Rafael Nadal Parera is a Spanish professional tennis player.
377 Facts About Rafael Nadal
2.
Rafael Nadal is currently ranked world No 14 in singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals.
3.
Rafael Nadal has been ranked world No 1 for 209 weeks, and has finished as the year-end No 1 five times with a record 13 times in the top 2 of the year end rankings.
4.
Rafael Nadal holds the record for most consecutive weeks in the Top 10 of the ATP Rankings, having never left the Top 10 from April 2005 to March 2023, a total of 912 weeks.
5.
Rafael Nadal has won 92 ATP singles titles, including 36 Masters titles, with 63 of these on clay courts.
6.
Rafael Nadal is one of only two men to complete the Career Golden Slam in singles.
7.
For over a decade, Rafael Nadal has dominated men's tennis along with Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic as the Big Three, collectively considered by many to be the three greatest male tennis players of all time.
8.
At the start of his professional career, Rafael Nadal became one of the most successful teenagers in ATP Tour history, reaching the world No 2 ranking and winning 16 titles before turning 20, including his first French Open and six Masters events.
9.
Rafael Nadal became the world No 1 for the first time in 2008 after defeating Federer in a historic Wimbledon final, his first major victory off clay.
10.
Rafael Nadal followed up his win with an Olympic singles gold at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
11.
Rafael Nadal continued his dominance at the French Open, securing six titles, two US Open titles, an Australian Open title, and an Olympic doubles gold at the 2016 Rio Olympics with Marc Lopez.
12.
Rafael Nadal surpassed his joint-record with Djokovic and Federer for the most major men's singles titles at the 2022 Australian Open, and became one of four men in history to complete the double Career Grand Slam in singles.
13.
Rafael Nadal is one of the best at breaking serve, regularly appearing among the tour leaders in percentage of return games, return points, and break points won.
14.
Rafael Nadal has won the Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship Award five times and was the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year in 2011 and 2021.
15.
Rafael Nadal has opened a tennis academy in Mallorca, and is an active philanthropist.
16.
Rafael Nadal Parera was born on 3 June 1986 in Manacor, a town on the island of Mallorca in the Balearic Islands, Spain, to parents Ana Maria Parera Femenias and Sebastian Nadal Homar.
17.
Rafael Nadal's father is a businessman, owner of an insurance company, glass and window company Vidres Mallorca, and the restaurant, Sa Punta.
18.
Rafael Nadal's uncle, Miguel Angel Nadal, is a retired professional footballer, who played for RCD Mallorca, FC Barcelona and the Spanish national team.
19.
Rafael Nadal idolized Barcelona striker Ronaldo as a child, and via his uncle got access to the Barcelona dressing room to have a photo with the Brazilian.
20.
At age 8, Rafael Nadal won an under-12 regional tennis championship at a time when he was a promising football player.
21.
At age 12, Rafael Nadal won the Spanish and European tennis titles in his age group, while he was playing football.
22.
Rafael Nadal's father made him choose between football and tennis so that his schoolwork would not deteriorate entirely.
23.
When he was 14, the Spanish tennis federation requested that Rafael Nadal leave Mallorca and move to Barcelona to continue his tennis training.
24.
Rafael Nadal turned professional at age 15, and participated in two events on the ITF junior circuit.
25.
Rafael Nadal did not participate in any doubles Challengers events.
26.
In 2002, Rafael Nadal reached the semifinals of the junior singles event at Wimbledon, in his first ITF junior event.
27.
Rafael Nadal did not participate in any doubles Challengers events.
28.
Rafael Nadal won 6 singles tournaments at this level, including 5 on clay and 1 on hard courts.
29.
On 29 April 2002, in his hometown of Mallorca and at 15 years and 10 months of age, Rafael Nadal won his first ATP match by defeating Ramon Delgado, and became the ninth player in the Open Era to do so before the age of 16.
30.
In 2003, Rafael Nadal won two Challenger titles and finished the year ranked as the world No 49.
31.
Rafael Nadal won the ATP Newcomer of the Year Award.
32.
Rafael Nadal then participated at Bastad, where he lost to Nicolas Lapentti in the quarterfinals, and at Stuttgart, where he lost to Fernando Gonzalez in the round of 32.
