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Rafael Nadal
Nadal at 2006 Western & Southern Financial Group Masters Cincinnati, Ohio
Country (sports) Spain
ResidenceManacor, Majorca
Height1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
Turned pro2001
PlaysLeft-handed; two-handed backhand
Prize moneyUS$19,891,948
Singles
Career record314–73
Career titles30
Highest rankingNo. 1 (August 18, 2008)
Grand Slam singles results
Australian OpenSF (2008)
French OpenW (2005, 2006, 2007, 2008)
WimbledonW (2008)
US OpenQF (2006)
Other tournaments
Tour FinalsSF (2006, 2007)
Olympic Games-
Doubles
Career record65 - 44
Career titles4
Highest rankingNo. 26 (August 8, 2005)
Last updated on: July 28, 2008.

Template:Spanish name 2 Rafael Nadal Parera (IPA: [rafaˈel naˈðal]) (born June 3, 1986) is a Spanish professional tennis player. He has been ranked #2 on the ATP Tour for a record 158 weeks, and will assume the #1 ranking with effect from 18 August 2008.

Nadal has won five Grand Slam singles titles. He has won four consecutive French Open titles from 2005-2008 as well as Wimbledon in 2008. He is the only male player other than Björn Borg to have won four consecutive French Open titles in the Open Era, and one of only three in the Open Era who have won both the French Open and Wimbledon in the same calendar year. He is also only the 2nd male Spaniard to have won the Wimbledon title.

Nadal is already regarded by some tennis critics and former players as the greatest clay-court player in the history of the sport. He won a record 81 consecutive matches on clay from April 2005 to May 2007. This is the longest winning streak of any male player on a single surface in the Open Era. He also has a 22-1 record in the finals of clay-court tournaments and is undefeated in over 40 best-of-five-set matches on clay.

Nadal has a storied rivalry with Roger Federer, with the Spaniard leading 12-6 in career meetings. The two have met in 6 Grand Slam finals, an Open Era record, with Nadal winning 4 of these matches.

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. 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 him to tennis as a 3 year-old boy and has been coaching him ever since. Toni has also stated that Nadal had a natural talent playing tennis while preferring to play football. By the time Nadal 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 Nadal 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. Nadal's father made him choose between football and tennis so that his school work would not suffer. When Nadal was 14 years old, the Spanish tennis federation requested that he leave Majorca and move to Barcelona to continue his tennis progression and training. Nadal's parents and uncles turned down these requests, meaning Nadal received less financial support to aid his development. Rafael's father Sebastian covered these costs himself. By the age of 16, Nadal was ranked in the world's top 50 players.

While Nadal'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 "Xisca" Perelló, also from Majorca, for three years as of 2008.

Career

Early years

Although Nadal plays left-handed, he is naturally right-handed. When he was younger, his coach and uncle, Toni Nadal, decided that his two-handed backhand would benefit from a strong right arm, so he taught Rafael to play with his left.

It was not until Nadal was 12 that he decided to pursue a career in tennis instead of football. In May 2001, when Nadal was 14 years old, tennis great Pat Cash played a clay-court exhibition match against him. Cash, who was originally scheduled to play Boris Becker, was reluctant to play against Nadal, taking offence to this last minute change of opponent. Cash lost the match by a close margin.

Nadal also trained at Nick Bollettieri's tennis camp in Florida for a short time during two summers in his early teens.

2002–2004

In 2002, the 15-year-old Nadal won his first Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) match, defeating the paraguayan Ramon Delgado in Majorca to become the ninth player in the open era to win an ATP match before his 16th birthday.

In 2003, Nadal became the second-youngest player to be ranked among the world's top 100 singles players. He finished the year in the top 50, winning two Challenger titles. At his Wimbledon debut, Nadal, then 17, became the youngest male player to reach the third round since 16-year-old Boris Becker in 1984.

In early 2004 preceding the European clay court stretch, Nadal played his first match against the number one ranked Roger Federer, at the Miami Masters. Nadal won the match in straight sets, and started what is considered to be the greatest tennis rivalry of all time between himself and Federer. Nadal was forced to miss most of the clay-court season, including the French Open, due to a stress fracture in his left ankle.

