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Rafael Nadal
Country (sports)Spain Spain
ResidenceSpain Manacor, Majorca, Spain
Height1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
Turned pro2001
PlaysLeft-handed; two-handed backhand
Prize moneyUS$ 24,542,228
Singles
Career record373–80 (82.3%)
Career titles36
Highest rankingNo. 1 (August 18, 2008)
Current rankingNo. 1 (August 18, 2008)
Grand Slam singles results
Australian OpenW (2009)
French OpenW (2005, 2006, 2007, 2008)
WimbledonW (2008)
US OpenSF (2008)
Other tournaments
Tour FinalsSF (2006, 2007)
Olympic Games Gold medal (2008)
Doubles
Career record75–48
Career titles5
Highest rankingNo. 26 (August 8, 2005)
Grand Slam doubles results
Australian Open3R (2004, 2005)
French Open–
Wimbledon2R (2005)
US OpenSF (2004)
Last updated on: May 3, 2009.
Olympic medal record
Representing  Spain
Tennis
Gold medal – first place 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 August 18 2008. He has won six Grand Slam singles titles and the 2008 Olympic gold medal in singles. He has captured the last four French Open singles titles, joining Björn Borg in 2008 as the only other man to have won four consecutive singles titles there. In 2008, Nadal became the second Spanish man to win Wimbledon. Nadal is only the third male player in the open era to have won the French Open and Wimbledon in the same year, and the first since 1980 (Borg). In 2009, Nadal became the first Spaniard to win the Australian Open[1]

Since 2004, Nadal has had a storied rivalry with Roger Federer, which many consider to be among the greatest in tennis history.[2][3][4] They are the only men in the open era who have played each other in seven Grand Slam finals,[5] with Nadal winning five of those matches. Nadal was ranked World No. 2 behind Federer for a record 160 weeks before earning the top spot.[6] Nadal has won 13 of their 19 singles matches, as well as all five of their most recent encounters.[7]

Nadal has been especially successful on clay courts. He has a 25–1 record in clay court tournament finals and is undefeated in 45 best-of-five-set matches on clay.[8] 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 by a man in the open era, having won 81 consecutive matches on clay from April 2005 to May 2007.[9] As a result, some tennis critics and top players already regard him as the greatest clay-court player of all time.[10][11][12]

On August 18, 2008, for the first time ever Nadal clinched the year-end World No. 1 ranking for 2008.[13] The same year, he was given the prestigious Prince of Asturias Award for his achievements in sports.[14]

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 Nadal, is a retired professional football player, having played for RCD Mallorca, FC Barcelona, and the Spanish national team.[15] Nadal supports football clubs Real Madrid and RCD Mallorca.[16] His other uncle, Toni Nadal, a former professional tennis player, introduced him to tennis when he was three years old. Toni Nadal has been coaching him ever since.[17] Toni spotted that Nadal had a natural talent for tennis, and at eight he won an under-12 year regional tennis championship at a time where he was also a promising football player.[18] This made Toni Nadal intensify training, and at that time he encouraged Nadal to play left-handed, as he noticed Nadal played forehand shots with two hands. The natural right-handed Nadal took the advice.[18] When Nadal was 12, he won the Spanish and European tennis titles in his age group and was playing tennis and football all the time.[18] Nadal's father made him choose between football and tennis so that his school work would not suffer. Nadal said: "I chose tennis. Football had to stop straight away."[18]

When he was 14, the Spanish tennis federation requested that he leave Mallorca and move to Barcelona to continue his tennis progression and training. Nadal's family turned down this request, partly because they feared it would hurt his education,[18] but also because Toni Nadal said that "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 house."[17] The decision to stay home meant that Nadal received less financial support from the federation; instead Nadal's father covered the costs. In May 2001, he defeated former Grand Slam champion Pat Cash in a clay-court exhibition match.[15] By the age of 16, Nadal was ranked in the world's top 50 players.[18][19]

Career

2002–2004

In April 2002, at 15 years and 10 months, the World No. 762 Nadal won his first ATP match, defeating Ramón Delgado, and became the ninth player in the open era to do so before the age of 16.[20][21] The following year, Nadal won two Challenger titles and finished the year in the top 50. At his Wimbledon debut in 2003, Nadal became the youngest man to reach the third round since Boris Becker in 1984.[22] During 2004, Nadal played his first match against World No. 1 Roger Federer at the 2004 Miami Masters, and won in straight sets. He missed most of the clay court season, including the French Open, because of a stress fracture in his left ankle.[15] Nadal at 18 years and six months became the youngest player to register a singles victory in a Davis Cup final for a winning nation.[citation needed] By beating World No. 2 Andy Roddick, he helped Spain clinch the 2004 title over the United States in a 3–2 win. He finished the year ranked World No. 51.

2005

At the Australian Open, Nadal lost in the fourth round to eventual runner-up Lleyton Hewitt in five sets. Two months later, Nadal reached the final of the 2005 Miami Masters, and despite being two points from a straight-sets victory, he was defeated in five sets by World No. 1 Roger Federer. Both performances were considered to be breakthroughs for Nadal.[23][24]

He then dominated the spring clay court season. He won 24 consecutive singles matches, which broke Andre Agassi's open era record of consecutive match wins for a male teenager.[25] Nadal won Torneo Godo in Barcelona, Spain and beat 2004 French Open runner-up Guillermo Coria in the finals of 2005 Monte Carlo Masters and 2005 Rome Masters. These victories raised his ranking to World No. 5[26] and made him one of the favorites at his career-first French Open. On his 19th birthday, Nadal defeated Federer in the 2005 French Open semifinals, preventing the Swiss from potentially achieving a career Grand Slam. Two days later, he defeated Mariano Puerta in the final, becoming the first male player to win the French Open on his first attempt since Mats Wilander in 1982[27]and the first teenager to win a Grand Slam singles title since Pete Sampras won the 1990 US Open at age 19.[15] Winning the French Open increased Nadal's ranking to World No. 3.[26]

On June 8, three days after his victory in Paris, Nadal's 24-match winning streak was snapped in the first round of the grass court Gerry Weber Open in Halle, Germany[28], losing to Alexander Waske of West Germany. He then lost in the second round of 2005 Wimbledon to Gilles Müller of Luxembourg.

Immediately after Wimbledon, Nadal won 16 consecutive matches and three consecutive tournaments. Winning the clay court events in Båstad and Stuttgart caused Nadal's ranking to rise to World No. 2 on July 25, 2005.

Nadal started his North American summer hard court season by defeating Agassi in the final of the 2005 Canada Masters (played this year on Montréal) but losing in the first round of the 2005 Cincinnati Masters. Nadal was seeded second at the 2005 US Open, where he was upset in the third round by World No. 49 James Blake in four sets.

