Rafael Nadal
- For other Spanish people named Nadal, See Nadal (disambiguation).
| Country (sports) |  Spain |
|---|---|
| Residence | Manacor, Mallorca |
| Height | 185 cm (6 ft 1 in) |
| Turned pro | 2001 |
| Plays | Left |
| Prize money | $7,092,879 |
| Singles | |
| Career record | 159-42 |
| Career titles | 17 |
| Highest ranking | No. 2 (July 25, 2005) |
| Grand Slam singles results | |
| Australian Open | 4th round (2005) |
| French Open | Champion (2005, 2006) |
| Wimbledon | 3rd round (2003) |
| US Open | 3rd round (2005) |
| Doubles | |
| Career record | 45-26 |
| Career titles | 3 |
| Highest ranking | No. 26 (August 8, 2005) |
| Last updated on: June 12, 2006. | |
Rafael "Rafa" Nadal Parera (born June 3, 1986) is a Spanish tennis player [1]. He is the nephew of former F.C. Barcelona footballer Miguel Ángel Nadal. He is currently the world's No. 2 male tennis player and was the first man since Boris Becker to reach this ranking in his teenage years.
Nadal plays with a huge topspin and his quickness on the court allows him to return almost every ball. His conditioning allows him to stay sharp, even after he has played for several hours. He is also very strong in counterattacks.
Although Nadal plays left-handed, he is naturally right-handed. When he was younger, his uncle and coach, Toni Nadal, decided that his two-handed backhand would benefit from a strong right arm, so he taught Rafael to play with his left. [2]
Nadal's current clay-court winning streak (after defeating Roger Federer 1-6 6-1 6-4 7-6(4) in the final of the 2006 French Open) stands at 60 consecutive matches, the longest clay court winning streak among men in the Open Era. Nadal had previously shared the record at 53 with Guillermo Vilas. When he broke this record he was still a teen. Chris Evert holds the record (for both men and women) at 125 matches.
Career
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In 2002, he won his first ATP match at Majorca at the age of 15, defeating Ramon Delgado 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 in 2003, he became the youngest player (at age 16) to reach the 3rd round since 16-year-old Boris Becker in 1984.
By May 2005, he had reached the top 5 in world rankings, becoming the youngest player to break into the Top 10 since Andrei Medvedev in 1993.
Nadal won eleven titles in 2005, including four ATP Masters Series events (Monte Carlo, Rome, Montreal, and Madrid, defeating Guillermo Coria in the finals of Monte Carlo/Rome, Ivan Ljubičić in Madrid, and Andre Agassi in Montreal) and one Grand Slam title (Roland Garros, becoming the first player since Mats Wilander in 1982 to win the tournament in his first attempt). He defeated Roger Federer in the semi-finals on his 19th birthday, then won the final against unseeded Mariano Puerta in what was considered by many the best French Open final of the last few years. He boasts a 44-2 match record on clay in 2005 and a 79-10 record on all surfaces this season, second only to Federer, winning the second most matches out of any player on the tour this year.
Nadal won 24 consecutive matches during early 2005, the longest winning streak of any teenager in the Open Era, topping Andre Agassi's run of 23 matches in 1988.
In his Roland Garros debut, he claimed the title by defeating world number one Roger Federer (against whom Nadal has a win-loss record of 6-1) in the semi finals on his 19th birthday on the way. At 19 years and two days, he became the sixth-youngest Grand Slam champion, and the fourth-youngest Roland Garros champion in the Open Era. He became the seventh player to win a Grand Slam in his first appearance at the event, and the first since Andre Agassi at the 1995 Australian Open. He became the first teenager to win a Grand Slam since Pete Sampras won the 1990 US Open at age 19. Nadal is the first teenager to win six titles in a year since Agassi in 1988 at the age of 18.
Three days after his victory in Paris, his winning streak was snapped on the grass of Halle, Germany, where he was beaten by German Alexander Waske in the first round.
He was eliminated in the second round of Wimbledon, at the All England Lawn Tennis Club, where he was seeded fourth, by Luxembourg player, Gilles Muller.
He was eliminated in the third round of the 2005 US Open in Flushing Meadows, New York, by American James Blake. His second seed overall and third round U.S. Open performance were both career highs. He defeated Bobby Reynolds in the first round and Scoville Jenkins in the second, both Americans.
However, after the US Open, he won two more hard court tournaments. In September he defeated Guillermo Coria in the final of the China Open in Beijing. Then, in October, he won his fourth Masters Series event, defeating Ivan Ljubičić in five sets in the final of the Masters Series Madrid tournament, played in Nadal's home country. This led to the injury which kept him out of the Tennis Masters Cup in 2005 and the start of 2006. He now equals world number one Roger Federer (who could not participate in Madrid due to injury) in ATP titles won in a single season, eleven, and masters series events won, four. Nadal was just shy of winning more matches than Federer, 79 matches to Federer's 81. Overall, Nadal had a wonderful 2005 and is now viewed as the player who can push Federer the most. As of June the 11th, he has a 6-1 record against him, following the final of the French Open.
