[486]
At both the London and Rio Olympic Games, Nadal was chosen as Spain's flag bearer. Although he had to forfeit the role in 2012 due to injury, he carried the flag during theopening ceremony of the 2016 Games.[487][488]
In 2025, on the first day of the2025 French Open, a new plaque commemorating Rafael Nadal's 14 Roland Garros trophies was unveiled on theCourt Philippe Chatrier stadium's soil. The ceremony occurred in the presence of Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, and Andy Murray, who came to pay tribute to Nadal's career.[489]
In November 2007, Nadal launched the nonprofit Fundación Rafa Nadal. The foundation was created to help disadvantaged children and teenagers, offering them opportunities through sports. His wife María Perelló is the director of the foundation.[492]
In response to the2010 Haiti earthquake, Nadal played in a special charity event alongside fellow top tennis players during the2010 Australian Open calledHit for Haiti, with proceeds going to Haiti earthquake victims.[493] He participated in a follow-up charity exhibition during the2010 Indian Wells Open.[494] In late 2010, Nadal played his rival Roger Federer in theMatch for Africa exhibitions for theRoger Federer Foundation and the Rafa Nadal Foundation. The first match took place inZürich on 21 December, and was won by Federer, while the following match was played in Madrid, and was won by Nadal.[495]
During theMajorca flood in October 2018, Nadal, who was recovering from injury at home in Majorca, opened his tennis academy centre to the victims.[496] One day after the flood he worked personally with some friends to help the victims, being photographed cleaning up once the flood waters had receded.[497][498] Later, Nadal donated €1 million for rebuildingSant Llorenç des Cardassar, the most affected town.[499][500] Nadal also organized other charitable activities to help repair the damage of the disaster, such as the Olazábal & Nadal charity golf tournament.[501][502][503]
To combat the ill-effects of theCOVID-19 pandemic, Nadal joined withPau Gasol and the Red Cross in June to help raise 11 million euros.[504] In 2020, theFundación Rafa Nadal pledged to support the Food Bank of Mallorca, announcing that it would aim to collect 3,000 kg of food to support 25,000 individuals in Mallorca.[505]
On 6 April 2023, the Fundación Rafa Nadal announced that they would partner withUNESCO through its Fit for Life project, a sport-based flagship program designed to tackle physical inactivity, such as accelerating the recovery fromCOVID-19, mental health issues, and inequality.[506] In 2024, The Rafa Nadal Foundation received the Laureus Sport for Good Award at theLaureus World Sports Awards 2024.[507][508]
Nadal was sponsored byKia Motors since 2006. He appeared in advertising campaigns for Kia as a global ambassador for the company.[512]
He became the face ofLanvin'sL'Homme Sport cologne in April 2009.[513] Nadal was the international ambassador forQuely, a biscuit company from his nativeMallorca.[514] In 2010, luxury watchmaker Richard Mille announced that he had developed an ultra-light wristwatch in collaboration with Nadal.[515]
Nadal was the face ofEmporio Armani Underwear andArmani Jeans for the spring/summer 2011 collection.[516][517] This was the first time that the label had chosen a tennis player for the job.[518]
In June 2012, Nadal joined the group of sports endorsers of thePokerStars online poker cardroom.[519] Nadal won a charity poker tournament against retired Brazilian football playerRonaldo in 2014.[520]
In August 2023, Nadal signed up as the brand ambassador for the Indian IT majorInfosys.[521]
Rafa Nadal Sports Centre
Nadal owns and trained at the Rafa Nadal Sports Centre (40,000 m2, 430,000 sq ft) in his hometown of Manacor, Mallorca. The centre houses theRafa Nadal Academy, where the American International School of Mallorca is located.[522] The academy is used by both young Spanish tennis players as well as players from other countries. For instance, in 2017, theAustralian tennis federation agreed to partner with Nadal's Academy to allow their players use it as their European training base.[522][523] Nadal's coach and uncle Toni Nadal is the head of the academy, his agentCarlos Costa is the head of business development, and fellow MajorcanCarlos Moyá is involved as a technical director.[522]
In 2021, a four-episode series about the Rafa Nadal Academy was aired on Amazon Prime and Movistar and was broadcast in 244 countries.[524] Nadal also owns and operates three other similar facilities: the Rafa Nadal Academy Kuwait,[525] the Rafa Nadal Tennis Centre Mexico[526] and the Rafa Nadal Tennis Centre Greece.[527] The Mexico and Greece Centres opened in 2019 and the Kuwait Academy opened in 2020.[528]