33.
Rafael Nadal competed in seven doubles tournaments in 2003, and won his first ATP title at Umag, partnering Alex Lopez Moron to defeat Todd Perry and Thomas Shimada in the final.
34.
In singles, Rafael Nadal reached the third round of the Australian Open, where he lost in straight-sets to former world No 1 and Australian native Lleyton Hewitt.
35.
Later that year, Rafael Nadal played the first of his many matches against Roger Federer, then ranked No 1, in the third round of the Miami Open, winning in straight sets before a loss to Fernando Gonzalez in the fourth round.
36.
Rafael Nadal missed most of the clay court season, including the French Open, because of a stress fracture in his left ankle.
37.
Rafael Nadal finished the year ranked as the world No 51.
38.
At the 2005 Australian Open, Rafael Nadal lost in the fourth round to eventual runner-up Lleyton Hewitt.
39.
Rafael Nadal won 24 consecutive singles matches, breaking Andre Agassi's Open Era record of consecutive match wins for a male teenager.
40.
Rafael Nadal won the Torneo Conde de Godo in Barcelona and beat 2004 French Open runner-up Guillermo Coria in the finals of the 2005 Monte Carlo Masters and the 2005 Italian Open.
41.
On his 19th birthday, Rafael Nadal defeated Federer in the French Open semifinals, being one of only four players to defeat him that year.
42.
Rafael Nadal was the first male teenager to win a major singles title since Pete Sampras won the 1990 US Open at age 19.
43.
Three days after his victory in Paris, Rafael Nadal's 24-match winning streak was snapped in the first round of the grass court Gerry Weber Open in Halle, Germany, where he lost to Alexander Waske.
44.
Rafael Nadal then lost in the second round of 2005 Wimbledon to Gilles Muller of Luxembourg.
45.
Immediately after Wimbledon, Rafael Nadal won 16 consecutive matches and three consecutive tournaments, bringing his ranking to No 2 on 25 July 2005.
46.
Rafael Nadal started his North American summer hard-court season by defeating Agassi in the final of the 2005 Canada Masters, but lost in the first round of the 2005 Cincinnati Masters.
47.
Rafael Nadal was seeded second at the 2005 US Open, but was upset in the third round by No 49 James Blake in four sets.
48.
Rafael Nadal then suffered a foot injury that prevented him from competing in the year-ending Tennis Masters Cup.
49.
Rafael Nadal broke Mats Wilander's previous teenage record of nine in 1983.
50.
Eight of Rafael Nadal's titles were on clay, and the remainder were on hard courts.
51.
Rafael Nadal missed the Australian Open because of a foot injury.
52.
On European clay, Rafael Nadal won all four tournaments he entered and 24 consecutive matches.
53.
Rafael Nadal defeated Federer in the final of the Masters Series Monte Carlo in four sets.
54.
Rafael 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.
55.
Rafael Nadal went on to play Federer in the final of the French Open.
56.
Rafael Nadal won the third set easily and served for the match in the fourth set before Federer broke him and forced a tiebreaker.
57.
Rafael Nadal won the tiebreaker and became the first to defeat Federer in a Grand Slam tournament final.
58.
Rafael Nadal injured his shoulder during a quarterfinal match against Lleyton Hewitt at the Artois Championships, played on grass at the Queen's Club in London.
59.
Rafael Nadal was unable to complete the match, which ended his 26-match winning streak.
60.
Rafael Nadal was seeded second at Wimbledon, and was two points from defeat against American qualifier Robert Kendrick in the second round before coming back to win in five sets.
61.
Rafael Nadal won his next three matches in straight sets, which set up his first Wimbledon final, which was against Federer, who had won this tournament the three previous years.
62.
Rafael 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.
63.
Rafael Nadal was seeded second at the US Open, but lost in the quarterfinals to No 54 Mikhail Youzhny of Russia in four sets.
64.
Rafael Nadal played only three tournaments the remainder of the year.
65.
Rafael Nadal started the year by playing in six hard-court tournaments.
66.
Rafael Nadal 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 Gonzalez.
67.