Nadal played only three events the remainder of the year. In September, he defeated Coria in the final of the China Open in Beijing and won both of his Davis Cup matches against Italy. In October, he won his fourth ATP Masters Series title of the year, defeating Ivan Ljubičić in the final of the 2005 Madrid Masters. He then suffered a foot injury that prevented him from competing in the year-ending Tennis Masters Cup.[29]

Both Nadal and Federer won eleven singles titles and four ATP Masters Series titles in 2005. Nadal broke Mats Wilander’s previous teenage record of nine in 1983.[citation needed] Eight of Nadal's titles were on clay and the remainder on hard courts. Nadal won 79 matches, second only to Federer's 81. Nadal won the Golden Bagel Award for 2005 with eleven 6–0 sets during the year.[30] Also he earned the highest year-end ranking ever by a Spaniard and the ATP Most Improved Player of the Year award.

2006

Nadal holding the Coupe des Mousquetaires trophy after winning the 2006 French Open.

Nadal missed the Australian Open because of a foot injury.[31] In February, he lost in the semifinals of the first tournament he played, the Open 13 tournament in Marseille, France. Two weeks later, he handed Roger Federer his first loss of the year in the final of the Dubai Duty Free Men's Open. To complete the spring hard court season, Nadal was upset in the semifinals of the Pacific Life Open in Indian Wells, California and in the second round of the 2006 Miami Masters.

On European clay, Nadal won all four tournaments he entered and 24 consecutive matches. He defeated Federer in the final of the Masters Series Monte Carlo in four sets. The following week, he defeated Tommy Robredo in the final of the Open Sabadell Atlántico tournament in Barcelona. After a one week break, Nadal won the Masters Series Internazionali BNL d'Italia in Rome, defeating Federer in a fifth set tiebreaker in the final after saving two match points and equaling Bjorn Borg's tally of 16 ATP titles won as a teenager.[citation needed] Nadal broke Argentinian Guillermo Vilas's 29-year male record of 53 consecutive clay-court match victories by winning his first round match at the French Open. Vilas presented Nadal with a trophy but commented later that Nadal's feat was less impressive than his own because Nadal's winning streak covered two years and was accomplished by adding easy tournaments to his schedule.[32] Nadal went on to play Federer in the final of the French Open. 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 Grand Slam final.[33]

On grass, Nadal injured his shoulder while playing a quarterfinal match against Lleyton Hewitt at the Artois Championships, played at Queen's Club in London.[34] Nadal was unable to complete the match, which ended his 26-match winning streak. Nadal was seeded second at Wimbledon but was two points from defeat against American qualifier Robert Kendrick in the second round before coming back to win in five sets. In the third round, Nadal defeated World No. 20 Andre Agassi in straight sets at Agassi's last career match at Wimbledon. Nadal also won his next three matches in straight sets, which set up another final with Federer, who had won this tournament the three previous years. Nadal was the first Spanish man since Manuel Santana in 1966 to reach the Wimbledon final, but 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.[citation needed]

During the lead up to the US Open, Nadal played 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 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 Stockholm Open 6–4, 7–6. The following week, Nadal lost to Tomáš Berdych in the quarterfinals of the year's last Masters Series tournament, the Mutua Madrileña Masters in Madrid. 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 went on to become the first player since Andre Agassi in 1994–95 to finish the year as the World No. 2 in consecutive years.

2007

Nadal started the year by playing in six hard court tournaments. He lost in the semifinals and first round of his first two tournaments and then lost in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open to eventual runner-up Fernando González. After another quarterfinal loss at the Dubai Tennis Championships, he won the 2007 Indian Wells Masters before Novak Djokovic defeated him in the quarterfinals of the 2007 Miami Masters.

He had comparatively more success after returning to Europe to play five clay court tournaments. He won the titles at the Masters Series Monte Carlo, the Open Sabadell Atlántico in Barcelona, and the Masters Series Internazionali BNL d'Italia in Rome before losing to Roger Federer in the final of the Masters Series Hamburg. This defeat ended his 81-match winning streak on clay, which is the male open era record for consecutive wins on a single surface. He then rebounded to win the French Open for the third straight year, defeating Federer once again in the final.

Between the tournaments in Barcelona and Rome, Nadal defeated Federer in the "Battle of Surfaces" exhibition match in Majorca, Spain, with the tennis court being half grass and half clay.[35]

Nadal played the Artois Championships at Queen's Club in London 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 Wimbledon before losing to Federer in the five-set final. This was Federer's first five-set match at Wimbledon since 2001.[36]

In July, Nadal won the clay court Mercedes Cup in Stuttgart, 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 Rogers Cup in Montreal before losing his first match at the Western & Southern Financial Group Masters in Cincinnati, Ohio. He was the second-seeded player at the US Open but was defeated in the fourth round by David Ferrer.

After a month-long break from tournament tennis, Nadal played the Mutua Madrileña Masters in Madrid and the BNP Paribas Masters in Paris. David Nalbandian 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 Tennis Masters Cup in Shanghai, 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 Toni Nadal's claim that the problem was "serious". Nadal and his spokesman strongly denied this, however, with Nadal himself calling the story "totally false".[37]

2008

Nadal at the 2008 Cincinnati Masters in Mason, Ohio.

Nadal began the year in India, where he was the runner-up to Mikhail Youzhny at the Chennai Open. Nadal then reached the semifinals of the Australian Open for the first time. He also reached the final of the 2008 Miami Masters for the second time.

During the spring clay court season, Nadal won four singles titles and defeated Roger Federer in three finals. He beat Federer at the Masters Series Monte Carlo for the third straight year, capturing his open era record fourth consecutive title there. He won in straight sets, despite Federer holding a 4–0 lead in the second set.[38] He then won his fourth consecutive title at the Open Sabadell Atlantico tournament in Barcelona. A few weeks later, Nadal won his first title at the Masters Series Hamburg, defeating Federer in the three-set final. He then won the French Open, becoming only the fifth man in the open era to win a Grand Slam singles title without losing a set.[39] 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 bagel since 1999.[38] This was Nadal's fourth consecutive French title, tying Björn Borg's all-time record. Nadal became only the fourth male player during the open era to win the same Grand Slam singles tournament four consecutive years (the others being Borg, Pete Sampras, and Federer).

Nadal then played Federer in the final of Wimbledon for the third consecutive year, in the most anticipated match of their rivalry.[40][41] Nadal entered the final on a 23-match winning streak, including his first career grass court title at the Artois Championships staged at Queen's Club in London prior to Wimbledon. Federer had won his record fifth grass court title at the Gerry Weber Open in Halle and then reached 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.[41][42] 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 tennis critics even calling it the greatest match in tennis history.[2][43][44][45][46] 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 (after Rod Laver in 1969 and Borg in 1978–80) as well as the second Spaniard to win Wimbledon. He also ended Federer's record streak of five consecutive Wimbledon titles and 65 straight wins on grass courts.

After Wimbledon, Nadal extended his winning streak to a career-best 32 matches. He won his second Rogers Cup title in Toronto and then made it into the semifinals of the Western & Southern Financial Group Masters in Cincinnati, Ohio. As a result, Nadal clinched the US Open Series and, combined with Federer's early round losses in both of those tournaments, finally earned Nadal the World No. 1 ranking on August 18, officially ending Federer's record four-and-a-half year reign at the top.

