Rafael Nadal is spoken in the same breath as some of the other greats of the game and often referred to as one of the contenders for being the GOAT (greatest of all times) tennis player. The Spaniard’s record at the French Open along with his fighting temperament have stood the test of time.
Vying with Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic for the man with the most Grand Slam titles, Nadal is the second male tennis player to achieve the singles Career Grand Slam after Andre Agassi. He is also the second male player after the Swede Mats Wilander to have won at least two Grand Slam titles on all three of the available surfaces.
His record arguably would have been even better had he not missed 9 Grand Slams due to injury.
Nadal has led Spain to Davis Cup success on five occasions, most recently in November 2019 in front of their home fans in Madrid.
Known as the King of Clay because of his dominance of not only the French Open for more than a decade, but also many of the other tournaments on the European clay court circuit, he has adapted his game to become highly effective on hard courts and, to a lesser extent, grass as well.
He holds the current record for the longest single surface win on any surface, playing 91 marches on clay between 2005 and 2007 without losing once.
The Spaniard is arguably the toughest competitor on the ATP tour, who plays an aggressive game from the baseline. He is known for his athleticism and speed around the court, he uses heavy topspin on his groundstrokes, and employs the drop shot to great effect.
Whilst not the biggest server in the game, he chooses to go for placement and accuracy more than power, and does not serve as many winners as some of his main rivals.
Despite his aggressive image, he has been given the ATP Sportsmanship Award several times.
Name: Rafael Nadal Parera
Turned Pro
2001
First Became Number One
August 18, 2008
Grand Slam Singles Titles Won
Australian Open 2008
French Open 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2017, 2018, 2019
Wimbledon 2008, 2010
US Open 2010, 2013, 2017, 2017
Grand Slam Doubles Titles Won
None
Other ATP Titles Won
Monte Carlo Masters 11 (2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2016, 2017, 2018)
Barcelona Open 11 (2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2016, 2017, 2018)
Italian Open 9 (2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2018, 2019)
Canadian Open 5 (2005, 2008, 2013, 2018, 2019)
Madrid Open 5 (2005, 2010, 2013, 2014, 2017)
Mexican Open 3 (2005, 2013, 2020)
Indian Wells Masters 3 (2007, 2009, 2013)
Stuttgart Open 3 (2005, 2007, 2015)
China Open 2 (2005, 2017)
German Open 2 (2008, 2015)
Brasil Open 2 (2005, 2013)
Orange Prokom Open (2004)
Swedish Open 2005)
Dubai Championships (2006)
Queen’s Club Championships (2008)
Summer Olmpics (2008)
Japan Open (2010)
Qatar Open (2014)
Rio Open (2014)
Cincinnati Masters (2013)
Argentina Open (2015)
Best Davis Cup Performance
Winner 2004, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2019
Best Five Career Performances
Wimbledon Final 2008 – Beat Roger Federer 6-4, 6-4, 6-7, 6-7, 9-7
US Open Final 2013 – Beat Novak Djokovic 6-2, 3-6, 6-4, 6-1
Beijing Olympics Semi-Final 2008 – Beat Novak Djokovic 6-4, 1-6, 6-4
French Open Final 2008 – Beat Roger Federer 6-1, 6-3, 6-0
French Open Final 2017 – Beat Stan Wawrinka 6-2, 6-3, 6-1
Worst Five Career Performances
US Open Semi-Final 2009 – Lost to Juan Martin del Potro 2-6, 2-6, 3-6
Australian Open Semi-Final 2009 – Lost to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 2-6, 3-6, 2-6
Australian Open Final 2019 – Lost to Novak Djokovic 2-6, 0-6, 5-7
Australian Open Quarter-Final 2015 – Lost to Thomas Berdych 2-6, 0-6, 6-7
French Open Quarter Final 2015 – Lost to Novak Djokovic 5-7, 3-6, 1-6
Apparel Sponsor
Nike
Racquets Sponsor
Babolat
Personal Life
TBA
Longest Winning Streak
32 matches (2008)
Grand Slam Finals Record
Australian Open (W) 2008
French Open (W) 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2017, 2018, 2019
Wimbledon (W) 2008, 2010
US Open (W) 2010, 2013, 2017, 2017
Australian Open (F) 2012, 2014, 2017, 2019
Wimbledon (F) 2006, 2007, 2011
US Open (F) 2011
Number of Semifinal in Grand Slams
Australian Open 2008, 2009, 2012, 2014, 2017, 2019
French Open 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2017, 2018, 2019
Wimbledon 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2018, 2019
US Open 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2017, 2018, 2019
Number of Quarters in Grand Slams
Australian Open 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020
French Open 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019
Wimbledon 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2018, 2019
US Open 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2017, 2018, 2019