Rafael Nadal had comparatively more success after returning to Europe to play five clay-court tournaments.
68.
Rafael Nadal won the titles at the Monte-Carlo Masters, the Open Sabadell Atlantico in Barcelona, and the Italian, before losing to Roger Federer in Hamburg Masters final.
69.
Rafael Nadal then rebounded to win the French Open for the third straight year, defeating Federer in the final.
70.
Between the tournaments in Barcelona and Rome, Rafael Nadal defeated Federer in the "Battle of Surfaces" exhibition match in Mallorca, Spain, with the tennis court being half grass and half clay.
71.
Rafael Nadal played the Artois Championships at the Queen's Club in London for the second consecutive year.
72.
Rafael Nadal then won consecutive five-set matches during the third and fourth rounds of Wimbledon before being beaten by Federer in the five-set final.
73.
Rafael Nadal played three important tournaments during the North American summer hard court season.
74.
Rafael Nadal was a semifinalist at the Canadian Masters in Montreal before losing his first match at the Cincinnati Masters.
75.
Rafael Nadal was the second-seeded player at the US Open, but was defeated in the fourth round by David Ferrer.
76.
Rafael Nadal began the year in India, where he was comprehensively beaten by Mikhail Youzhny in the final of the Chennai Open.
77.
Rafael Nadal then reached the semifinals of the Australian Open for the first time; Jo-Wilfried Tsonga defeated him in the semifinals in straight sets.
78.
Rafael Nadal reached the final of the Miami Masters for the second time.
79.
Rafael Nadal beat Federer at the Monte Carlo Masters for the third straight year, capturing his Open Era record fourth consecutive title there.
80.
Rafael Nadal then won his fourth consecutive title at the Open Sabadell Atlantico tournament in Barcelona.
81.
Rafael Nadal then won the French Open, becoming the fifth man in the Open Era to win a Grand Slam singles title without losing a set.
82.
Rafael Nadal 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.
83.
Rafael Nadal became the fourth male player during Open era to win the same Grand Slam singles tournament four consecutive years.
84.
Rafael Nadal then played Federer in the final of Wimbledon for the third consecutive year, in the most anticipated match of their rivalry.
85.
Rafael Nadal entered the final on a 23-match winning streak, including his first career grass-court title at the Stella Artois Championships staged at the Queen's Club in London prior to Wimbledon.
86.
Rafael Nadal ended Federer's record streak of five consecutive Wimbledon titles and 65 straight wins on grass courts.
87.
Rafael Nadal then played at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, where he defeated Serbia's Novak Djokovic in the semifinals and Chile's Fernando Gonzalez in the final to win the gold medal.
88.
At the US Open, Rafael Nadal was the top-seeded player for the first time at a major.
89.
Rafael Nadal 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.
90.
Later in the year in Madrid, Rafael Nadal helped Spain defeat the United States in the Davis Cup semifinals.
91.
At the Madrid Masters, Rafael Nadal lost in the semifinals to Gilles Simon.
92.
Two weeks later at the Paris Masters, Rafael Nadal reached the quarterfinals, where he withdrew because of a knee injury.
93.
Rafael Nadal entered and won the tournament's doubles event partnering Marc Lopez, where they defeated the No 1-ranked doubles team of Daniel Nestor and Nenad Zimonjic in the final.
94.
Rafael Nadal defeated Federer in a five-set final to earn his first hard-court major singles title, and become the first Spaniard to win the Australian Open.
95.
At the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament in Rotterdam, Rafael Nadal lost in the final to second-seeded Andy Murray in three sets.
96.
At the 2009 Indian Wells Masters, Rafael Nadal won his thirteenth Masters tournament, defeating Murray in the final.
97.
Rafael Nadal began his European clay court season at the Monte Carlo Masters, where he defeated Novak Djokovic to win a record fifth consecutive singles title there.
98.
Rafael Nadal then won back to back titles in Barcelona and Italian Open, defeating Ferrer and Djokovic respectively.
99.
On 19 June, Rafael Nadal withdrew from the 2009 Wimbledon Championships, citing his recurring knee injury.
100.
Roger Federer went on to win the title, and Rafael Nadal consequently dropped back to No 2 on 6 July 2009.