2005

Rafael Nadal in New Haven

2005 was Nadal's breakthrough year. Early-season matches against Lleyton Hewitt at the Australian Open and Roger Federer in the Miami final were considered to be breakthrough contests for Nadal. Nadal's emergence proved to be a revelation, as he matched Roger Federer's 11 titles on the year, won his first Grand Slam title at the French Open (preventing the Swiss from completing a career Slam by defeating him in the semifinals), and finished second to Federer in total wins with 79. Nadal also reached the top 5 in the world rankings for the first time, eventually settling at #2, and put together a 24-match win streak, the longest of any teenager in the open era. The nascent Nadal, nicknamed "The Prodigy", generated much anticipation prior to the French Open, winning in the Masters Series tournaments of Monte Carlo and Rome, and prompting 2004 French Open finalist Guillermo Coria to call him the best clay court player in the world. Nadal lived up many analysts expectations, winning the French Open; thus becoming the first man since Mats Wilander to achieve this feat. Nadal also won Masters Series events on the hard courts of Canada and Madrid. 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 Wimbledon and the U.S. Open respectively. A foot injury near the end of the year caused him to miss the Tennis Masters Cup and the start of the 2006 season.

2006

Nadal at the 2006 French Open

After missing the Australian Open due to his foot injury, Nadal won his first title of the year by handing Roger Federer his first defeat of the season in Dubai. He then completed an undefeated clay-court season by defending all of his titles, including winning the French Open for the second consecutive year and once again keeping a Career Slam away from Federer. His first-round victory at the French Open allowed him to break Guillermo Vilas' record of consecutive victories on the clay surface. Nadal also made a surprise run to the Wimbledon final, falling to Federer in four sets. Nadal was not expected to make the transition from clay to grass so successfully for at least a few more years at the time. The second half of Nadal's year wasn't as successful as the previous year had been, something that Nadal attributed to mental and physical exhaustion.

2007

Nadal reached the quarterfinals at the Australian Open at the start of 2007, before losing to eventual runner-up Fernando Gonzalez. He then won the Indian Wells Masters title and won every clay-court match he played until losing to Federer in the final of the Hamburg Masters, which snapped his record 81-match win streak on the surface. However, he won the French Open for the third straight year, defeating Federer once again in the final. An exhibition match was played on May 2, 2007, in Majorca, which was termed the "Battle of Surfaces." Nadal and Federer met on a tennis court that is half grass and half clay. Nadal won 7–5, 4–6, 7–6(10). At Wimbledon, Nadal forced Federer to play five sets for the first time since 2001, yet ultimately fell short. The second half of his year once again was below the standards Nadal set during the clay-court season, as Nadal battled through a knee injury suffered during the Wimbledon final. Rumors that the foot injury he suffered during 2005 caused long term damage also were discussed during the end of the season, but Nadal and his doctors both denied this and he claimed to be in perfect health.

Nadal during his final versus Federer at the 2007 French Open.

2008

2008 has been Nadal's most successful season to date. As of August 2008 he is a tour-best 61-8 in matches played, with 7 titles on 3 surfaces (clay, grass and hard) and a 32-match winning streak during which he claimed 5 consecutive tournament victories(Hamburg, French Open, Queens, Wimbledon, Rogers Cup). He started the year by reaching the semi-finals of the Australian Open, as well as the final in the Sony Ericsson Open.

Nadal then went on to claim 4 titles throughout the European clay season, including a 4th consecutive French Open victory, crushing top seed Roger Federer for the loss of only 4 games in the final. Only Borg (1978-81) and Nadal (2005-08) have won 4 consecutive French Open titles, during the open era.

He then went on to claim the Wimbledon title by defeating Federer again in an epic 6-4, 6-4, 6-7(5), 6-7(8), 9-7 five-setter lasting 4 hrs 48 min, widely regarded as one of the greatest Grand Slam finals ever played. Only Laver (1969), Borg (1978-80) and Nadal (2008) have won both French Open and Wimbeldon in the same year. Only Nadal have won French Open, Queens and Wimbledon in the same year, during the open era. Nadal have won the most Grand Slams (5) among all Spanish players.

Nadal then ensured he would be ranked world No. 1 on August 18th 2008 by winning the title at the Canada Masters in Toronto and reaching the semi-finals in Cincinnati. However, he lost the semi-final encounter against Novak Djokovic. He will be seeded #1 for the first time in a Grand Slam tournament at the 2008 US Open. Nadal will become the third Spaniard to hold the No. 1 spot, joining Carlos Moya (1999) and Juan Carlos Ferrero (2003).

Playing style

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Nadal at the 2006 Cincinnati Masters.

