| Revision as of 22:10, 27 August 2008 view source96.252.13.85 (talk) →Family and early life← Previous edit | Revision as of 22:12, 27 August 2008 view source 96.252.13.85 (talk) →CareerNext edit → | ||
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| ===Early years=== | ===Early years=== | ||
| When Nadal was very young, his coach and uncle, ], taught him to play left-handed even though he is naturally right-handed. Toni reasoned that Rafael's |
When Nadal was very young, his coach and uncle, ], taught him to play left-handed even though he is naturally right-handed. Toni reasoned that Rafael's ent the three previous years. Federer won the match in four sets. Nadal and Federer were the only pair of men during the ] who had reached the Wimbledon final after having just played each other in the French Open final. | ||
| Nadal was 12 when he decided to pursue a career in ] instead of ].<ref name="times"/> Toni was his primary coach, but he also trained at ] tennis camp in Florida for portions of two summers in his early teens. In May 2001, he defeated Grand Slam champion ] in a clay-court exhibition match.<ref name="times"/> | |||
| ===2002–2004=== | |||
| In 2002, Nadal won his first ] match, defeating ] in ]. He became the ninth player in the ] to win an ATP match before the age of 16.<ref name='Tennis.com'> {{cite web|url=http://www.tennis.com/features/general/features.aspx?id=10488 |title=Wimbledon 2006: The Duel |accessdate=2007-02-16 |last=Tignor |first=Stephen |date=2006-06-20 }}</ref> | |||
| In 2003, Nadal won two Challenger titles and finished the year in the top 50. He is the second-youngest man to be ranked this high. At his ] debut, Nadal became the youngest man to reach the third round since ] in 1984.<ref>{{cite news | first=Christopher | last=Clarey | coauthors= | title=WIMBLEDON TENNIS : An unusual comfort zone | date=2003-06-26 | publisher= | url =http://www.iht.com/articles/2003/06/26/tennis_ed3__12.php | work = International Herald Tribune | pages = | accessdate = 2007-02-16 | language = }}</ref> | |||
| In 2004, Nadal played his first match against world #1 ] at the ]. Nadal won the match in straight sets. He then missed most of the clay-court season, including the ], due to a stress fracture in his left ankle.<ref name="times" /> | |||
| ===2005=== | |||
| ].]] | |||
| The 2005 season was a highly successful one for Nadal, as he ascended to #2 in the rankings on 25 July, a position he subsequently held for a record 160 consecutive weeks. He won 11 titles (8 on clay, 3 on hard), tying ] for the season. | |||
| He began the year with hard-fought losses to ] at the ] and Federer in the ] final. Both were considered to be breakthrough performances for Nadal.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/tennis/4200919.stm|title=Brave Hewitt battles past Nadal|publisher=BBC Sport|date=2005-01-24|accessdate=2008-08-03}}</ref> <ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/tennis/4412667.stm|title=Nadal proves to be the real deal|publisher=BBC Sport|date=2005-04-05|accessdate=2008-08-03}}</ref> | |||
| He then dominated the spring clay court season by winning 24 consecutive matches (a record for teenage men in the ]).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.usatoday.com/sports/tennis/french/2005-06-05-day-14_x.htm|title=Teen Nadal gives Spain reign over French Open|publisher=].com|date=2006-06-05|accessdate=2008-09-03}}</ref> He beat ] finalist ] in the finals of both the ] and the ], after which Coria conceded that Nadal was the best clay court player.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/tennis/4454535.stm|title=Nadal triumphant in Monte Carlo|publisher=BBC Sport|date=2005-04-17|accessdate=2008-08-03}}</ref> Nadal then made his debut at the ] and lived up to many analysts' predictions by winning his first Grand Slam singles title (Nadal was the first man to win on a debut appearance at the French since ] in ]).<ref name="official website"/> En route to the title, he defeated Federer in the semi-finals, beginning a streak of four consecutive wins over his ] at ]. Each of these victories has prevented Federer from achieving a ]. | |||
| Nadal proceeded to win ] events on the hard courts of ] and ], thus capturing 4 Masters titles during the year. This a ] he shares with Federer. However, Nadal's performances at the other Grand Slam tournaments were more indifferent, as he suffered by that time shock losses in rounds two and three of ] and the ] respectively.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/tennis/4124562.stm|title=Nadal suffers shock Muller defeat|publisher=BBC Sport|author=Alistair Watkins|date=2005-04-17|accessdate=2008-06-23}}</ref> <ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/tennis/4210548.stm|title=Nadal Inspired Blake ends Nadal hopes|publisher=BBC Sport|date=2005-08-03|accessdate=2008-08-03}}</ref> A foot injury near the end of the year caused him to miss the ] and the start of the 2006 season.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rediff.com/sports/2006/jan/05nadal.htm|title=Foot injury delays Rafael Nadal's comeback|publisher=]|author=Julian Linden|date=2006-01-06|accessdate=2008-09-03}}</ref> | |||
