He beat Federer at the Masters Series Monte Carlo for the third straight year, capturing his Open Era record fourth consecutive title there. By winning his first Wimbledon title, Nadal became 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 1978–1980, (Federer later accomplished this the following year) as well as the second Spaniard to win Wimbledon. 23 ranked Florian Mayer. Novak Djokovic and Nadal have met 56 times (more than any other pair in the Open Era) and Nadal leads 10–6 at the Grand Slams and trails 27–29 overall. 20 Andre Agassi in straight sets in Agassi's last career match at Wimbledon. He then rebounded to win the French Open for the third straight year, defeating Federer once again in the final. 1 ranking during the clay-court season and won his sixth French Open title by defeating Roger Federer.[98]. After recovering from injury, Nadal helped secure the Spanish Davis Cup team a victory over Germany in the quarterfinal of the World Group. Nadal finished the year with a Futures record of 40–9 in singles and 10–9 in doubles. 1 in the ATP rankings for 209 weeks, and has finished as the year-end No. By defeating Fabio Fognini in the quarterfinals, he took over the record for the highest number of Masters 1000 match wins of any active player, surpassing Roger Federer's previous record of 378 victories. Nadal's playing style and personality can be summarised by Jimmy Connors: "He's built out of a mold that I think I came from also, that you walk out there, you give everything you have from the first point to the end no matter what the score. Miguel Ángel Nadal Homar is a Spanish retired footballer. [320] During the 2010 French Open, Men's Fitness reported that Nadal wore the Richard Mille watch on the court as part of a sponsorship deal with the Swiss watchmaker. This was Nadal's third loss in nine career matches with Federer. In a rematch of the previous year's final against Thiem, Nadal prevailed in four sets to claim his record-extending twelfth French Open title. Rafael Nadal has admitted his hopes of winning a historic 21st grand slam title hinge on how his injured back responds over the next 24 hours. Nadal became the fourth male player during Open era to win the same Grand Slam singles tournament four consecutive years (the others being Borg, Pete Sampras, and Federer). 2 Andy Roddick, he helped Spain clinch the 2004 title over the United States in a 3–2 win. [14][15] Nadal's Challenger level record in 2002 was 4–2 in singles with no titles. Fresh after achieving the 'Undecima' at Monte Carlo and Barcelona, Nadal had to defend yet another title at Madrid. 1 ATP Ranking For Fifth Time", "Nadal Clinches Davis Cup Title For Spain With Win Against Shapovalov", "Spain seal sixth Davis Cup crown as Nadal and Bautista Agut down Canada in final", "Spain wins new-look Davis Cup after Rafael Nadal, Roberto Bautista Agut record wins", "Thiem Stuns Nadal To Reach First Semi-final In Melbourne", "Mexican Open: Rafael Nadal wins third title after beating Taylor Fritz", "King Nadal continues Paris reign with record-equalling 20th Slam", "Rafael Nadal Wins His 20th Grand Slam Title With French Open Victory", "Rafael Nadal, with a marvel of a French Open final, claims his 20th Grand Slam title", "Alexander Zverev beats Rafael Nadal to reach Paris final", https://www.atptour.com/en/news/nadal-most-consecutive-weeks-in-top-10-fedex-atp-rankings, "Rafael Nadal Worldwide Fans on Instagram: "A week after recording his 1,000th ATP win, Rafael Nadal has broken a long-standing record set by Jimmy Connors. 2 Roger Federer and No. In the semifinals he faced long-time rival Novak Djokovic, who was aiming to reach his first major final since the 2016 US Open. Representing Spain, he has an Olympic gold medal in both singles and doubles. He faced Stefanos Tsitsipas in the semifinal, where he lost in three sets. ", "Nadal v Federer, who is the greatest of all time? Rafael Nadal won his one and only title in Melbourne in 2009 Incredibly the Spaniard enjoyed his sole success in Melbourne way back in 2009 when he beat great rival Federer in a five-set thriller. He lost his opening match to Feliciano Lopez in straight sets. In his semi-final matchup against Juan Martin del Potro, Nadal retired after losing the second set 6–2 due to knee pain. [347] Nadal reportedly owns 10 percent and was offered the role of vice president, which he rejected. 1 five times in non-consecutive years. This was his second victory over Novak Djokovic in 2012 and his third title of the season, as well as his 6th Rome title overall. [9] This made Toni Nadal intensify training, and it was at that time that his uncle encouraged Nadal to play left-handed for a natural advantage on the tennis court, after studying Nadal's then two-handed forehand stroke. [7] Recognizing in Rafael a natural talent, another uncle, Toni Nadal, a tennis coach, introduced him to the game when he was three years old. [117] Nadal proceeded to win the title after beating Milos Raonic in the final in straight sets. 4. Coach and uncle Toni Nadal and his agent, former tennis player Carlos Costa, are also involved. Nadal said: "I chose tennis. rafa win us open 2010 !! Nadal was the first Spanish man since Manuel Santana in 1966, to reach the Wimbledon final, but Federer won the match in four sets to win his fourth consecutive Wimbledon title. [205] Afterwards, Nadal went on to win his third Mexican Open title, defeating Taylor Fritz in straights sets in the final. 