As of 2024, Nadal will promote tennis in Saudi Arabia and open a Rafa Nadal Academy there.[529]
Involvement in football and other sports
Nadal is an avid football fan and his favorite clubs are RCD Mallorca andReal Madrid CF,[517] stating "when my uncle (Miguel Ángel) was playing for Barcelona, we wanted Barcelona to win. Before that, my whole family was for Real Madrid. After my uncle left the Barcelona team, then we're all for the Real Madrid again. I have got nothing against Barcelona, but I prefer Real Madrid to win".[530] He is a fervent supporter of theSpanish national team, and he was one of six people not affiliated with the team or thenational federation allowed to enter the team's locker room following Spain's victory in the2010 FIFA World Cup Final.[531] Nadal has made several honorarykick-offs for various teams.[532][533][534][535]
In December 2007, in the "Friends of Iker v Friends of Rafa" charity sports event, the two teams contested a tennis match and a football match.[536] In December 2008, Nadal and Casillas staged a similar event, this time including an indoor football match, a tennis match, and a go-kart race.[537][538]
In July 2010, it was reported that he had become a shareholder ofRCD Mallorca (owning 10%).[539] He was offered the role of vice president, which he rejected.[540] His uncleMiguel Ángel Nadal became assistant coach. Shortly after acquiring his interest in Mallorca, Nadal called outUEFA for apparent hypocrisy in ejecting the club from the2010–11 UEFA Europa League for excessive debts.[531]
I love fishing for three reasons: the calm and tranquillity, the beauty of the sea –- and, of course, the satisfaction of catching your dinner. I can forget about everything. No one can call me, because I keep my mobile switched off, so I can relax and not think about tennis.[381]
— Nadal, on his love for fishing in his leisure time to the Daily Mail in 2007.
Family and beliefs
In June 2009, reports emerged that Nadal's parents, Ana María and Sebastián, had separated, following weeks of speculation about his recent struggles on the court.[545] Nadal later stated "My parents' divorce made an important change in my life. It affected me. After that, I couldn't play Wimbledon, it was tough."[381]
Nadal met his future wife, María Francisca (Mery) Perelló Pascual through his younger sister, María Isabel. They began dating in 2005, when he was 19 and she was 17, and only formalized their relationship publicly in 2007, with their engagement reported in January 2019.[546][547] In October 2019, the couple was married at theLa Fortaleza castle inPort de Pollença, Majorca.[548] On 8 October 2022, they had their first child, a son.[549] Nadal had previously commented on not starting a family early and expressed a desire to have children in the future, reflecting on the unpredictability of life during his ongoing tennis career.[550] On 7 August 2025, the couple welcomed their second son.[551]
Mery Perelló was a sports marketer in London, but as she saw Nadal's career getting bigger, she decided to help his off-court business.[546] She now serves as the director ofFundación Rafa Nadal.[492]
When Nadal was aged 10 to 21, the extended Nadal family shared a five-storey, family-owned apartment building inManacor.[7][10] In 2012, Nadal purchased a house inPorto Cristo for about 4 million euros, located near his family home.[554] Around the time he won the 2012 French Open, Nadal acquired a vacation home, a two-story villa inPlaya Nueva Romana, in theDominican Republic, for about 2 million euros.[555]
Other endeavors
As a young boy, he would run home from school to watch his favorite Japanese anime,Dragon Ball, andCNN dubbed him "the Dragon Ball of tennis" for his unorthodox style.[556]
Off the court, his sister described him as "a bit of a scaredy cat".[557] Since childhood, he has had afear of the dark, preferring to sleep with a light or television on.[558] Nadal is afraid ofdeep water, dogs, andthunderstorms, and is nervous about riding abicycle.[13][557]
Despite playing tennis left-handed, Nadal isright-handed in other activities.[15][559]
Health
Throughout his career, Nadal had chronic knee injuries, sidelining him from multiple tournaments. In late 2012, Nadal received over six months of physical therapy, along withplatelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy, a non-surgical treatment that had been previously disallowed by theWorld Anti-Doping Agency.[560][561]
Nadal has a rare chronic disorder of his left ankle,Mueller-Weiss syndrome, diagnosed age 19. He received anesthetic injections en route to winning the2022 French Open.[562]
^abNadal withdrew before the third round of the2016 French Open due to a wrist injury and before the semi-finals of2022 Wimbledon due to an abdominal tear, which do not officially count as losses.