Nadal's playing style is best tailored for clay courts, although currently his tennis is suited to all court surfaces. In past years Nadal has been called a clay court specialist, but he has adapted his game for grass and hard courts in the last 2 years. Playing with a strong two-handed backhand, well-angled topspin heavy strokes, fast mobility on the court, consistency and accuracy, excellent defense and a preference to play from the deep court, he has developed into one of the best clay court players in the history of the game. He 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 he clears the net and the speed at which the ball drops due to the topspin that is applied to the ball. His heavy topspin makes the ball kick up high in the air, which makes it extremely difficult to return. However, these types of shots are returned short in length but the spin kicks it up so high that this kind of play is sufficient on clay. He is naturally right-handed, but he plays left-handed, and uses his dominant hand as an anchor for his two-handed backhand which he can flatten out or hit topspin like his forehand. In addition, being naturally right handed allows him to be balanced regardless of which foot he is putting 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 on the run well and creates many winners from seemingly defensive positions. Rafael Nadal is extremely athletic, and tends to go after every shot, even apparent winners from his opponents.

Nadal's serve was not considered one of his strengths, compared to other players. However, it has become more of a weapon over the years; currently 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.

Overall, Nadal is an aggressive counterpuncher, forcing his opponents to make errors with his powerful topspin ground strokes, his speed and overall athleticism, his mental fortitude, and his ability to put away short balls.

Equipment

Nadal uses a Babolat AeroPro Drive racquet without the newly added cortex system. Despite common belief that he uses the string "Babolat Pro Hurricane Tour 16", he actually uses the string "Babolat Duralast". 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. His clothing sponsor is Nike. Nadal is known for his unconventional wear, turning up in sleeveless tops and Capri pants in a variety of colours. He 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's head on the other.

Career statistics

Grand Slam singles finals (7)

Wins (5)

Year Championship Opponent in Final Score in Final
2005 French Open Argentina Mariano Puerta 6–7 (6), 6–3, 6–1, 7–5
2006 French Open (2) Switzerland Roger Federer 1–6, 6–1, 6–4, 7–6 (4)
2007 French Open (3) Switzerland Roger Federer 6–3, 4–6, 6–3, 6–4
2008 French Open (4) Switzerland Roger Federer 6–1, 6–3, 6–0
2008 Wimbledon Switzerland 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 Switzerland Roger Federer 6–0, 7–6 (5), 6–7 (2), 6–3
2007 Wimbledon (2) Switzerland Roger Federer 7–6 (7), 4–6, 7–6 (3), 2–6, 6–2

ATP Masters Series singles finals (16)

Wins (12)

Year Championship Opponent in Final Score in Final
2005 Monte Carlo Argentina Guillermo Coria 6–3, 6–1, 0–6, 7–5
2005 Rome Argentina Guillermo Coria 6–4, 3–6, 6–3, 4–6, 7–6 (6)
2005 Canada (Montréal) United States Andre Agassi 6–3, 4–6, 6–2
2005 Madrid Croatia Ivan Ljubičić 3–6, 2–6, 6–3, 6–4, 7–6 (3)
2006 Monte Carlo (2) Switzerland Roger Federer 6–2, 6–7 (2), 6–3, 7–6 (5)
2006 Rome (2) Switzerland Roger Federer 6–7 (0), 7–6 (5), 6–4, 2–6, 7–6 (5)
2007 Indian Wells Serbia Novak Djokovic 6–2, 7–5
2007 Monte Carlo (3) Switzerland Roger Federer 6–4, 6–4
2007 Rome (3) Chile Fernando González 6–2, 6–2
2008 Monte Carlo (4) Switzerland Roger Federer 7–5, 7–5
2008 Hamburg Switzerland Roger Federer 7–5, 6–7(3), 6–3
2008 Canada (Toronto) (2) Germany Nicolas Kiefer 6–3,6–2

Runner-ups (4)

Year Championship Opponent in Final Score in Final
2005 Miami Switzerland Roger Federer 2–6, 6–7(4), 7–6(5), 6–3, 6–1
2007 Hamburg Switzerland Roger Federer 2–6, 6–2, 6–0
2007 Paris Argentina David Nalbandian 6–4, 6–0
2008 Miami (2) Russia Nikolay Davydenko 6–4, 6–2

All finals (45)

Singles (38)