At the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Nadal defeated Novak Djokovic of Serbia in the semifinals 6–4, 1–6, 6–4 and Fernando González of Chile in the final to win his first Olympic gold medal. Nadal became the first male player ranked in the top five to win the gold medal.[47]

At the US Open, Nadal was the top-seeded player for the first time at a Grand Slam tournament. He did not lose a set during his first three matches, defeating qualifiers in the first and second rounds and Viktor Troicki in the third round. He then needed four sets to defeat both Sam Querrey in the fourth round and Mardy Fish in the quarterfinals. In the semifinals, he lost to Andy Murray 6–2, 7–6(5), 4–6, 6–4. Later in the year in Madrid, Nadal helped Spain defeat the United States in the Davis Cup semifinals.

At the Mutua Madrileña Masters in Madrid, Nadal lost in the semifinals to Gilles Simon 3–6, 7–5, 7–6(6). However, his performance at the event guaranteed that he would become the first Spaniard during the open era to finish the year as the World No. 1.[48] Two weeks later at the BNP Paribas Masters in France, Nadal reached the quarterfinals where he faced Nikolay Davydenko. Nadal lost the first set 6–1 before retiring in the second with a knee injury.[49] The following week, Nadal announced his withdrawal from the year-ending Tennis Masters Cup in Shanghai, citing tendinitis of the knee. On 10 November, Nadal withdrew from Spain's Davis Cup final against Argentina as his knee injury had not healed sufficiently.[50]

2009

File:Nadal trofeo n1.jpg
Nadal was awarded the 2008 ATP World Tour Champion trophy on court in the 2009 Qatar ExxonMobil Open on Doha.

Nadal started 2009 at the Capitala World Tennis Championship, an exhibition tournament in Abu Dhabi where he lost to Andy Murray in the final.[51]

Nadal's first official ATP tour event for the year was the 250 series Qatar ExxonMobil Open in Doha. Nadal faced Fabrice Santoro in the first round for the first time in their careers, with Nadal prevailing 6–0, 6–1 in 47 minutes. After the match, Nadal was awarded the 2008 ATP World Tour Champion trophy.[52] Nadal eventually lost in the quarterfinals to Gael Monfils, 6–4, 6–4, which was his first loss to the World No. 13 in four matches. Nadal also entered and won the tournament's doubles event with partner Marc Lopez, defeating the World No. 1 doubles team of Daniel Nestor and Nenad Zimonjic in the final. As noted by statistician Greg Sharko, this was the first time since 1990 that the World No. 1 singles player had played the World No. 1 doubles player in a final.[53]

At the Australian Open, Nadal won his first five matches without dropping a set before defeating compatriot Fernando Verdasco in the semifinals 6–7(4), 6–4, 7–6(2), 6–7(1), 6–4—the longest match in Australian Open history at 5 hours and 14 minutes.[54] This win set up a championship match with Roger Federer—their first meeting ever in a hard court Grand Slam final and nineteenth meeting overall. Nadal defeated Federer in five sets to earn his first hard court Grand Slam singles title,[55] making him the first Spaniard in history to win the Australian Open and the fourth male tennis player—after Jimmy Connors, Mats Wilander, and Andre Agassi—to win Grand Slam singles titles on three different surfaces. This win also made Nadal the first male tennis player to hold three Grand Slam singles titles on three different surfaces at the same time.[56]

Nadal then played the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament in Rotterdam. In the final, he lost to second-seeded Murray in three sets. During the final, Nadal called a trainer to attend to a tendon problem with his right knee, which notably affected his play in the final set.[57] Although this knee problem was not associated with Nadal's right knee tendonitis, it was serious enough to cause him to withdraw from the Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships a week later.[58]

In March, Nadal helped Spain defeat Serbia in a Davis Cup World Group first round tie on clay in Benidorm, Spain. Nadal defeated Janko Tipsarevic 6–1, 6–0, 6–2 and Novak Djokovic 6–4, 6–4, 6–1. The win over World No. 3 Djokovic was Nadal's twelfth consecutive Davis Cup singles match win and boosted his career win–loss record against Djokovic to 11–4, including 6–0 on clay.[59]

At the 2009 Indian Wells Masters, Nadal won his thirteenth Masters 1000 series tournament. In the fourth round, Nadal saved five match points before defeating David Nalbandian for the first time.[60] Nadal defeated Juan Martin del Potro in the quarterfinals and Andy Roddick in the semifinals before defeating Murray in the final. The next ATP tour event was the 2009 Miami Masters. Rafael Nadal was made to work hard for a 7-6(2), 7-6(4) victory over Swiss No. 16 seed Stanislas Wawrinka on Tuesday evening to reach the quarter-finals. Nadal saved three match points before losing in the quarterfinals to del Potro 6–4, 3–6, 7–6(3) after Nadal holding a 3-0 lead in the final set. This was the first time del Potro had defeated Nadal in five career matches.[61]

Nadal began his European clay court season at the 2009 Monte Carlo Masters, where he won a record fifth consecutive singles title there.[62] He defeated Andy Murray in the semifinals 6-2, 7-6 and he defeated Novak Djokovic 6-3, 2-6, 6-1 in the final to be the only man to win this tournament 5 times consecutively, and only one title away from Reggie Doherty, who won 6 times in Monte Carlo. He drew equal with Roger Federer on the number of ATP World Tour Masters 1000 titles with this being his 14th title & is only behind Andre Agassi's record 17 ATP World Tour Masters 1000 titles. Nadal is the first male player to win the same ATP Master series event for 5 consecutive years.

Only days after capturing a fifth-straight Monte Carlo title, Nadal competed in the ATP 500 event in Barcelona, looking for a fifth consecutive title there. After receiving a first-round bye, Nadal opened up against Frederico Gil in the second round, who he defeated 6-2, 6-2. In the third round, Nadal defeated Christophe Rochus 6-2, 6-0. In the quarter finals, Nadal was scheduled to face David Nalbandian, but due to a hip injury, Nalbandian withdrew, thereby sending Nadal to the semi-finals via a walk over. In the semi-finals Nadal defeated Nikolay Davydenko 6-3 6-2 and advanced to his 5th consecutive final where he faced David Ferrer in a repeat of the all-Spanish 2008 final. Nadal went on to beat Ferrer 6-2 7-5 to record a stunning 5 consecutive Barcelona victories dating back to 2005 to go with his 5 at Monte Carlo. [63]

After winning at Barcelona, Nadal was back to Rome where he was defeated by Juan Carlos Ferrero in 2008. After receiving a first-round bye, Nadal opened up against Andreas Seppi in the second round, who he defeated 6-2, 6-3. In the third round, he faced an inspired Robin Soderling who pushed Nadal in every ball of the match before prevailing 6-1, 6-0. Though Soderling earned five break point chances in the opening set, Nadal refused to drop serve and in turn broke the Swede six times in eight opportunities during the one hour, 24-minute match. Soderling managed to win just 11 points total in the second set – seven of which came on serve in the final game. He defeated his compatriot Fernando Verdasco in the quarterfinal 6-3, 6-3 improving his record against Fernando Verdasco to 8-0. He faced Fernando Gonzalez in the semifinals and won 6-3, 6-3. In the final he faced Novak Djokovic and after some great tennis from both men, Rafa won in straight sets 7-6(2) 6-2 to improve his overall record to 13-4 and clay record to 8-0 against the Serb..[64] He became the first player in history to win four Rome titles. With this win, Nadal is now only 2 ATP World Tour Masters 1000 titles away from Andre Agassi's all-time record (17) and 1 above Roger Federer (14).