101.
At the US Open Rafael Nadal fell in the semifinals, losing to eventual champion Juan Martin del Potro.
102.
At the ATP Finals, Rafael Nadal lost all three of his matches against Robin Soderling, Nikolay Davydenko, and Novak Djokovic respectively without winning a set.
103.
Rafael Nadal defeated Tomas Berdych in his first singles rubber to give the Spanish Davis Cup Team their first point in the tie.
104.
Rafael Nadal finished the year as No 2 for the fourth time in five years.
105.
Rafael Nadal has called 2010 his best year as a professional tennis player.
106.
The 2010 tennis season Rafael Nadal became the first male player in tennis history to win Grand Slam tournaments on three different surfaces in the same calendar year.
107.
Rafael Nadal began the year by participating in the Capitala World Tennis Championship in Abu Dhabi.
108.
Rafael Nadal participated in the Qatar ExxonMobil Open ATP 250 event in Doha, where he lost in the finals to Nikolay Davydenko.
109.
Rafael Nadal reached the semifinals in singles at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, where he was defeated by Ivan Ljubicic in three sets.
110.
Rafael Nadal won the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters, beating Fernando Verdasco in the final.
111.
Rafael Nadal next chose to skip the Barcelona tournament, and his next tournament was the Italian Open.
112.
Rafael Nadal defeated David Ferrer in the final for his fifth title at Rome.
113.
Rafael Nadal then won the 2010 Mutua Madrilena Madrid Open, defeating Roger Federer in straight sets.
114.
The victory marked the second time that Rafael Nadal had won the French Open without dropping a set.
115.
In June, Rafael Nadal entered the AEGON Championships, which he had won in 2008.
116.
Rafael Nadal was defeated by compatriot Feliciano Lopez in the quarterfinals.
117.
Rafael Nadal then defeated Andy Murray in the semifinals and Tomas Berdych in the final to win his second Wimbledon title and his eighth career major title just past the age of 24.
118.
Rafael Nadal competed in the doubles with Djokovic in a high-profile partnership between the world Nos.
119.
The next week, Rafael Nadal was the top seed at the Cincinnati Masters, losing in the quarterfinals to Marcos Baghdatis.
120.
At the 2010 US Open, Rafael Nadal reached his first final without dropping a set.
121.
Rafael Nadal's victory clinched the year-end No 1 ranking for 2010.
122.
Rafael Nadal began his Asian tour at the 2010 PTT Thailand Open in Bangkok where he lost to compatriot Guillermo Garcia-Lopez in the semifinals.
123.
Rafael Nadal was able to regroup, winning the 2010 Rakuten Japan Open Tennis Championships in Tokyo by defeating Gael Monfils for his seventh title of the season.
124.
Rafael Nadal next played in the Shanghai Rolex Masters, where he lost to No 12 Jurgen Melzer in the third round.
125.
On 21 November 2010, in London, Rafael Nadal won the Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship Award for the first time.
126.
At the 2010 ATP Finals in London, Rafael Nadal won all of his round-robin matches.
127.
Rafael Nadal started 2011 by participating in the Mubadala World Tennis Championship in Abu Dhabi.
128.
In March, Rafael Nadal helped Spain defeat Belgium in a 2011 Davis Cup World Group first-round tie in the Spiroudome in Charleroi, Belgium.
129.
At both the 2011 BNP Paribas Open and the 2011 Sony Ericsson Open, Rafael Nadal reached the final and lost to Novak Djokovic in three sets.
130.
Rafael Nadal began his clay-court season by winning the 2011 Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters with the loss of just one set.
131.
Just a week later, Rafael Nadal won his sixth Barcelona Open crown, again defeating Ferrer in straight sets.
132.
Rafael Nadal then lost to Novak Djokovic in the Italian Open and Madrid Open finals.
133.
However, Rafael Nadal retained his No 1 ranking during the clay-court season and won his sixth French Open title by defeating Roger Federer.
134.
At Wimbledon, Rafael Nadal reached the final after three four-set matches.
135.
Rafael Nadal next played in the 2011 Cincinnati Masters, where he lost to Mardy Fish, again in the quarterfinals.