On March 4, 2006, Nadal handed Roger Federer his first loss of the 2006 season at the final in Dubai. Nadal won 2-6, 6-4, 6-4. Nadal defeated Federer for a second time on April 23, 2006 at the Monte Carlo Masters, a tournament that he won for the second straight year. Nadal won by a score of 6-2 6-7 6-3 7-6. Nadal went to defeat Federer again on June 11, 2006 at the Roland Garros's final match by 1-6, 6-1, 6-4, 7-6.
He nearly lost his current streak of consecutive clay court matches in the final of the Rome Masters on May 14, 2006 saving two match points against him by Roger Federer, also winning it for a second straight year. Nadal won by a score of 6-7 7-6 6-4 2-6 7-6.
Nadal's current clay-court winning streak stands at 60 consecutive matches, after defeating Roger Federer 1-6 6-1 6-4 7-64 in the Final of the 2006 French Open. With his first-round win (defeated Robin Söderling), he passed Guillermo Vilas' win streak of 53 matches on clay for the longest win streak on clay in tennis history. Vilas's record stood for 29 years from 1977 to 2006. Following the victory, Nadal was presented with a trophy containing the cross section of the construction of a clay court. Vilas was on hand for the ceremony. Nadal is also tied with Bjorn Borg for most number of titles won as a teenager - 16. Nadal could have bettered this record by one title, had he participated in the Hamburg Masters held just before the French Open. Nadal celebrated his 20th birthday on the same day he defeated Mathieu in four hours and fifty-three minutes, with just forty-two games played over four sets. Nadal then stormed into his second consecutive French Open final after defeating Ivan Ljubičić 6-4 6-2 7-6.
Nadal's trademark attire is a white Nike head band and a sleeveless shirt, together with three-quarter length trousers, which he sports in every match he has played in.
Trivia
Streaks and Records
- Nadal currently has a 60 match clay court winning streak--an Open Era record for a male player.
- He is one of only two people to win the French Open on his first attempt, the first being Mats Wilander in 1982. By defending his title in 2006, he is a perfect 14-0 in the tournament.
- At 19 years 1 month and 22 days, Nadal became the third teenager in history (since 1973) to reach world no. 2 in the INDESIT ATP Entry Ranking, joining Boris Becker (18 years, 9 months and 17 days) and Bjorn Borg (18 years, 10 months and 2 days) as the only teenagers to be ranked no. 2.
Grand Slam singles finals
Wins (2)
| Year | Championship | Opponent in Final | Score in Final |
| 2005 | French Open | Mariano Puerta | 6-7, 6-3, 6-1, 7-5 |
| 2006 | French Open (2) | Roger Federer | 1-6, 6-1, 6-4, 7-6 |
Titles (20)
| Legend |
| Grand Slam (2) |
| Tennis Masters Cup (0) |
| ATP Masters Series (6) |
| ATP Tour (9) |
Singles (17)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Opponent in the final | Score |
| 1. | Aug 9, 2004 | Sopot, Poland | Clay | José Acasuso (Argentina) | 6-3 6-4 |
| 2. | Feb 14, 2005 | Brasil Open, Costa do Sauípe, Brazil | Clay | Alberto Martín (Spain) | 6-0 6-7 6-1 |
| 3. | Feb 21, 2005 | Acapulco, Mexico | Clay | Álbert Montañés (Spain) | 6-1 6-0 |
| 4. | Apr 17, 2005 | Monte Carlo, Monaco | Clay | Guillermo Coria (Argentina) | 6-3 6-1 0-6 7-5 |
| 5. | Apr 24, 2005 | Barcelona, Spain | Clay | Juan Carlos Ferrero (Spain) | 6-1 7-6 6-3 |
| 6. | May 2, 2005 | Rome, Italy | Clay | Guillermo Coria (Argentina) | 6-4 3-6 6-3 4-6 7-6 |
| 7. | Jun 5, 2005 | French Open, Paris, France | Clay | Mariano Puerta (Argentina) | 6-7 6-3 6-1 7-5 |
| 8. | Jul 4, 2005 | Båstad, Sweden | Clay | Tomáš Berdych (Czech Republic) | 2-6 6-2 6-4 |
| 9. | Jul 18, 2005 | Stuttgart, Germany | Clay | Gaston Gaudio (Argentina) | 6-3 6-3 6-4 |
| 10. | Aug 14, 2005 | Montréal, Canada | Hard | Andre Agassi (USA) | 6-3 4-6 6-2 |
| 11. | Sep 18, 2005 | Beijing, China | Hard | Guillermo Coria (Argentina) | 5-7 6-1 6-2 |
| 12. | Oct 23, 2005 | Madrid, Spain | Hard (I) | Ivan Ljubičić (Croatia) | 3-6 2-6 6-3 6-4 7-6 |
| 13. | Mar 4, 2006 | Dubai, UAE | Hard | Roger Federer (Switzerland) | 2-6 6-4 6-4 |
| 14. | Apr 23, 2006 | Monte Carlo, Monaco | Clay | Roger Federer (Switzerland) | 6-2 6-7 6-3 7-6 |
| 15. | Apr 30, 2006 | Barcelona, Spain | Clay | Tommy Robredo (Spain) | 6-4 6-4 6-0 |
| 16. | May 14, 2006 | Rome, Italy | Clay | Roger Federer (Switzerland) | 6-70 7-65 6-4 2-6 7-65 |
| 17. | Jun 11, 2006 | French Open, Paris, France | Clay | Roger Federer (Switzerland) | 1-6 6-1 6-4 7-64 |
- Nadal also won 6 entry-level Spanish Futures events in 2002 and 2 Challenger tournaments in 2003 before he fully joined the professional ATP tour.