1 spot from Federer. Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi or Robert Lewandowski - Who Should Have Won The 2020 Ballon d'Or? Del Potro went on to claim the silver medal. On 31 October, he announced his withdrawal from the Paris Masters due to an abdominal injury and as a result Novak Djokovic replaced him as world No. Despite the fact that poverty in India struck him particularly hard, Nadal wants to start by helping "people close by, in the Balearic Islands, in Spain, and then, if possible, abroad". [73] After Indian Wells, Nadal reached the semifinals of the Sony Ericsson Open, where he lost to eventual champion Andy Roddick in three sets. Nadal also climbed to second on the all-time Grand Slam titles list, with 15 grand slam championships, putting him one ahead of Pete Sampras. Nadal moved back to No. Nadal reached the semifinals in singles at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, where he was defeated by Ivan Ljubičić in three sets. [147] He was unable to continue his good form on grass as he lost in the first round of the Aegon Championships to Alexandr Dolgopolov in three sets. The match went on for close to 5 hours, with Nadal coming out on top, 7–5, 6–7, 4–6, 6–4, 6–4. The defeat marked his first opening round exit at the Australian Open. In the fourth round he was upset by Australian teenager Nick Kyrgios in four sets. [165] Nadal then won his 29th Masters 1000 title in Monte Carlo; it was his tenth victory in the principality, the most wins by any player at a single tournament in the Open era. He next played in the 2011 Cincinnati Masters, where he lost to Mardy Fish, again in the quarterfinals. Rafael Nadal allayed fears over a back problem with a straightforward victory against Laslo Djere in the first round of the Australian Open. [13] Nadal also competed in seven doubles tournaments in 2003, and won his first ATP title (doubles or singles) at the clay-court Croatia Open in Umag, where he partnered with Álex López Morón to defeat Todd Perry and Thomas Shimada in straight sets in the final. 2 for the fourth time in five years. At the US Open Nadal was seeded #4 and advanced to the fourth round but was defeated by 24th seed Lucas Pouille in 5 sets. Rafael Nadal earns his 1,001st tour-level win, saving a set point in the second set of his victory against Aussie Jordan Thompson in Paris. Because of those two victories, Nadal qualified for the semifinals, where he lost to Federer. He reached the quarterfinals, defeating Gael Monfils and Diego Schwartzman in straight sets, to extend his record to 50 consecutive sets won on clay, starting from the 2017 French Open. [351] As a young boy, he would run home from school to watch Goku in his favorite Japanese anime, Dragon Ball. His uncle, Miguel Ángel Nadal, is a retired professional footballer, who played for RCD Mallorca, FC Barcelona, and the Spanish national team. [151], In April he won his 28th Masters 1000 in Monte Carlo. 1 player, drawing level with Jimmy Connors, Federer and Djokovic behind Pete Sampras (six), and in doing so, he broke a number of the records he set in 2017:[200], At the 2019 Davis Cup Finals, Nadal helped Spain win its sixth Davis Cup title. In the final of the postponed 2020 French Open, Nadal easily defeated Djokovic in straight sets (including a second 6–0) for his record-tying 20th Grand Slam Championship. Tennis great Rafael Nadal has weighed in on the ongoing furor surrounding Lionel Messi's contractual situation with Barcelona. [159] On 9 June, Nadal announced that the same wrist injury that forced him to withdraw from the French Open needed more time to heal, and that he would not play at the 2016 Wimbledon Championships. Rafael Nadal’s uncles. His tremendous record on clay continued as he beat compatriot David Ferrer in a three-set final to clinch his seventh title in eight years at the Barcelona Open. Immediately after Wimbledon, Nadal won 16 consecutive matches and three consecutive tournaments, bringing his ranking to No. 2 ranking after 26 weeks at the top when his rival Roger Federer overtook him in points. Roger Federer has given Nadal advice on getting involved in philanthropy. This was the first time that Nadal had lost to Federer since the semifinals of the 2007 Tennis Masters Cup. ", 128036 Rafaelnadal is a main belt asteroid discovered in 2003 at the Observatorio Astronómico de Mallorca and named after Nadal. In 2004, Rafa was a member of the Spanish National Team that won the Davis Cup. [115] In the title match of the Abierto Mexicano Telcel in Acapulco, Nadal defeated David Ferrer, losing just two games in the match. They have never met in a Grand Slam final, but Murray leads 3–1 in ATP finals, with Nadal winning at Indian Wells in 2009[239] and Murray winning in Rotterdam the same year,[240] Tokyo[241] in 2011, and Madrid in 2015. Nadal became the first player to finish as the year-end no. [216] Nadal then lost his semifinal match to eventual champion Daniil Medvedev in three sets. Rafael Nadal revealed Sunday that a nagging back injury is impacting him ahead of his first-round Australian Open match against Laslo Djere on Tuesday.. [150] This early exit ended Nadal's record 10-year streak of winning at least one major. In October, he won his fourth ATP Masters Series title of the year, defeating Ivan Ljubičić in the final of the 2005 Madrid Masters. Nadal won