| Nadal won the ] that year with twelve 6-0 sets in the year. | |||
| ===2006=== | |||
| ] | |||
| Nadal missed the ] because of a foot injury. In February, he lost in the semifinals of the first tournament he played, the ] tournament in ]. Two weeks later, he handed ] his first loss of the year in the final of the ]. To complete the spring ] season, Nadal was upset in the semifinals of the ] in ] and in the second round of the ] in ], both of which were important ] events. | |||
| On European ], Nadal won all four tournaments he entered and 24 consecutive matches. He defeated Federer in the final of the ] in four sets. The following week, he defeated ] in the final of the ] tournament in ]. After a one week break from tournament play, Nadal won the Masters Series ] in ], defeating Federer in a fifth set tiebreaker in the final after Nadal saved two match points. Nadal broke ] ] 29-year record of 53 consecutive clay court match victories when he won his first round match at the ]. Vilas, however, refused to acknowledge Nadal's feat as more impressive than his own because Vilas's winning streak was in a single year.<ref>{{cite news | first=Greg | last=Garber | coauthors= | title=With Vilas in stands, Nadal makes history | date=] | publisher= | url =http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/tennis/french06/news/story?id=2462389&lpos=spotlight&lid=tab4pos1 | work =ESPN.com | pages = | accessdate = 2007-04-30 | language = }}</ref> Nadal went on to play Federer in the final of the ]. The first two sets of the match were hardly competitive as the rivals traded 6–1 sets. Nadal won the third set easily and served for the match in the fourth set before Federer broke him and forced a tiebreaker. Nadal won the tiebreaker and became the first player to defeat Federer in a ] final.<ref>{{cite news | first=Greg | last=Garber | coauthors= | title=Roger's reign on hold with Nadal's dominance | date=] | publisher= | url =http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/tennis/french06/news/story?id=2479425 | work =ESPN.com | pages = | accessdate = 2007-03-09 | language = }}</ref> | |||
| On ], Nadal injured his shoulder while playing a quarterfinal match against ] at the ], played at ] in ]. Nadal was unable to complete the match, which ended his 26-match winning streak. Nadal was seeded second at ] but was two points from defeat against ] qualifier ] in the second round before coming back to win in five sets. In the third round, Nadal defeated World No. 20 ] in his last career match at Wimbledon 7–6(5), 6–2, 6–4. Nadal won his next three matches in straight sets, which set up another final with Federer, who had won this tournament the three previous years. Federer won the match in four sets. Nadal and Federer were the only pair of men during the ] who had reached the Wimbledon final after having just played each other in the French Open final. | |||
| During the lead up to the ], Nadal played only the two Masters Series tournaments in North America. He was upset in the third round of the ] in ] and the quarterfinals of the ] in ]. Nadal was seeded second at the ] but lost in the quarterfinals to World No. 54 ] of ] in four sets. | During the lead up to the ], Nadal played only the two Masters Series tournaments in North America. He was upset in the third round of the ] in ] and the quarterfinals of the ] in ]. Nadal was seeded second at the ] but lost in the quarterfinals to World No. 54 ] of ] in four sets. | ||
| Nadal played only three tournaments the remainder of the year. ], ranked World No. 690, upset Nadal in the second round of the ] 6–4, 7–6. The following week, Nadal lost in the quarterfinals of the last Masters Series tournament of the year, the ] in ]. After the tournament, Nadal blamed mental and physical exhaustion for his recent losses.{{Fact|date=August 2008}} During the round robin stage of the year-ending ], Nadal lost to ] but defeated ] and Robredo. Because of those two victories, Nadal qualified for the semifinals, where he lost to Federer 6–4, 7–5. This was Nadal's third loss in nine career matches with Federer. | Nadal played only three tournaments the remainder of the year. ], ranked World No. 690, upset Nadal in the second round of the ] 6–4, 7–6. The following week, Nadal lost in the quarterfinals of the last Masters Series tournament of the year, the ] in ]. After the tournament, Nadal blamed mental and physical exhaustion for his recent losses.{{Fact|date=August 2008}} During the round robin stage of the year-ending ], Nadal lost to ] but defeated ] and Robredo. Because of those two victories, Nadal qualified for the semifinals, where he lost to Federer 6–4, 7–5. This was Nadal's third loss in nine career matches with Federer. Nadal is known to scuff the grass on center court at Wimbledon when no one is looking in order to make the surface slower. | ||