Performance timeline
| Tournament | Career | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003 | 2002 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australian Open | 5-2 | - | 4r | 3r | - | - |
| French Open | 14-0 | W | W | - | - | - |
| Wimbledon | 3-2 | 2r | - | 3r | - | |
| U.S. Open | 4-3 | 3r | 2r | 2r | - | |
| Grand Slam Win-Loss | 26-7 | 7-0 | 13-3 | 3-2 | 3-2 | 0-0 |
| Indian Wells Masters | 6-2 | SF | - | 3r | - | - |
| Miami Masters | 7-3 | 2r | F | 4r | - | - |
| Monte Carlo Masters | 14-1 | W | W | - | 3r | - |
| Rome Masters | 12-0 | W | W | - | - | - |
| Hamburg Masters | 2-1 | - | - | - | 3r | - |
| Canada Masters | 6-1 | W | 1r | - | - | |
| Cincinnati Masters | 0-2 | 1r | 1r | - | - | |
| Madrid Masters | 6-2 | W | 2r | 1r | - | |
| Paris Masters | 0-0 | - | - | - | - | |
| Tennis Masters Cup | 0-0 | - | - | - | - | |
| Finals reached | 19 | 5 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Tournaments won | 17 | 5 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Hard Win-Loss | 54-21 | 11-3 | 28-6 | 14-10 | 1-2 | 0-0 |
| Clay Win-Loss | 100-12 | 24-0 | 50-2 | 14-3 | 11-6 | 1-1 |
| Grass Win-Loss | 3-3 | 1-2 | 0-0 | 2-1 | 0-0 | |
| Indoor Win-Loss | 2-6 | 0-0 | 2-4 | 0-2 | 0-0 | |
| Overall Win-Loss | 159-42 | 35-3 | 79-10 | 30-17 | 14-11 | 1-1 |
| ATP Entry Ranking points | N/A | 4360 | 775 | 766 | 165 | |
| Year End Ranking | N/A | 2 | 51 | 49 | 200 |
Green background for wins. Yellow background for top-8 finishes (quarter finals up to finalist.)
Doubles (3)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Partnering | Opponents in the final | Score |
| 1. | Aug 21, 2003 | Umag, Croatia | Clay | Álex López Morón (Spain) | Todd Perry (Australia) and Thomas Shimada (Japan) |
6-1 6-3 |
| 2. | Jan 5, 2004 | Chennai, India | Hard | Tommy Robredo (Spain) | Jonathan Erlich and Andy Ram (Israel) |
7-6 4-6 6-3 |
| 3. | Jan 3, 2005 | Doha, Qatar | Hard | Albert Costa (Spain) | Andrei Pavel (Romania) and Mikhail Youzhny (Russia) |
6-3 4-6 6-3 |
Ranking
Highest Rankings:
2004 Davis Cup
Nadal was one of the heroes for his team in the 2004 Davis Cup, leading Spain to victory.
R1 vs Czech Republic
- Lost to Jiří Novák 7-6, 6-3, 7-6
- Lost to Jiří Novák and Radek Štěpánek 6-4, 7-6(6), 6-3 (w/ T. Robredo)
- Defeated Radek Štěpánek 7-6, 7-6, 6-3
R2 vs France
- Defeated Arnaud Clement 6-4, 6-1, 6-2
- Defeated Arnaud Clement and Michael Llodra 7-6(4), 4-6, 6-2, 2-6, 6-3 (w/ T. Robredo)
Finals vs USA
- Defeated Andy Roddick 6-7, 6-2, 7-6, 6-2