After winning two clay court Masters, he will be participating in Madrid Masters. After receiving a first-round bye, Nadal easily prevailed against Jurgen Melzer 6-3, 6-1 in front of home crowd with only 3 unforced errors during the match. In the third-round , Nadal was scheduled to face Philipp Kohlschreiber, but due to a leg injury, Kohlschreiber withdrew, thereby sending Nadal to the quarter-finals via a walk over. Nadal defeated Fernando Verdasco 6-4, 7-5 in the quarter-finals to setup a semi-final against Novak Djokovic. In the second set against Verdasco, Nadal was trailing 4-0 but recovered well to win the set 7-5.

Playing style

Nadal at the 2006 Cincinnati Masters

Nadal generally plays an aggressive behind-the-baseline game founded on heavy topspin groundstrokes, consistency, speedy footwork, and tenacious court coverage.[65] Known for his athleticism and speed around the court, Nadal is a capable defender[66] who hits well on the run, constructing winning plays from seemingly defensive positions. While primarily a baseliner, Nadal is also a comfortable net player, using well-struck approach shots, drop shots, and volleys when situations dictate.[67] Nadal's touch and skill at net and his ability to finish points from that position on the court are one of the most underestimated aspects of his game.[68]

Nadal employs a full western grip forehand, often with a "buggy-whip" follow through, where his left arm hits through the ball and finishes above his left shoulder—as opposed to a more traditional finish across the body or around his opposite shoulder.[69][70] Nadal's forehand groundstroke form allows him to hit shots with heavy topspin—more so than many of his contemporaries.[71] While Nadal's shots tend to land short of the baseline, the characteristically high bounces his forehands achieve tend to mitigate the advantage an opponent would normally gain from capitalizing on a short ball. Nadal is also able to hit his forehand with a more traditional follow-through when a deeper, more penetrating shot is called for.[72]

Nadal has developed his serve into a solid weapon since his earlier years as a pro.[73] Nadal is able to deliver a high percentage of first serves, struck with pace and placed strategically.[74] Nadal's second serve usually employs a hard left-handed slice towards right-handed opponents' backhands. Nadal relies on the consistency of his serve to gain a strategic advantage early in the point and earn a respectable amount of aces and service winners.[75]

Nadal's mental resiliency and strategic approach to the game is another noted strength. Nadal is able to avoid discouragement regardless of match score, allowing him to singularly focus on winning the current point and gaining an advantage. As a strategic player, Nadal can assess outside variables such as court surface, weather conditions, and his opponent's tactics in order to adjust his own play to best adapt to present conditions.[76]

While Nadal's game is best-suited to clay courts, Nadal is no longer considered a "clay court specialist" due to continued success at tournaments played on other surfaces.[77][78][79] Despite praise for Nadal's talent and skill, some have questioned his longevity in the sport, citing his build and playing style as conducive to injury.[80] Nadal himself has admitted to the physical toll hard courts place on ATP Tour players, calling for a reevaluated tour schedule featuring fewer hard court tournaments.[81]

Rivalry with Roger Federer

Main article: Federer–Nadal rivalry

Nadal and Federer have been playing each other since 2004, and this rivalry is a significant part of both men's careers:

  • They are the only men in the open era who have played each other in 7 Grand Slam finals.[82]
  • Their 2008 Wimbledon final has been lauded as the greatest match of all time by many long-time tennis critics.[44][83]
  • Many critics consider their rivalry to be the greatest in tennis history.[2][84][85][86]

Equipment and endorsements

Nadal uses an AeroPro Drive racquet with a 4 1/4" L2 grip. His racquets do not contain cortex. Nadal's racquets are painted to resemble the Aero Pro Drive with Cortex racquet in order to market a current model which Babolat sells.[87][88] Nadal uses no replacement grip, and instead wraps 2 overgrips around the handle. Nadal uses Duralast 15L strings—strung between 55 and 56 pounds[89]—while promoting Babolat's Pro Hurricane Tour strings for marketing purposes. Nadal's Babolat tennis bag displays his nickname as well as 4 brown stars symbolizing his 4 victories at the French Open and 1 green star symbolizing his victory at Wimbledon and 1 blue star symbolizing his victory at the Australian Open.[citation needed]

Nike serves as Nadal's clothing and shoe sponsor. Nadal's signature on-court attire entailed a variety of sleeveless shirts paired with 3/4 length capri pants.[90] For the 2009 season, Nadal has 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[91] and associate Nadal with a style that—while less distinctive than his "pirate" look—would be more widely emulated by consumers.[92][93]

At warmup tournaments in Abu Dhabi and Doha, Nadal played matches in a polo shirt specifically designed for him by Nike,[94] paired with shorts cut above the knee. Nadal's new, more conventional style carried over to the 2009 Australian Open, where Nadal was outfitted with Nike's Bold Crew Men's Tee[95] and Nadal Long Check Shorts.[96][97][98]

Nadal wears Nike's Air Max Breathe Cage II tennis shoes,[99] bearing various customizations throughout the season, including his nickname—"Rafa"—on the right shoe and a stylized bull logo on the left.[100]

Nadal has appeared in advertising campaigns for Kia Motors as a global ambassador for the company. In May 2008, Kia released a claymation viral ad featuring Nadal in a tennis match with an alien. Nadal also has an endorsement agreement with Universal DVDs.[101]

Career statistics

Major singles finals (28)

Grand Slam singles finals (8)

Wins (6)
Year Championship Surface Opponent in Final Score in Final
2005 French Open Clay Argentina Mariano Puerta 6–7(6), 6–3, 6–1, 7–5
2006 French Open (2) Clay Switzerland Roger Federer 1–6, 6–1, 6–4, 7–6(4)
2007 French Open (3) Clay Switzerland Roger Federer 6–3, 4–6, 6–3, 6–4
2008 French Open (4) Clay Switzerland Roger Federer 6–1, 6–3, 6–0
2008 Wimbledon Grass Switzerland Roger Federer 6–4, 6–4, 6–7(5), 6–7(8), 9–7
2009 Australian Open Hard Switzerland Roger Federer 7–5, 3–6, 7–6(3), 3–6, 6–2
Runner-ups (2)
Year Championship Surface Opponent in Final Score in Final
2006 Wimbledon Grass Switzerland Roger Federer 6–0, 7–6(5), 6–7(2), 6–3
2007 Wimbledon (2) Grass Switzerland Roger Federer 7–6(7), 4–6, 7–6(3), 2–6, 6–2

Olympic singles finals (1)

Gold (1)
Year Tournament Surface Opponent in Final Score in Final
2008 Beijing Summer Olympics Hard Chile Fernando González 6–3, 7–6(2), 6–3

ATP Masters 1000 singles finals (19)