| ===2007=== | |||
| Nadal started the year by playing in six ] tournaments. He lost in the semifinals and first round of his first two tournaments and then lost in the quarterfinals of the ] to eventual runner-up ]. After another quarterfinal loss at the ], he won the ] ] in ] before ] defeated him in the quarterfinals of the Masters Series ] in ]. | |||
| He had comparatively more success after returning to Europe to play five ] tournaments. He won the titles at the ], the ] in ], and the Masters Series ] in ] before losing to ] in the final of the ]. This defeat ended his 81-match winning streak on clay, which is the male ] record for consecutive wins on a single surface. He then rebounded to win the ] for the third straight year, defeating Federer once again in the final. | |||
| ] at the ]]] | |||
| Between the tournaments in Barcelona and Rome, Nadal defeated Federer in the "]" exhibition match in ], ], with the tennis court being half ] and half clay.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thebattleofsurfaces.com | title = The Battle of Surfaces | accessdate=2007-04-22}}</ref> | |||
| Nadal played the ] at ] in ] for the second consecutive year. As in 2006, Nadal was upset in the quarterfinals. Nadal then won consecutive five-set matches during the third and fourth rounds of ] before losing to Federer in the five-set final. This was Federer's first five-set match at Wimbledon since 2001.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/tennis/6280788.stm|title=Federer wins historic fifth title|publisher=BBC Sport|author=Caroline Cheese|date=2007-07-07|accessdate=2008-08-05}}</ref> | |||
| In July, Nadal won the clay court ] in ], which proved to be his last title of the year. He played three important tournaments during the North American summer hard court season. He was a semifinalist at the Masters Series ] in ] before losing his first match at the ] in ]. He was the second-seeded player at the ] but was defeated in the fourth round by World No. 15 ]. | |||
| After a month-long break from tournament tennis, Nadal played the ] in ] and the ] in ]. ] upset him in the quarterfinals and final of those tournaments. To end the year, Nadal won two of his three round robin matches to advance to the semifinals of the ] in ], where Federer defeated him 6–4, 6–1. | |||
| During the second half of the year, Nadal battled a knee injury suffered during the Wimbledon final. In addition, there were rumors at the end of the year that the foot injury he suffered during 2005 caused long term damage, which were given credence by coach ] claim that the problem was "serious". Nadal and his spokesman strongly denied this, however, with Nadal himself calling the story "totally false".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/tennis/7117076.stm|title=Federer Nadal plays down foot injury fear|publisher=BBC Sport|author=Piers Newbury|date=2007-11-28|accessdate=2008-08-05}}</ref> | |||
| ===2008=== | |||
| As of ], Nadal has a 67–8 win-loss record and has won eight singles titles, including the ], ], and the ]. He also had a career-best ] during which he captured five titles and secured the ] ranking for the first time. | |||
| He began the year by reaching the semifinals of the ] for the first time. He also reached the final of the ] in ] for the second time. | |||
| During the spring ] season, Nadal won four singles titles and defeated ] in three finals. He beat Federer at the ] for the third straight year, capturing his ] record fourth consecutive title there. He won in straight sets, despite Federer holding a 4-0 lead in the second set.<ref name=therivalry></ref> He then won his fourth consecutive title at the ] tournament in ]. A few weeks later, Nadal won his first title at the ], defeating Federer in the three-set final. He then won the ], becoming only the fifth man in the ] to win a ] singles title without losing a set.<ref>{{cite news | author = ] | title = Men's Grand Slam Titles Without Losing A Set | url = http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/06/09/sports/TEN-Mens-Grand-Slam-Titles-No-Lost-Sets.php | date = 2008-06-09 | accessdate = 2008-08-09 | language =}}</ref> He defeated Federer in the final for the third straight year, but this was the most lopsided of all their matches, as Nadal only lost four games and gave Federer his first ] since 1999.<ref name=therivalry/> This was Nadal's fourth consecutive French title, tying ] all-time record. | |||