136.
At the 2011 US Open, Rafael Nadal made headlines when after defeating David Nalbandian in the fourth round, he collapsed in his post-match press conference because to severe cramps.
137.
Rafael Nadal again lost in four sets to Novak Djokovic in the final.
138.
Rafael Nadal, who was the 2010 champion, was defeated by Andy Murray.
139.
At the 2011 ATP Finals, Rafael Nadal was defeated by Roger Federer and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the round-robin stage, and was eliminated from the tournament.
140.
Rafael Nadal then won in his quarterfinal and semifinal matches against Tomas Berdych and Roger Federer respectively.
141.
Rafael Nadal made it to the semifinals in Indian Wells, where he was beaten in straight sets by eventual champion Roger Federer.
142.
Rafael Nadal made the semifinals in Miami, but withdrew because of knee problems.
143.
Rafael Nadal heavily criticized the new blue-colored clay and threatened not to attend in the future if the surface was not changed back to red clay.
144.
At the 2012 French Open, Rafael Nadal dropped only 30 games against his first five opponents.
145.
Rafael Nadal won the first two sets before Djokovic claimed the third.
146.
Rafael Nadal lost a total of only three sets in the 2012 clay court season.
147.
At Wimbledon, Rafael Nadal was upset in the second round by Lukas Rosol in a close five-set match.
148.
In July 2012, Rafael Nadal withdrew from the 2012 Olympics owing to tendinitis in his knee, which subsequently led to him pulling out of both the Rogers Cup and the Cincinnati Masters.
149.
Rafael Nadal later withdrew from the rest of the 2012 season, as he felt he still was not healthy enough to compete.
150.
Rafael Nadal ended 2012 ranked No 4 in the world, the first time in eight years that he has not been ranked 1st or 2nd at the end of the year.
151.
Two weeks prior to the Australian Open, Rafael Nadal officially withdrew from the tournament citing a stomach virus.
152.
Rafael Nadal's withdrawal saw him drop out of the ATP's Top Four for the first time since 2005.
153.
At the Brasil Open, Rafael Nadal reached the final, where he defeated David Nalbandian.
154.
Rafael Nadal then returned to the American hard courts, playing the Indian Wells Masters as the fifth seed.
155.
Rafael Nadal lost only one set, and defeated No 2 Roger Federer and No 6 Tomas Berdych before beating Juan Martin del Potro in the final.
156.
Rafael Nadal then won his eighth title at the Barcelona Open.
157.
Rafael Nadal went on to win the Mutua Madrid Open, beating Stanislas Wawrinka in the final.
158.
Rafael Nadal won the 2013 French Open after beating Novak Djokovic in the semifinal and David Ferrer in the final, breaking the record for the most match wins in the tournament in the process with his 59th match victory.
159.
Rafael Nadal then lost his first-round match at the 2013 Wimbledon Championships in straight sets to unseeded Belgian Steve Darcis, the first time he had ever lost in the first round of a major.
160.
Rafael Nadal proceeded to win the title after beating Milos Raonic in the final in straight sets.
161.
Later in September, Rafael Nadal helped Spain secure their Davis Cup World Group Playoff spot for 2014, with a victory against Sergiy Stakhovsky and a doubles win with Marc Lopez.
162.
In November, Rafael Nadal played his final event of the season in London at the 2013 ATP Finals where he secured the year-end No 1 spot.
163.
Rafael Nadal beat David Ferrer, Stanislas Wawrinka and Tomas Berdych in the round robin stage to set up a semifinal victory over Roger Federer.
164.
Rafael Nadal met Djokovic in the final, losing in straight sets.
165.
Rafael Nadal began his 2014 season at the Qatar Open in Doha, defeating Lukas Rosol in the first round and he won the title after defeating Gael Monfils in the final.
166.
However, Rafael Nadal suffered a back injury during the warm-up, which progressively worsened as the match wore on.
167.
Rafael Nadal lost the first two sets, and although he won the third set, he ultimately lost the match in four sets.
168.
Rafael Nadal reached the final of the Miami Masters, falling to Novak Djokovic in straight sets.
169.