Wins (30)
Legend
Grand Slam (5)
Tennis Masters Cup (0)
ATP Masters Series (12)
ATP Tour (13)
Titles by Surface
Hard (6)
Clay (22)
Grass (2)
Carpet (0)
No. Date Tournament Surface Opponent in the final Score
1. 15 Aug 2004 Sopot, Poland Clay Argentina José Acasuso 6–3, 6–4
2. 20 Feb 2005 Costa do Sauípe, Brazil Clay Spain Alberto Martín 6–0, 6–7(2), 6–1
3. 27 Feb 2005 Acapulco, Mexico Clay Spain Albert Montañés 6–1, 6–0
4. 17 Apr 2005 Monte Carlo, Monaco Clay Argentina Guillermo Coria 6–3, 6–1, 0–6, 7–5
5. 24 Apr 2005 Barcelona, Spain Clay Spain Juan Carlos Ferrero 6–1, 7–6(4), 6–3
6. 08 May 2005 Rome, Italy Clay Argentina Guillermo Coria 6–4, 3–6, 6–3, 4–6, 7–6(6)
7. 05 Jun 2005 French Open, Paris, France Clay Argentina Mariano Puerta 6–7(6), 6–3, 6–1, 7–5
8. 10 Jul 2005 Båstad, Sweden Clay Czech Republic Tomáš Berdych 2–6, 6–2, 6–4
9. 24 Jul 2005 Stuttgart, Germany Clay Argentina Gastón Gaudio 6–3, 6–3, 6–4
10. 14 Aug 2005 Montréal, Canada Hard United States Andre Agassi 6–3, 4–6, 6–2
11. 18 Sep 2005 Beijing, China Hard Argentina Guillermo Coria 5–7, 6–1, 6–2
12. 23 Oct 2005 Madrid, Spain Hard (i) Croatia Ivan Ljubičić 3–6, 2–6, 6–3, 6–4, 7–6(3)
13. 04 Mar 2006 Dubai, UAE Hard Switzerland Roger Federer 2–6, 6–4, 6–4
14. 23 Apr 2006 Monte Carlo, Monaco Clay Switzerland Roger Federer 6–2, 6–7(2), 6–3, 7–6(5)
15. 30 Apr 2006 Barcelona, Spain Clay Spain Tommy Robredo 6–4, 6–4, 6–0
16. 14 May 2006 Rome, Italy Clay Switzerland Roger Federer 6–7(0), 7–6(5), 6–4, 2–6, 7–6(5)
17. 11 Jun 2006 French Open, Paris, France Clay Switzerland Roger Federer 1–6, 6–1, 6–4, 7–6(4)
18. 18 Mar 2007 Indian Wells, California, U.S. Hard Serbia Novak Djokovic 6–2, 7–5
19. 22 Apr 2007 Monte Carlo, Monaco Clay Switzerland Roger Federer 6–4, 6–4
20. 29 Apr 2007 Barcelona, Spain Clay Argentina Guillermo Cañas 6–3, 6–4
21. 13 May 2007 Rome, Italy Clay Chile Fernando González 6–2, 6–2
22. 10 Jun 2007 French Open, Paris, France Clay Switzerland Roger Federer 6–3, 4–6, 6–3, 6–4
23. 22 Jul 2007 Stuttgart, Germany Clay Switzerland Stanislas Wawrinka 6–4, 7–5
24. 27 Apr 2008 Monte Carlo, Monaco Clay Switzerland Roger Federer 7–5, 7–5
25. 04 May 2008 Barcelona, Spain Clay Spain David Ferrer 6–1, 4–6, 6–1
26. 18 May 2008 Hamburg, Germany Clay Switzerland Roger Federer 7–5, 6–7(3), 6–3
27. 08 Jun 2008 French Open, Paris, France Clay Switzerland Roger Federer 6–1, 6–3, 6–0
28. 15 Jun 2008 London/Queen's Club, England Grass Serbia Novak Djokovic 7–6(6), 7–5
29. 06 Jul 2008 Wimbledon, London, England Grass Switzerland Roger Federer 6–4, 6–4, 6–7(5), 6–7(8), 9–7
30. 27 Jul 2008 Toronto, Canada Hard Germany Nicolas Kiefer 6–3, 6–2
Runners-up (8)
No. Date Tournament Surface Opponent in the final Score
1. 18 Jan 2004 Auckland, New Zealand Hard Slovakia Dominik Hrbatý 4–6, 6–2, 7–5
2. 03 Apr 2005 Miami, USA Hard Switzerland Roger Federer 2–6, 6–7(4), 7–6(5), 6–3, 6–1
3. 09 Jul 2006 Wimbledon, London, United Kingdom Grass Switzerland Roger Federer 6–0, 7–6(5), 6–7(2), 6–3
4. 20 May 2007 Hamburg, Germany Clay Switzerland Roger Federer 2–6, 6–2, 6–0
5. 08 Jul 2007 Wimbledon, London, United Kingdom Grass Switzerland Roger Federer 7–6(7), 4–6, 7–6(3), 2–6, 6–2
6. 04 Nov 2007 Paris, France Carpet (i) Argentina David Nalbandian 6–4, 6–0
7. 06 Jan 2008 Chennai, India Hard Russia Mikhail Youzhny 6–0, 6–1
8. 06 Apr 2008 Miami, USA Hard Russia Nikolay Davydenko 6–4, 6–2