| He then played Federer in the final of ] for the third consecutive year, in the most anticipated match of ].<ref name=wim2008pre></ref> <ref name=nadaledge></ref> Nadal entered the final on a 23 match winning streak, including his first career ] title at the ], staged at ] in ] prior to Wimbledon. Federer was also on a roll, having won his record fifth grass court title at the ] in ] without facing a break point and then reaching the Wimbledon final without losing a set. Unlike their previous two Wimbledon finals, though, Federer was not the prohibitive favorite, and many analysts picked Nadal to win.<ref name=nadaledge/> <ref></ref> They played the longest final 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 some long-time tennis critics even calling it the greatest match ever.<ref name=greatestmatchever>{{cite news | author = Bruce Jenkins | title = The Greatest Match Ever | url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/07/06/SPP711KSLR.DTL | date=] | accessdate =2008-08-07 | language =}}</ref> <ref name=McEnroe>{{cite news | author = Richard Alleyne | title = Wimbledon 2008: John McEnroe hails Rafael Nadal victory as greatest final ever | url = http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/tennis/wimbledon/2305019/Wimbledon-2008-John-McEnroe-hails-Rafael-Nadal-victory-as-greatest-final-ever.html | date = ] | accessdate = 2008-08-07| language =}}</ref> <ref name=wertheimgreatest></ref> <ref name=asgoodasitgets>{{cite news | author = ], ] | title=Federer-Nadal rivalry as good as it gets | url= http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/07/07/sports/TEN-On-Tennis-Rafa---Roger.php | date = ]| accessdate = 2008-08-07| language =}}</ref> <ref>{{cite news|author=Alistair Magowan|title=Roger v Rafa - the best final ever?| url =http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/tennis/7493099.stm|date =]| accessdate =2008-08-07| language =English}}</ref> By winning his first Wimbledon title, Nadal became only the third man in the open era to win both the French Open and Wimbledon in the same year and only the second Spaniard to win Wimbledon. He also ended Federer's record streaks of five consecutive Wimbledon titles and 65 straight wins on grass. | |||
| After Wimbledon, Nadal extended his winning streak to a ]. He won his second ] title in ] and then lost in the semifinals of the ] in ]. As a result, Nadal clinched the ] and, combined with Federer's early round losses in both of those tournaments, finally earned Nadal the ] ranking on August 18, officially ending Federer's record four-and-a-half year reign at the top. | |||
| At the ], Nadal defeated ] of ] in the semifinals 6–4, 1–6, 6–4 and ] of ] in the final to win his first Olympic gold medal. Nadal was the first male player ranked in the top five to win the gold medal.<ref></ref> | |||
| At the ], Nadal is the top-seeded player for the first time at a Grand Slam tournament. He is currently in the second round, having defeated ] in a tight match that lasted three hours, 7-6, 6-3, 7-6. | |||
| ===Rivalry with Federer=== | |||
| {{main|Federer-Nadal rivalry}} | |||
| Nadal and Federer have been rivals since 2005, and this rivalry is a significant part of both men's careers: | |||
| * They are the only men in the ] who have played in six Grand Slam finals.<ref name=6SlamFinals/> | |||
| * Their ] has been lauded as the greatest match ever by many long-time tennis critics.<ref name=greatestmatchever/> <ref name=McEnroe/> <ref name=wertheimgreatest/> <ref name=asgoodasitgets/> | |||
| * Many critics consider their rivalry to be the greatest in tennis history.<ref name=asgoodasitgets/> <ref>{{cite news | author = Paul Weaver | title = Move over McEnroe and Borg, this one will run and run in the memory | url = http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2008/jul/07/wimbledon.tennis4 | date = ] | accessdate = 2008-08-07 | language =}}</ref> <ref>{{cite news | author = Martin Flanagan | title = Federer v Nadal as good as sport gets | url = http://www.theage.com.au/news/tennis/federer-v-nadal-as-good-as-sport-gets/2008/07/11/1215658132528.html | date = ] | accessdate = 2008-08-07 | language =}}</ref> | |||
| ==Playing style== | ==Playing style== | ||
Revision as of 22:12, 27 August 2008
 | |
| Country (sports) |  Spain |
|---|---|
| Residence | Manacor, Majorca |
| Height | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) |
| Turned pro | 2001 |
| Plays | Left-handed; two-handed backhand |
| Prize money | US$19,996,948 |
| Singles | |
| Career record | 323–74 |
| Career titles | 31 |
| Highest ranking | No. 1 (August 18, 2008) |
| Current ranking | No.1 (August 18, 2008) |
| Grand Slam singles results | |
| Australian Open | SF (2008) |
| French Open | W (2005, 2006, 2007, 2008) |
| Wimbledon | W (2008) |
| US Open | QF (2006) |
| Other tournaments | |
| Tour Finals | SF (2006, 2007) |
| Olympic Games |  Gold medal (2008) |
| Doubles | |
| Career record | 65–45 |
| Career titles | 4 |
| Highest ranking | No. 26 (August 8, 2005) |
| Last updated on: August 21, 2008. | |
| Olympic medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Representing Spain
| ||
| Tennis | ||
 |
2008 Beijing | Men's singles |
Template:Spanish name 2 Rafael Nadal Parera (IPA: [rafaˈel naˈðal]) (born June 3, 1986) is a Spanish professional tennis player who has been ranked World No. 1 since 18 August 2008.