his 18th ATP 500 title in Barcelona without dropping a set, also marking his tenth victory in Barcelona. [12], In 2001, Nadal finished the year with a Challenger series record of 1–1 in singles with no titles or finals appearances. Published Date: February 7, 2021 8:07 AM IST, Updated Date: February 7, 2021 8:09 AM IST. Rafael Nadal has said he hopes to bring some entertainment to tennis fans "suffering" around the world as the world No 2 gets set to lead Spain at the ATP Cup this week. Nadal's dominance on clay is also highlighted by 60 of his 86 ATP singles titles coming on this surface, including 25 of his 35 ATP Masters 1000 titles, and his 81 consecutive wins on clay is the longest single-surface win streak in the Open Era. However, Nadal has shed that label owing to his success on other surfaces, including holding simultaneous Grand Slam tournament titles on grass, hard courts, and clay on two separate occasions, winning ten Masters series titles on hard court, and winning the Olympic gold medal on hardcourt. Nadal extended his winning streak by winning the China Open, winning the final against Nick Kyrgios in straight sets. [336][337], Rafael Nadal opened his tennis academy centre to Majorca flood victims in October 2018. 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. [323] Armani said that he selected Nadal as his latest male underwear model because "...he is ideal as he represents a healthy and positive model for youngsters". Nadal missed the Australian Open because of a foot injury. After the loss, he announced that he would skip the rest of the season to undergo surgery for his appendix. 73 Horacio Zeballos in the final. These are records Federer SHOULD have held – by a mile", "Australian Open: Djokovic outlasts Nadal in longest Grand Slam singles final ever", "In numbers | All the stats behind Rafael Nadal's record 13th French Open haul at Roland Garros", "Djokovic, Nadal looking to become record collectors", "Rafael Nadal captures eighth French Open crown", "Rafael Nadal tops Novak Djokovic for record seventh French Open title", "French Open: Nadal triumphs at first attempt", "Rafael Nadal becomes first man to win same tournament 10 times", "Performance Career Overall From All Countries", "Tennis: Federer vs. Nadal to meet again in French Open final", "FedEx ATP Reliability Index – Winning percentage on Clay", "Performance Career Outdoor From All Countries", "Rafael Nadal beats Novak Djokovic to win eighth consecutive Monte Carlo Masters title", BBC Overseas Sports Personality of the Year, Grand Slam / non-calendar year / career Grand Slam-winning singles/doubles tennis players, Male tennis players who have won 3 or more Grand Slam singles titles in one season, Men's tennis players who won two or more Grand Slam singles titles in one calendar year, Olympic Tennis Champions in men's singles, Olympic Tennis Champions in men's doubles, Laureus World Sports Award for Sportsman of the Year, BBC Sports Personality World Sport Star of the Year, Laureus World Sports Award for Comeback of the Year, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Rafael_Nadal&oldid=1005922773, Grand Slam (tennis) champions in men's singles, Tennis players at the 2004 Summer Olympics, Tennis players at the 2008 Summer Olympics, Tennis players at the 2016 Summer Olympics, Articles with failed verification from April 2012, Wikipedia indefinitely move-protected pages, Wikipedia indefinitely semi-protected biographies of living people, Articles with unsourced statements from October 2018, Articles lacking reliable references from December 2020, Articles with unsourced statements from December 2020, Articles containing potentially dated statements from 2010, All articles containing potentially dated statements, Articles with unsourced statements from January 2011, Articles containing potentially dated statements from January 2010, Pages using Sister project links with hidden wikidata, Official website different in Wikidata and Wikipedia, Articles with Spanish-language sources (es), Articles containing potentially dated statements from February 2021, Wikipedia articles with CANTIC identifiers, Wikipedia articles with PLWABN identifiers, Wikipedia articles with SUDOC identifiers, Wikipedia articles with WORLDCATID identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, Left-handed (two-handed backhand), born right-handed, 10 consecutive years of winning 1+ title (2005–2014), Winning titles on 3 different surfaces in a calendar year (2010), 3 consecutive titles on 3 different surfaces, Most men's singles titles at a single event (, 10 consecutive seasons with 1+ men's singles titles (2005–14), Youngest to achieve a Career Grand Slam (24), Simultaneous holder of Majors on clay, grass and hard court, Simultaneous holder of Olympic singles gold medal and Majors on clay, grass and hard court, Winner of Majors on clay, grass and hard court in calendar year, Winning Major titles in three different decades, Accomplished a "Channel Slam": Winning both tournaments in the same year, 83.11% (1004–204) career match winning percentage, 81 consecutive clay court match victories, 91.75% (445–40) clay court match winning percentage, 84.81% (910–163) outdoor match winning percentage, Won 50 consecutive sets on a single surface (clay), 11+ titles at a single tournament (French Open, Monte Carlo, Barcelona), 8 consecutive titles at a single tournament (Monte Carlo).