Wins (15)
Year Tournament Surface Opponent in Final Score in Final
2005 Monte Carlo Clay Argentina Guillermo Coria 6–3, 6–1, 0–6, 7–5
2005 Rome Clay Argentina Guillermo Coria 6–4, 3–6, 6–3, 4–6, 7–6(6)
2005 Canada (Montréal) Hard United States Andre Agassi 6–3, 4–6, 6–2
2005 Madrid Hard (i) Croatia Ivan Ljubičić 3–6, 2–6, 6–3, 6–4, 7–6(3)
2006 Monte Carlo (2) Clay Switzerland Roger Federer 6–2, 6–7(2), 6–3, 7–6(5)
2006 Rome (2) Clay Switzerland Roger Federer 6–7(0), 7–6(5), 6–4, 2–6, 7–6(5)
2007 Indian Wells Hard Serbia Novak Djokovic 6–2, 7–5
2007 Monte Carlo (3) Clay Switzerland Roger Federer 6–4, 6–4
2007 Rome (3) Clay Chile Fernando González 6–2, 6–2
2008 Monte Carlo (4) Clay Switzerland Roger Federer 7–5, 7–5
2008 Hamburg Clay Switzerland Roger Federer 7–5, 6–7(3), 6–3
2008 Canada (Toronto) (2) Hard Germany Nicolas Kiefer 6–3, 6–2
2009 Indian Wells (2) Hard United Kingdom Andy Murray 6–1, 6–2
2009 Monte Carlo (5) Clay Serbia Novak Djokovic 6–3, 2–6, 6–1
2009 Rome (4) Clay Serbia Novak Djokovic 7–6(2), 6–2
Runner-ups (4)
Year Tournament Surface Opponent in Final Score in Final
2005 Miami Hard Switzerland Roger Federer 2–6, 6–7(4), 7–6(5), 6–3, 6–1
2007 Hamburg Clay Switzerland Roger Federer 2–6, 6–2, 6–0
2007 Paris Hard (i) Argentina David Nalbandian 6–4, 6–0
2008 Miami (2) Hard Russia Nikolay Davydenko 6–4, 6–2

Career finals (53)

Singles (45)

Wins (36)
Legend (pre/post 2009)
Grand Slam tournaments (6)
Tennis Masters Cup /
ATP World Tour Finals (0)
Olympic Gold medal (1)
ATP Masters Series /
ATP World Tour Masters 1000 (15)
ATP International Series Gold /
ATP World Tour 500 Series (9)
ATP International Series /
ATP World Tour 250 Series (5)
Titles by Surface
Hard (9)
Clay (25)
Grass (2)
Carpet (0)
No. Date Tournament, Location Surface Opponent in Final Score in Final
1. August 15, 2004 Sopot, Poland Clay Argentina José Acasuso 6–3, 6–4
2. February 20, 2005 Costa do Sauípe, Brasil Clay Spain Alberto Martín 6–0, 6–7(2), 6–1
3. February 27, 2005 Acapulco, Mexico Clay Spain Albert Montañés 6–1, 6–0
4. April 17, 2005 Monte Carlo, Monaco Clay Argentina Guillermo Coria 6–3, 6–1, 0–6, 7–5
5. April 24, 2005 Barcelona, Spain Clay Spain Juan Carlos Ferrero 6–1, 7–6(4), 6–3
6. May 8, 2005 Rome, Italy Clay Argentina Guillermo Coria 6–4, 3–6, 6–3, 4–6, 7–6(6)
7. June 5, 2005 French Open, Paris, France Clay Argentina Mariano Puerta 6–7(6), 6–3, 6–1, 7–5
8. July 10, 2005 Båstad, Sweden Clay Czech Republic Tomáš Berdych 2–6, 6–2, 6–4
9. July 24, 2005 Stuttgart, Germany Clay Argentina Gastón Gaudio 6–3, 6–3, 6–4
10. August 14, 2005 Canada (Montréal) Hard United States Andre Agassi 6–3, 4–6, 6–2
11. September 18, 2005 Beijing, China Hard Argentina Guillermo Coria 5–7, 6–1, 6–2
12. October 23, 2005 Madrid, Spain Hard (i) Croatia Ivan Ljubičić 3–6, 2–6, 6–3, 6–4, 7–6(3)
13. March 4, 2006 Dubai, United Arab Emirates Hard Switzerland Roger Federer 2–6, 6–4, 6–4
14. April 23, 2006 Monte Carlo, Monaco (2) Clay Switzerland Roger Federer 6–2, 6–7(2), 6–3, 7–6(5)
15. April 30, 2006 Barcelona, Spain (2) Clay Spain Tommy Robredo 6–4, 6–4, 6–0
16. May 14, 2006 Rome, Italy (2) Clay Switzerland Roger Federer 6–7(0), 7–6(5), 6–4, 2–6, 7–6(5)
17. June 11, 2006 French Open, Paris, France (2) Clay Switzerland Roger Federer 1–6, 6–1, 6–4, 7–6(4)
18. March 18, 2007 Indian Wells, United States Hard Serbia Novak Djokovic 6–2, 7–5
19. April 22, 2007 Monte Carlo, Monaco (3) Clay Switzerland Roger Federer 6–4, 6–4
20. April 29, 2007 Barcelona, Spain (3) Clay Argentina Guillermo Cañas 6–3, 6–4
21. May 13, 2007 Rome, Italy (3) Clay Chile Fernando González 6–2, 6–2
22. June 10, 2007 French Open, Paris, France (3) Clay Switzerland Roger Federer 6–3, 4–6, 6–3, 6–4
23. July 22, 2007 Stuttgart, Germany (2) Clay Switzerland Stanislas Wawrinka 6–4, 7–5
24. April 27, 2008 Monte Carlo, Monaco (4) Clay Switzerland Roger Federer 7–5, 7–5
25. May 4, 2008 Barcelona, Spain (4) Clay Spain David Ferrer 6–1, 4–6, 6–1
26. May 18, 2008 Hamburg, Germany Clay Switzerland Roger Federer 7–5, 6–7(3), 6–3
27. June 8, 2008 French Open, Paris, France (4) Clay Switzerland Roger Federer 6–1, 6–3, 6–0
28. June 15, 2008 London Queen's Club, United Kingdom Grass Serbia Novak Djokovic 7–6(6), 7–5
29. July 6, 2008 Wimbledon, London, United Kingdom Grass Switzerland Roger Federer 6–4, 6–4, 6–7(5), 6–7(8), 9–7
30. July 27, 2008 Canada (Toronto) (2) Hard Germany Nicolas Kiefer 6–3, 6–2
31. August 17, 2008 Summer Olympics 2008, Beijing, China Hard Chile Fernando González 6–3, 7–6(2), 6–3
32. February 1, 2009 Australian Open, Melbourne, Australia Hard Switzerland Roger Federer 7–5, 3–6, 7–6(3), 3–6, 6–2
33. March 22, 2009 Indian Wells, United States (2) Hard United Kingdom Andy Murray 6–1, 6–2
34. April 19, 2009 Monte Carlo, Monaco (5) Clay Serbia Novak Djokovic 6–3, 2–6, 6–1
35. April 26, 2009 Barcelona, Spain (5) Clay Spain David Ferrer 6–2, 7–5
36. May 3, 2009 Rome, Italy (4) Clay Serbia Novak Djokovic 7–6(2), 6–2
Runner-ups (9)
Legend (pre/post 2009)
Grand Slam Tournaments (2)
Tennis Masters Cup /
ATP World Tour Finals (0)
ATP Masters Series /
ATP World Tour Masters 1000 (4)
ATP International Series Gold /
ATP World Tour 500 Series (1)
ATP International Series /
ATP World Tour 250 Series (2)
Runner-ups by Surface
Hard (6)
Clay (1)
Grass (2)
Carpet (0)
No. Date Tournament Surface Opponent in Final Score in Final
1. January 18, 2004 Auckland, New Zealand Hard Slovakia Dominik Hrbatý 4–6, 6–2, 7–5
2. April 3, 2005 Miami, United States Hard Switzerland Roger Federer 2–6, 6–7(4), 7–6(5), 6–3, 6–1
3. July 9, 2006 Wimbledon, London, United Kingdom Grass Switzerland Roger Federer 6–0, 7–6(5), 6–7(2), 6–3
4. May 20, 2007 Hamburg, Germany Clay Switzerland Roger Federer 2–6, 6–2, 6–0
5. July 8, 2007 Wimbledon, London, United Kingdom (2) Grass Switzerland Roger Federer 7–6(7), 4–6, 7–6(3), 2–6, 6–2
6. November 4, 2007 Paris, France Hard (i) Argentina David Nalbandian 6–4, 6–0
7. January 6, 2008 Chennai, India Hard Russia Mikhail Youzhny 6–0, 6–1
8. April 6, 2008 Miami, United States Hard Russia Nikolay Davydenko 6–4, 6–2
9. February 15, 2009 Rotterdam, Netherlands Hard (i) United Kingdom Andy Murray 6–3, 4–6, 6–0