Doubles (7)

Wins (4)
No. Date Tournament Surface Partnering Opponents in the final Score
1. 27 Jul 2003 Umag, Croatia Clay Spain Álex López Morón Australia Todd Perry
Japan Thomas Shimada
6–1, 6–3
2. 11 Jan 2004 Chennai, India Hard Spain Tommy Robredo Israel Jonathan Erlich
Israel Andy Ram
7–6(3), 4–6, 6–3
3. 09 Jan 2005 Doha, Qatar Hard Spain Albert Costa Romania Andrei Pavel
Russia Mikhail Youzhny
6–3, 4–6, 6–3
4. 27 Apr 2008 Monte Carlo, Monaco Clay Spain Tommy Robredo India Mahesh Bhupathi
The Bahamas Mark Knowles
6–3, 6–3
Runner-ups (3)
No. Date Tournament Surface Partnering Opponents in the final Score
1. 24 Apr 2005 Barcelona, Spain Clay Spain Feliciano López India Leander Paes
Serbia Nenad Zimonjić
6–3, 6–3
2. 08 Jan 2007 Chennai, India Hard Spain Tomeu Salvà Belgium Xavier Malisse
Belgium Dick Norman
7–6(4), 7–6(4)
3. 30 Apr 2007 Barcelona, Spain Clay Spain Tomeu Salvà Romania Andrei Pavel
Germany Alexander Waske
6–3, 7–6(1)

(i) = Indoor

Performance timeline

Singles

To prevent confusion and double counting, information in this table is updated only once a tournament or the player's participation in the tournament has concluded. This table is current through The Canada Masters, which ended on July 27, 2008.

Tournament 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 Career SR Career W-L
Grand Slams
Australian Open A A 3R 4R A QF SF 0 / 4 14–4
French Open A A A W W W W 4 / 4 28–0
Wimbledon A 3R A 2R F F W 1 / 5 22–4
U.S. Open A 2R 2R 3R QF 4R 0 / 5 11–5
Grand Slam SR 0 / 0 0 / 2 0 / 2 1 / 4 1 / 3 1 / 4 2 / 3 5 / 18 N/A
Grand Slam Win-Loss 0–0 3–2 3–2 13–3 17–2 20–3 19–1 N/A 75–13
Year-End Championship
Tennis Masters Cup A A A A SF SF 0 / 2 4–4
Olympic Games
Summer Olympics Not Held A Not Held 0 / 0 0-0
ATP Masters Series
Indian Wells Masters A A 3R A SF W SF 1 / 4 16–3
Miami Masters A A 4R F 2R QF F 0 / 5 14–5
Monte Carlo Masters A 3R A W W W W 4 / 5 24–1
Rome Masters A A A W W W 2R 3 / 4 17–1
Hamburg Masters A 3R A A A F W 1 / 3 11–2
Canada Masters A A 1R W 3R SF W 2 / 5 16–3
Cincinnati Masters A A 1R 1R QF 2R SF 0 / 5 6–5
Madrid Masters A 1R 2R W QF QF 1 / 5 10–4
Paris Masters A LQ A A A F 0 / 1 4–1
ATP Tournaments Played 1 11 18 21 16 18 14 N/A 99
ATP Finals Reached 0 0 2 12 6 9 9 N/A 38
ATP Tournaments Won 0 0 1 11 5 6 7 N/A 30
Hard Win-Loss 0–0 1–2 14–10 28–6 25–10 31–12 30–7 N/A 129–47
Clay Win-Loss 1–1 11–6 14–3 50–2 26–0 31–1 22–1 N/A 155–14
Grass Win-Loss 0–0 2–1 0–0 1–2 8–2 8–2 12-0 N/A 31–7
Carpet Win-Loss 0–0 0–2 2–4 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 N/A 2–6
Overall Win-Loss 1–1 14–11 30–17 79–10 59–12 70–15 64-8 N/A 317–74
Win (%) 50% 56% 64% 89% 83% 82% 89% N/A 81%
Year End Ranking 200 49 51 2 2 2 N/A N/A
  • A = did not participate in the tournament
  • LQ = lost in qualifying rounds
  • SR = the ratio of the number of singles tournaments won to the number of those tournaments played
  • (*) = in game
  • Davis Cup and World Team Cup matches are included in the statistics.