Nadal's 22 Grand Slam singles titles place him second in the men's all-time rankings, behind Djokovic's 24 titles. His 30 Grand Slam singles finals place him 3rd in the men's all-time rankings, behind Djokovic's 37 and Federer's 31 finals, respectively. He has won 14 French Open titles, an all-time record at any tournament. He is the youngest player in the Open Era to win all four majors (24 years old).
^Peter, Bodo (5 June 2008)."Karma on Nadal's side". ESPN.Archived from the original on 10 February 2009. Retrieved11 February 2009.
^abJenkins, Bruce (7 July 2008)."The Greatest Match Ever".The San Francisco Chronicle.Archived from the original on 4 March 2012. Retrieved7 August 2008.
^abc"Nadal Captures U.S. Open To Complete Career Grand Slam". The Sports Network (TSN). 14 September 2010. Archived fromthe original on 5 November 2013. Retrieved12 June 2012.Nadal...also owns an Olympic gold medal, which makes him one of only two men to corral the Career Golden Slam, with the great Agassi being the other.
^"Le jury de l'Équipe vote Nadal" [Le jury of l'Équipe vote Nadal] (in French). L'Équipe. 24 May 2010.Archived from the original on 3 July 2015. Retrieved14 September 2015.
^"Ask Rafa: send a question to Rafael Nadal".The Sydney Morning Herald. 30 January 2012. Retrieved2 January 2023.Catalan and Mallorquin is more or less the same. I think in both Castellano and Mallorquin, it depends.(...) I speak other than Spanish, Mallorcan (sort of Catalan language) and my "funny" English. Roger and I speak English, oh well, I try to speak English....
^Wasterlain, Amy S.; Braun, Hillary J.; Harris, Alex H.S.; Kim, Hyeon-Joo; Dragoo, Jason L. (4 December 2012). "The Systemic Effects of Platelet-Rich Plasma Injection".The American Journal of Sports Medicine.41 (1). SAGE Publications:186–193.doi:10.1177/0363546512466383.ISSN0363-5465.PMID23211708.
^abGarber, Greg (13 September 2010)."Nadal's three-peat no small feat". ESPN. Retrieved14 June 2012.[W]inning on three different surfaces in that narrow time frame is unprecedented.
^Tandon, Kamakshi (24 December 2009)."What's your tennis IQ? – 2009 tennis holiday quiz". ESPN. Retrieved18 June 2012.[Nadal's] Australian Open title made him the first man to simultaneously hold majors on clay, grass and hard courts.
^"Rafael Nadal – Career Highlights". ATP World Tour. Retrieved14 June 2012.2006 – Tied Borg with his 16th career teenage title in Rome, most in Open Era.
Rafael Nadal (achievement predecessor and successor)
Sporting positions
Preceded by
Roger Federer Roger Federer Novak Djokovic Andy Murray Roger Federer Roger Federer Roger Federer Novak Djokovic
World No. 1 August 18, 2008 – July 5, 2009 June 7, 2010 – July 3, 2011 October 7, 2013 – July 6, 2014 August 21, 2017 – February 18, 2018 April 2, 2018 – May 13, 2018 May 21, 2018 – June 17, 2018 June 25, 2018 – November 4, 2018 November 6, 2019 – February 3, 2020
Succeeded by
Roger Federer Novak Djokovic Novak Djokovic Roger Federer Roger Federer Roger Federer Novak Djokovic Novak Djokovic
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