Doubles (8)

Wins (5)
Legend (pre/post 2009)
ATP Masters Series /
ATP World Tour Masters 1000 (1)
ATP International Series Gold /
ATP World Tour 500 Series (0)
ATP International Series /
ATP World Tour 250 Series (4)
No. Date Tournament Surface Partner Opponents in Final Score in Final
1. Jul 27, 2003 Umag, Croatia Clay Spain Álex López Morón Australia Todd Perry
Japan Thomas Shimada 		6–1, 6–3
2. Jan 11, 2004 Chennai, India Hard Spain Tommy Robredo Israel Jonathan Erlich
Israel Andy Ram 		7–6(3), 4–6, 6–3
3. Jan 9, 2005 Doha, Qatar Hard Spain Albert Costa Romania Andrei Pavel
Russia Mikhail Youzhny 		6–3, 4–6, 6–3
4. Apr 27, 2008 Monte Carlo, Monaco Clay Spain Tommy Robredo India Mahesh Bhupathi
The Bahamas Mark Knowles 		6–3, 6–3
5. Jan 9, 2009 Doha, Qatar (2) Hard Spain Marc López Canada Daniel Nestor
Serbia Nenad Zimonjić 		4–6, 6–4, [10–8]
Runner-ups (3)
Legend (pre/post 2009)
ATP International Series Gold /
ATP World Tour 500 Series (2)
ATP International Series /
ATP World Tour 250 Series (1)
No. Date Tournament Surface Partner Opponents in Final Score in Final
1. Apr 24, 2005 Barcelona, Spain Clay Spain Feliciano López India Leander Paes
Serbia Nenad Zimonjić 		6–3, 6–3
2. Jan 8, 2007 Chennai, India Hard Spain Tomeu Salvà Belgium Xavier Malisse
Belgium Dick Norman 		7–6(4), 7–6(4)
3. Apr 30, 2007 Barcelona, Spain Clay Spain Tomeu Salvà Romania Andrei Pavel
Germany Alexander Waske 		6–3, 7–6(1)

(i) = Indoor

Singles performance timeline

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 2009 Rome Masters in Rome, which ended 3 May, 2009.

Tournament 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 Career SR Career W-L Career Win %
Grand Slam tournaments
Australian Open A A 3R 4R A QF SF W 1 / 5 21–4 84.00
French Open A A A W W W W 4 / 4 28–0 100.00
Wimbledon A 3R A 2R F F W 1 / 5 22–4 84.62
US Open A 2R 2R 3R QF 4R SF 0 / 6 16–6 72.73
SR 0 / 0 0 / 2 0 / 2 1 / 4 1 / 3 1 / 4 2 / 4 1 / 1 6 / 20 N/A 30.00
Win-Loss 0–0 3–2 3–2 13–3 17–2 20–3 24–2 7–0 N/A 87–14 86.14
Year-End Championship
ATP World Tour Finals A A A A SF SF A 0 / 2 4–4 50.00
Olympic Games
Summer Olympics Not Held A Not Held W NH 1 / 1 6–0 100.00
ATP World Tour Masters 1000
Indian Wells Masters A A 3R A SF W SF W 2 / 5 22–3 88.00
Miami Masters A A 4R F 2R QF F QF 0 / 6 17–6 73.91
Monte Carlo Masters A 3R A W W W W W 5 / 6 29–1 96.67
Rome Masters A A A W W W 2R W 4 / 5 22–1 95.65
Madrid Masters A 1R 2R W QF QF SF SF 2 / 7 17–5 72.22
Canada Masters A A 1R W 3R SF W 2 / 5 16–3 84.21
Cincinnati Masters A A 1R 1R QF 2R SF 0 / 5 6–5 54.55
Shanghai Masters NMS Not Held Not ATP Masters Series 0 / 0 0–0 N/A
Paris Masters A LQ A A A F QF 0 / 2 6–2 75.00
Hamburg Masters A 3R A A A F W NM1 1 / 3 11–2 84.62
SR 0 / 0 0 / 3 0 / 5 4 / 6 2 / 7 3 / 9 3 / 9 3 / 4 15 / 43 N/A 34.88
Win-Loss 0–0 4–3 5–5 28–2 23–5 31–6 32–6 19–1 N/A 142–28 83.53
Career Statistics
ATP Tournaments Played 1 11 18 21 16 20 19 8 Career total: 114
ATP Finals Reached 0 0 2 12 6 9 10 6 Career total: 45
ATP Tournaments Won 0 0 1 11 5 6 8 5 Career total: 36
Statistics by surface
Hard Win-Loss 0–0 1–2 14–10 28–6 25–10 31–12 46–10 22–3 N/A 167–53 75.91
Clay Win-Loss 1–1 11–6 14–3 50–2 26–0 31–1 24–1 16–0 N/A 173–14 92.51
Grass Win-Loss 0–0 2–1 0–0 1–2 8–2 8–2 12–0 0–0 N/A 31–7 81.58
Carpet Win-Loss 0–0 0–2 2–4 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 N/A 2–6 25.00
Overall Win-Loss 1–1 14–11 30–17 79–10 59–12 70–15 82–11 38–3 N/A 373–80 82.34
Win (%) 50% 56% 64% 89% 83% 82% 88% 93% Career Win (%): 82%
Year End Ranking 200 49 51 2 2 2 1 N/A
  • Davis Cup and World Team Cup matches are included in the statistics. Walkovers are neither official wins nor official losses.