ATP Tour career earnings

Year Majors ATP wins Total wins Earnings ($) Money list rank
2002 0 0 0 23,975 345
2003 0 0 0 243,238 87
2004 0 1 1 447,758 50
2005 1 10 11 3,874,751 2
2006 1 4 5 3,746,360 2
2007 1 5 6 5,646,935 2
2008* 2 5 7 5,908,074 1
Career* 5 25 30 19,891,948 8
* As of July 28, 2008.

Davis Cup

Nadal was on Spain's victorious 2004 Davis Cup team.

First round versus the Czech Republic

Quarterfinal versus the Netherlands

Semifinal versus France

Final versus the United States

  • Singles: Nadal defeated Andy Roddick 6–7, 6–2, 7–6, 6–2.

Challengers and futures finals

Singles wins (8)

Legend
Challengers (2)
Futures (6)
No. Date Tournament Surface Opponent in the final Score
1. 15 Jul 2002 Alicante, Spain Clay Spain Marc Fornell 7–5, 3–6, 6–3
2. 19 Aug 2002 Vigo, Spain Clay Argentina Antonio Pastorino 4–6, 7–6(4), 6–4
3. 23 Sep 2002 Barcelona, Spain Clay Spain Marc Fornell 6–4, 6–3
4. 30 Sep 2002 Barcelona, Spain Clay Spain Guillermo García-López 6–3, 7–6(1)
5. 25 Nov 2002 Gran Canaria, Spain Clay Spain Marc Fornell 6–2, 6–3
6. 02 Dec 2002 Gran Canaria, Spain Hard (i) Germany Florian Mayer 7–6(3), 6–4
7. 31 Mar 2003 Barletta, Italy Clay Spain Albert Portas 6–2, 7–6(2)
8. 04 Aug 2003 Segovia, Spain Hard Czech Republic Tomáš Zíb 6–2, 7–6(1)

Singles runner-ups (4)

Sponsorships

Rafael Nadal is the global ambassador for Kia Motors, and has appeared in Kia's global advertising campaigns in TV and print media. In May 2008, Kia released a video called Nadal vs Alien featuring Rafael Nadal in a tennis match against an alien.