Nadal has won five Grand Slam singles titles and the 2008 Olympic gold medal. He captured four consecutive French Opens from 2005 through 2008 and Wimbledon in 2008. He is the only man other than Björn Borg to have won four consecutive French Open titles, one of only three men in the open era who won both the French Open and Wimbledon in the same calendar year, only the second male Spaniard to have won Wimbledon, and the only man who entered the Olympics ranked in the top five to win a gold medal in singles.
For much of his career, Nadal has had a rivalry with Roger Federer. He was ranked World No. 2 behind Federer for a record 160 weeks before earning the top spot. Nadal has won 12 of their 18 singles matches, including four of their six Grand Slam finals.
Nadal has been especially successful on clay courts. He has a 22–1 record in clay court tournament finals and is undefeated in 41 best-of-five-set matches on clay. In each of the last four years, he has won both the French Open and two clay court Masters Series tournaments. He also owns the longest single-surface winning streak in the open era, having won 81 consecutive matches on clay from April 2005 to May 2007. As a result, some tennis critics and top players already regard him as the greatest clay-court player ever.
Family and early life
Rafael Nadal was born in Manacor, Majorca to Sebastián Nadal and Ana María Parera. He has a younger sister named María Isabel, WHO LOVES HIM. His uncle, Miguel Ángel, is a retired professional football player, having played for RCD Mallorca, FC Barcelona, and the Spanish national team. He is an avid supporter of Real Madrid. His other uncle, Toni, himself a professional tennis player, introduced Rafael to tennis as a 3 year-old boy and has been coaching him ever since. Toni has also stated that Rafael had a natural talent playing tennis while preferring to play football. By the time Rafael was five, he was going to the tennis club twice a week to play and at eight years of age, also a promising striker in the local football team, he won the regional tennis championships for under-12s. By the time Rafael was 12 he had won the Spanish and European tennis titles in his age group and was playing either tennis or football all the time. Then in stepped the third of the three brothers, Rafael's father, Sebastian. He forced Rafael to choose between football and tennis so that his school work would not suffer. When Rafael was 14 years old, the Spanish tennis federation requested that he leave Majorca and move to Barcelona to continue his tennis progression and training. Rafael's parents and uncles turned down these requests, which resulted in Rafael receiving less financial support to aid his development. Sebastian covered these costs himself. By the age of 16, Rafael was ranked in the world's top 50 players.
While Rafael's upbringing and early years are largely kept private, he has stated growing up his passions were football, tennis, and fishing.
Nadal has been dating María Francesca Perelló, also from Majorca, for three years as of 2008.
Career
Early years
When Nadal was very young, his coach and uncle, Toni Nadal, taught him to play left-handed even though he is naturally right-handed. Toni reasoned that Rafael's ent the three previous years. Federer won the match in four sets. Nadal and Federer were the only pair of men during the open era who had reached the Wimbledon final after having just played each other in the French Open final.
During the lead up to the US Open, Nadal played only the two Masters Series tournaments in North America. He was upset in the third round of the Rogers Cup in Toronto and the quarterfinals of the Western & Southern Financial Group Masters in Cincinnati, Ohio. Nadal was seeded second at the US Open but lost in the quarterfinals to World No. 54 Mikhail Youzhny of Russia in four sets.