Template:Performance timeline legend

NMS means an event that was not an ATP Masters Series tournament.
NM1 means an event that was not an ATP Masters 1000 tournament.

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 6 8 6,773,773 1
2009* 1 4 5 3,784,580 1*
Career* 6 30 36 24,542,228 5*
* Statistics correct as of May 4, 2009.

Davis Cup

Nadal plays Andy Roddick at the Las Ventas bullring in Madrid, Spain during the 2008 Davis Cup semifinals. A clay court was specially constructed within the arena for the event.[102]

Nadal played with La Armada on 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2008, winning the trophy on 2004 and 2008, and fighting to remain on the world group on 2005 and 2006. He wasn't able to play on the final of the 2008 Davis Cup due to an injury on his left knee but he later received a replica of the cup given to the members of the Spanish team which played in Argentina, these being David Ferrer, Marcel Granollers, Feliciano López and Fernando Verdasco.

Wins (2)

Edition Rounds/Opponents Results
2004 Davis Cup 1R: Czech Republic QF: Netherlands SF: France F: United States 1R: 3–2 QF: 4–1 SF: 4–1 F: 3–2
2008 Davis Cup 1R: Peru QF: Germany SF: United States F: Argentina 1R: 5–0 QF: 4–1 SF: 4–1 F: 3–1

Participations (19)

Singles (13)
Edition Round Date Against Surface Opponent Win/Lose Result
2004 Davis Cup 1R 6-8 February 2004 Czech Republic Czech Republic Hard Czech Republic Jiri Novak Lose 7–6(3), 6–3, 7–6(2)
Czech Republic Radek Stepanek Win 7–6(2), 7–6(4), 6–3
SF 24–26 September 2004 France France Clay France Arnaud Clement Win 6–4, 6–1, 6–2
F 3–5 December 2004 United States United States Clay United States Andy Roddick Win 6–7(6), 6–2, 7–6(6), 6–2
2005 Davis Cup WG Play-Offs 23–25 September 2005 Italy Italy Clay Italy Daniele Bracciali Win 6–3, 6–2, 6–1
Italy Andreas Seppi Win 6–1, 6–2, 5–7, 6–4
2006 Davis Cup WG Play-Offs 22–24 September 2006 Italy Italy Clay Italy Andreas Seppi Win 6–0, 6–4, 6–3
Italy Filippo Volandri Win 3–6, 7–5, 6–3, 6–3
2008 Davis Cup QF 11–13 April 2008 Germany Germany Hard Germany Nicolas Kiefer Win 7–6(5), 6–0, 6–3
SF 19–21 September 2008 United States United States Clay United States Sam Querrey Win 6–7(5), 6–4, 6–3, 6–4
United States Andy Roddick Win 6–4, 6–0, 6–4
2009 Davis Cup 1R 7–8 March 2009 Serbia Serbia Clay Serbia Janko Tipsarević Win 6–1, 6–0, 6–2
Serbia Novak Djokovic Win 6–4, 6–4, 6–1
Doubles (6)
Edition Round Date Partnering Against Surface Opponents Win/Lose Result
2004 Davis Cup 1R 6-8 February 2004 Spain Tommy Robredo Czech Republic Czech Republic Hard Czech Republic Jiri Novak
Czech Republic Radek Stepanek 		Lose 6–4, 7–6(6), 6–3
QF 9–11 April 2004 Spain Tommy Robredo Netherlands The Netherlands Clay Netherlands John Van Lottum
Netherlands Martin Verkerk 		Lose 3–6, 2–6, 6–3, 6–3, 6–2
SF 24–26 September 2004 Spain Tommy Robredo France France Clay France Arnaud Clement
France Michael Llodra 		Win 7–6(4), 4–6, 6–2, 2–6, 6–3
2005 Davis Cup 1R 4–6 March 2005 Spain Albert Costa Slovakia Slovakia Clay Slovakia Karol Beck
Slovakia Michal Mertinak 		Lose 7–6(3), 6–4, 7–6(8)
WG Play-Offs 23–25 September 2005 Spain Feliciano López Italy Italy Clay Italy Daniele Bracciali
Italy Giorgio Galimberti 		Lose 4–6, 6–4, 6–3, 4–6, 9–7
2006 Davis Cup WG Play-Offs 22–24 September 2006 Spain Fernando Verdasco Italy Italy Clay Italy Daniele Bracciali
Italy Giorgio Galimberti 		Win 6–2, 3–6, 6–3, 7–6(4)

Challengers and futures finals

Singles wins (8)

Legend
Challengers (2)
Futures (6)
No. Date Tournament Surface Opponent in Final Score in Final
1. July 15, 2002 Spain F5, Alicante, Spain Clay Spain Marc Fornell 7–5, 3–6, 6–3
2. August 19, 2002 Spain F10, Vigo, Spain Clay Argentina Antonio Pastorino 4–6, 7–6(4), 6–4
3. September 23, 2002 Spain F15, Barcelona, Spain Clay Spain Marc Fornell-Mestres 6–4, 6–3
4. September 30, 2002 Spain F16, Barcelona, Spain Clay Spain Guillermo García-López 6–3, 7–6(1)
5. November 25, 2002 Spain F19, Gran Canaria, Spain Clay Spain Marc Fornell-Mestres 6–2, 6–3
6. December 2, 2002 Spain F20, Gran Canaria, Spain Hard (i) Germany Florian Mayer 7–6(3), 6–4
7. March 31, 2003 Barletta challenger, Italy Clay Spain Albert Portas 6–2, 7–6(2)
8. August 4, 2003 Segovia challenger, Spain Hard Czech Republic Tomáš Zíb 6–2, 7–6(1)

Singles runner-ups (4)

Legend
Challengers (4)
Futures (0)
No. Date Tournament Surface Opponent in Final Score in Final
1. 1 February 2003 Hamburg challenger, Germany Carpet (indoor) Croatia Mario Ančić 6–2, 6–3
2. 1 March 2003 Cherbourg challenger, France Hard (indoor) Argentina Sergio Roitman 6–3, 5–7, 6–4
3. 22 March 2003 Cagliari challenger, Italy Clay Italy Filippo Volandri 2–6, 6–2, 6–1
4. 4 April 2003 Aix-en-Provence challenger, France Clay Argentina Mariano Puerta 3–6, 7–6(6), 6–4