See also

References

  1. Nadal closes in on No. 1
  2. "ESPN – Is Rafael Nadal the best clay-court player ever?".
  3. Tom Perotta - Nadal Appearing Unbeatable on Clay
  4. ESPN - List of Nadal's 81 straight wins on clay
  5. Borg: Federer 'greatest' if he wins French
  6. ^ Clarey, Christopher (2005-06-06). "Rafael Nadal, Barely 19, He's Got Game, Looks and Remarkably Good Manners". New York city Times. Retrieved 2007-02-16. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  7. "BBC – Sportsround meets Rafael Nadal".
  8. ^ "Rafael Nadal Official Website". Retrieved 2007-02-16.
  9. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/article708386.ece
  10. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/article708386.ece
  11. "Tennis Hotshot Rafael Nadal Has a Secret Girlfriend". People Magazine. 2008-06-23. Retrieved 2008-06-23.
  12. Pages, John (2006-05-02). "PlayStation or on-court, Raging Bull wins". Sun Star. Retrieved 2007-02-16. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help) Also from Nadal's official page, through its "Ask Rafa" service.
  13. Tignor, Stephen (2006-06-20). "Wimbledon 2006: The Duel". Retrieved 2007-02-16.
  14. Clarey, Christopher (2003-06-26). "WIMBLEDON TENNIS : An unusual comfort zone". International Herald Tribune. Retrieved 2007-02-16. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  15. "Brave Hewitt battles past Nadal". BBC Sport. 2005-01-24. Retrieved 2008-09-03.
  16. "Nadal proves to be the real deal". BBC Sport. 2005-04-05. Retrieved 2008-09-03.
  17. "Prodigy Nadal Shocks Federer at ATP Masters Series-Miami". Tennis-x. 2004-03-30. Retrieved 2008-09-03.
  18. "Nadal triumphant in Monte Carlo". BBC Sport. 2005-04-17. Retrieved 2008-09-03.
  19. Alistair Watkins (2005-04-17). "Nadal suffers shock Muller defeat". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2008-06-23.
  20. "Nadal Inspired Blake ends Nadal hopes". BBC Sport. 2005-09-03. Retrieved 2008-09-03.
  21. Julian Linden (2006-01-06). "Foot injury delays Rafael Nadal's comeback". Rediff.com. Retrieved 2008-09-03.
  22. Garber, Greg (2006-05-31). "With Vilas in stands, Nadal makes history". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2007-04-30. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  23. "Rafael Nadal – RUNNER-UP". 2007-06-20. Retrieved 2007-07-20. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  24. Jenkins, Bruce (2007-07-08). "Only Nadal in way of Federer's record run". San Francisco. Retrieved 2007-07-20. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  25. "The Battle of Surfaces". Retrieved 2007-04-22.
  26. http://tennis.com/news/news.aspx?id=141146 Djokovic stops Nadal, to face Murray in Cincinnati final
  27. http://tennis.com/news/news.aspx?id=141146 Djokovic stops Nadal, to face Murray in Cincinnati final
  28. ^ Cooper, Jeff. "Rafael Nadal – Game Profile". Retrieved 2007-07-30. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  29. "Nike Air Max Breathe Cage". Retrieved 2007-09-05.
  30. "Nadal's trainers photo". Retrieved 2007-03-28.
  31. Kia Nadal versus Alien Video

External links

Template:S-awards
Preceded byPaul-Henri Mathieu ATP Newcomer of the Year
2003
Succeeded byFlorian Mayer
Preceded byJoachim Johansson ATP Most Improved Player
2005
Succeeded byNovak Djokovic
Preceded byLiu Xiang Laureus World Newcomer of the Year
2006
Succeeded byAmélie Mauresmo
Tennis world No. 1 men's singles players
  • Current ATP world No. 1 in bold, as of week of 30 December 2024
  • ATP rankings was introduced on August 23, 1973
1–5
6–10
11–15
16–20
21–25
26–30
  • (year first held/year last held – number of weeks (w))
  • weeks record underlined.
French Open men's singles champions
Amateur Era
(national)
Amateur Era
(international)
Open Era
Wimbledon men's singles champions
Amateur Era
Open Era
World Top 10 tennis players as of 2 December 2024
ATP singlesATP doublesWTA singlesWTA doubles
  1. Italy Jannik Sinner
  2. Germany Alexander Zverev
  3. Spain Carlos Alcaraz
  4. United States Taylor Fritz
  5. Daniil Medvedev
  6. Norway Casper Ruud
  7. Serbia Novak Djokovic
  8. Andrey Rublev
  9. Australia Alex de Minaur
  10. Bulgaria Grigor Dimitrov
  1. El Salvador Marcelo Arévalo
  2. Croatia Mate Pavić
  3. Australia Jordan Thompson
  4. Spain Marcel Granollers
  5. Argentina Horacio Zeballos
  6. Croatia Nikola Mektić
  7. Germany Kevin Krawietz
  8. Netherlands Wesley Koolhof
  9. Germany Tim Pütz
  10. Italy Andrea Vavassori
  1. Aryna Sabalenka
  2. Poland Iga Świątek
  3. United States Coco Gauff
  4. Italy Jasmine Paolini
  5. China Zheng Qinwen
  6. Kazakhstan Elena Rybakina
  7. United States Jessica Pegula
  8. United States Emma Navarro
  9. Daria Kasatkina
  10. Czech Republic Barbora Krejčíková
  1. Czech Republic Kateřina Siniaková
  2. New Zealand Erin Routliffe
  3. Canada Gabriela Dabrowski
  4. Ukraine Lyudmyla Kichenok
  5. United States Taylor Townsend
  6. Latvia Jeļena Ostapenko
  7. Chinese Taipei Hsieh Su-wei
  8. Belgium Elise Mertens
  9. Italy Sara Errani
  10. Italy Jasmine Paolini
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