Nadal played only three tournaments the remainder of the year. Joachim Johansson, ranked World No. 690, upset Nadal in the second round of the if... Stockholm Open 6–4, 7–6. The following week, Nadal lost in the quarterfinals of the last Masters Series tournament of the year, the Mutua Madrileña Masters in Madrid. After the tournament, Nadal blamed mental and physical exhaustion for his recent losses. During the round robin stage of the year-ending Tennis Masters Cup, Nadal lost to James Blake but defeated Nikolay Davydenko and Robredo. Because of those two victories, Nadal qualified for the semifinals, where he lost to Federer 6–4, 7–5. This was Nadal's third loss in nine career matches with Federer. Nadal is known to scuff the grass on center court at Wimbledon when no one is looking in order to make the surface slower.
Playing style
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Nadal plays with well-angled topspin heavy strokes, a strong two-handed backhand, fast mobility on the court, and a preference to play from the deep court. Though naturally right-handed, Nadal plays left-handed, and uses his dominant right hand as an anchor for his two-handed backhand. In addition, being naturally right handed allows him to stay balanced regardless of which foot he puts his weight on, an exceptional talent when one tries to hit the ball after starting a move in the wrong direction. Known for his excellent defense, Nadal hits well on the run and creates many winners from seemingly defensive positions. Because of his extreme athleticism, Nadal tends to go after every shot, even apparent winners from his opponents. Historically, Nadal's playing style has worked best on clay courts, and he was once considered a clay-court specialist. Recent success on other surfaces has helped Nadal shed that label, though he is still considered most dominant on clay.
Nadal uses a full western grip forehand, which allows him to hit heavy, powerful topspin forehands, giving him a bigger margin of error because of the height at which his shot clears the net and the speed at which the ball drops due to the topspin that is applied to the ball. Nadal's heavy topspin makes the ball bounce up high in the air for his opponent, making it difficult to return. These types of shots tend to be returned short in length, but the spin kicks it up so high that this kind of play is sufficient on clay.
For many years, Nadal's serve was not considered one of his strengths. However, it has become more of a weapon lately; Nadal currently possesses a highly effective first serve and a moderate second serve. Usually employing a hard lefty slice towards most of his opponents' backhands (right-handed opponents), his serve can be relied upon for consistency and also for some short-point wins such as Aces and bad service-returns.
Another one of Nadal's strengths is the mental aspect of his tennis game. His ability to come back from behind in a match greatly assists him. He also has good footwork, which helps him to prepare for tennis strokes and get around the court efficiently. In addition, he can put away short balls and comes to the net quite often. Rafael Nadal has an under-emphasized net game. He is able to volley deep, but his main strength at the net is his touch and feel. Nadal is good at angling volleys away from his opponents and can hit drop volleys well after running extremely quickly up to the net to return any drop shot made by his opponent.
Equipment
Nadal uses a Babolat AeroPro Drive racquet without the cortex system. However, his racquet has the paintjob of the Aero Pro Drive with Cortex, in order to commercialize and promote the current model that Babolat sells. This model's handle is (L2 grip= 4 1/4)) with no replacement grip, instead Nadal wraps 2 over grips, and the racquet strung between 53 and 55 pounds with Duralast 15L strings, although he promotes Babolat's Pro Hurricane Tour strings. His clothing sponsor is Nike and he is known for his unconventional wear, turning up in sleeveless tops and Capri pants in a variety of colours. He also wears the Nike Air Max Breathe Cage II shoes which have been customized for him with the famous "Vamos Rafa" slogan written on the back of them. Currently, his shoes display his nickname "Rafa" on one shoe and a logo specifically designed by Nike featuring a stylistic bull head on the other.
Career statistics
Grand Slam singles finals (7)
Wins (1)
| Year | Championship | Opponent in Final | Score in Final |
| 2008 | Wimbledon |  Roger Federer |
6–4, 6–4, 6–7(5), 6–7(8), 9–7 |
Runner-ups (2)
| Year | Championship | Opponent in Final | Score in Final |
| 2006 | Wimbledon | Roger Federer |
6–0, 7–6(5), 6–7(2), 6–3 |
| 2007 | Wimbledon (2) | Roger Federer |
7–6(7), 4–6, 7–6(3), 2–6, 6–2 |