See also

Notes

  1. ^ "Record-breaking Rafa Notches Up Another First". Tennishead. February 4, 2009. Retrieved February 4, 2009. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |dateformat= ignored (help)
  2. ^ a b c Fendrich, Howard (July 7, 2008). "Federer-Nadal rivalry as good as it gets". International Herald Tribune. iht.com. Retrieved November 6, 2008. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |dateformat= ignored (help) Cite error: The named reference "asgoodasitgets" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  3. ^ Weaver, Paul (7 July 2008). "Move over McEnroe and Borg, this one will run and run in the memory". The Guardian. guardian.co.uk. Retrieved November 6 2008. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |dateformat= ignored (help)
  4. ^ Flanagan, Martin (July 12, 2008). "Federer v Nadal as good as sport gets". The Age. theage.com.ua. Retrieved November 6 2008. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Text "2008-07-12" ignored (help)
  5. ^ "Roger, Rafa to Meet in Record Sixth Grand Slam Final". ATPtennis.com. July 4, 2008. Retrieved November 6 2008. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |dateformat= ignored (help)
  6. ^ Associated Press (August 1, 2008). "It's official: Nadal will pass Federer for No. 1". NBC Sports. Retrieved November 6, 2008. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |dateformat= ignored (help)
  7. ^ "Players — Head-to-head". ATPtennis.com. Retrieved November 6, 2008. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |dateformat= ignored (help)
  8. ^ "Nadal's Numbers: 10 amazing clay stats". Tennis.com. July 8, 2008. Retrieved November 6 2008. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |dateformat= ignored (help)
  9. ^ Garber, Greg (May 20, 2007). "Federer ends Nadal's win streak". ESPN Tennis. ESPN.com. Retrieved November 6, 2008. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |dateformat= ignored (help)
  10. ^ Harwitt, Sandra (June 8, 2008). "Is Rafael Nadal the best clay-court player ever?". ESPN 2008 French Open. ESPN.com. Retrieved November 6 2008. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |dateformat= ignored (help)
  11. ^ Bodo, Peter (June 8, 2008). "Endgame on Clay". Peter Bodo's tennisworld. Tennis.com. Retrieved November 6 2008. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |dateformat= ignored (help)
  12. ^ Perrotta, Tom (April 28, 2008). "Nadal Appearing Unbeatable on Clay". The Sun. The New York Sun. Retrieved November 6, 2008. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |dateformat= ignored (help)
  13. ^ "Nadal Clinches Year End No. 1 For First Time". ATPtennis.com. August 18, 2008. Retrieved August 19 2008. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |dateformat= ignored (help)
  14. ^ "Sports 2008". Fundación Principe de Asturias. September 3, 2008. Retrieved November 6, 2008. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |dateformat= ignored (help)
  15. ^ a b c d Clarey, Christopher (June 6, 2005). "Rafael Nadal, Barely 19, He's Got Game, Looks and Remarkably Good Manners". New York Times. NYTimes.com. Retrieved November 6, 2008. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |dateformat= ignored (help)
  16. ^ "Sportsround meets Rafael Nadal". CBBC Newsround. BBC. November 11, 2006. Retrieved November 7, 2008. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |dateformat= ignored (help)
  17. ^ a b Rajaraman, Aarthi (June 2008). "At Home with Humble yet Ambitious Nadal". Inside Tennis. InsideTennis.com. Retrieved November 7 2008. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |dateformat= ignored (help)
  18. ^ a b c d e f Kervin, Alison (April 23, 2006). "The Big Interview: Rafael Nadal". The Sunday Times. TIMESONLINE. Retrieved November 7 2008. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |dateformat= ignored (help)
  19. ^ Davis, Caris (June 23, 2008). "Tennis Hotshot Rafael Nadal Has a Secret Girlfriend". People. People.com. Retrieved November 7 2008. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |dateformat= ignored (help)
  20. ^ "Player Activity. Rafael Nadal (ESP)". ATPTennis.com. 2002. Retrieved November 8 2008. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |dateformat= ignored (help)
  21. ^ Tignor, Stephen (June 20, 2006). "Wimbledon 2006: The Duel". Tennis.com. Retrieved November 8 2008. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |dateformat= ignored (help)
  22. ^ Clarey, Christopher (June 26, 2006). "WIMBLEDON TENNIS: An unusual comfort zone". International Herald Tribune. iht.com. Retrieved November 8 2008. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |dateformat= ignored (help)
  23. ^ "Brave Hewitt battles past Nadal". BBC Sport. Tennis. BBC. January 24, 2005. Retrieved November 9 2008. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |dateformat= ignored (help)
  24. ^ "Nadal proves to be the real deal". BBC Sport. Tennis. BBC. April 5, 2005. Retrieved November 9 2008. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |dateformat= ignored (help)
  25. ^ Associated Press (June 5, 2006). "Teen Nadal gives Spain reign over French Open". USA Today. USATODAY.com. Retrieved November 9 2008. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |dateformat= ignored (help)
  26. ^ a b "ATP Rankings History. Rafael Nadal". ATPTennis.com. 2005. Retrieved November 9 2008. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |dateformat= ignored (help)
  27. ^ Clarey, Christopher (June 6, 2005). "French Open: Nadal triumphs at first attempt". International Herald Tribune. iht.com. Retrieved November 9 2008. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |dateformat= ignored (help)
  28. ^ Associated Press (June 10, 2005). "Waske snaps Nadal's winning streak". Tapei Times. The Tapei Times. Retrieved November 9 2008. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |dateformat= ignored (help)
  29. ^ Linden, Julian (January 6, 2006). "Foot injury delays Rafael Nadal's comeback". rediff NEWS. Rediff.com. Retrieved November 9 2008. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |dateformat= ignored (help)
  30. ^ "Nadal Grabs the Golden Bagel". SideSpin Productions. December 11, 2005. Retrieved November 9, 2008. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |dateformat= ignored (help)
  31. ^ "Champion Safin out of Aussie Open". BBC Sport Tennis. BBC. January 10, 2006. Retrieved November 13 2008. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |dateformat= ignored (help)
  32. ^ Garber, Greg (May 31, 2006). "With Vilas in stands, Nadal makes history". ESPN Tennis/French06. ESPN.com. Retrieved November 13 2008. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |dateformat= ignored (help)
  33. ^ Garber, Greg (June 12, 2006). "Roger's reign on hold with Nadal's dominance". ESPN Tennis/French06. ESPN.com. Retrieved November 13, 2008. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |dateformat= ignored (help)
  34. ^ "TENNIS; Shoulder Forces Nadal To Quit London Match". New York Times. The New York Times Company. June 17, 2006. Retrieved November 13, 2008. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |dateformat= ignored (help)
  35. ^ "The Battle of Surfaces". Retrieved April 4, 2007. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |dateformat= ignored (help)
  36. ^ Cheese, Caroline (July 7, 2007). "Federer wins historic fifth title". BBC Sport. Retrieved November 13, 2008. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |dateformat= ignored (help)
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  52. ^ Nadal, Murray, Federer Off the Mark In 2009
  53. ^ Shark Bites: ATP Tour By The Numbers
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  59. ^ Rafa Wraps It Up For Spain
  60. ^ Nadal Saves Five Match Points in Classic Comeback; Djokovic-Roddick to Meet in QFS
  61. ^ Head to Head Player Details
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Rafael Nadal.
Sporting positions
Preceded by World No. 1
August 18, 2008 		Succeeded by
incumbent
Awards
Preceded by ATP Newcomer of the Year
2003 		Succeeded by
Preceded by ATP Most Improved Player
2005 		Succeeded by
Preceded by ITF World Champion
2008 		Succeeded by
Preceded by ATP Player of the Year
2008 		Succeeded by


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