Rafael Nadal began his clay court season with a quarterfinal loss to David Ferrer in the Monte-Carlo Masters.
170.
Rafael Nadal was stunned by Nicolas Almagro in the quarterfinals of the Barcelona Open.
171.
Rafael Nadal then won his 27th masters title at the Madrid Open after Kei Nishikori retired in the third set of the final.
172.
On 8 June 2014, Rafael Nadal defeated Novak Djokovic in the Men's Singles French Open final to win his 9th French Open title and a 5th straight win.
173.
Rafael Nadal equaled Pete Sampras' total of 14 Grand Slam wins.
174.
Rafael Nadal then lost in the second round of the Halle Open to Dustin Brown the following week.
175.
Rafael Nadal entered the Wimbledon Championships in a bid to win the tournament for the third time.
176.
Rafael Nadal withdrew from the American swing owing to a wrist injury.
177.
Rafael Nadal made his return at the 2014 China Open but was defeated in the quarterfinals by Martin Klizan in three sets.
178.
Rafael Nadal lost his opening match to Feliciano Lopez in straight sets.
179.
Rafael Nadal began the year as the defending Champion at the Qatar Open, but suffered a shocking three set defeat to Michael Berrer in the first round.
180.
At the Australian Open, Rafael Nadal lost in straight sets to Tomas Berdych in the quarterfinal, thus ending a 17-match winning streak against the seventh-seeded Czech.
181.
Rafael Nadal then participated at the Indian Wells and Miami Open but suffered early defeats to Milos Raonic and Fernando Verdasco, in the quarterfinals and third round respectively.
182.
Rafael Nadal then began his spring clay season at the Monte Carlo Masters and reached the semifinals where he lost to Novak Djokovic in straight sets.
183.
Rafael Nadal then lost in the quarterfinals of the Italian Open to Stan Wawrinka in straight sets.
184.
Rafael Nadal lost to eventual runner-up Djokovic in the quarterfinals of the French Open, ending his winning streak of 39 consecutive victories in Paris since his defeat by Robin Soderling in 2009.
185.
Rafael Nadal went on to win the 2015 Mercedes Cup against Serbian Viktor Troicki, his first grass court title since he won at Wimbledon in 2010.
186.
Rafael Nadal 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.
187.
Rafael Nadal's struggles continued when he lost in the second round of Wimbledon to Dustin Brown.
188.
Rafael Nadal started the year winning the Mubadala Title defeating Milos Raonic in straight sets.
189.
At the Australian Open, Rafael Nadal was defeated in five sets by compatriot Fernando Verdasco in the first round.
190.
Rafael Nadal went on to win his 17th ATP 500 in Barcelona, winning the trophy for the ninth time in his career.
191.
Rafael Nadal continued the clay court season in Madrid, falling to Murray in the semifinal.
192.
Rafael Nadal was again defeated by Djokovic in straight sets, although he had a break advantage in both sets and served to win the second.
193.
On 9 June, Rafael 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.
194.
At the Rio 2016 Olympics, Rafael Nadal achieved 800 career wins with his quarterfinal victory over the Brazilian Thomaz Bellucci.
195.
At the US Open Rafael Nadal was seeded 4th and advanced to the fourth round but was defeated by 24th seed Lucas Pouille in 5 sets.
196.
The defeat meant that 2016 was the first year since 2004 in which Rafael Nadal had failed to reach a Grand Slam quarter-final.
197.
Rafael Nadal played the Shanghai Masters and was upset in the second round by Viktor Troicki.
198.
Rafael Nadal subsequently ended his 2016 season to let his wrist recover.
199.
Rafael Nadal opened his season by playing at the Brisbane International for the first time, where he reached the quarterfinals before losing to Milos Raonic in three sets.
200.
Rafael Nadal defeated Raonic and Grigor Dimitrov in the quarterfinal and semifinal, respectively, to set up a final against Roger Federer, his first Grand Slam final since he won the 2014 French Open.
201.
Rafael Nadal went on to lose to Federer in five sets; this was the first time that Rafael Nadal had lost to Federer in a Grand Slam since the final of the 2007 Wimbledon Championships.
202.
Rafael Nadal made it to the final of Acapulco without dropping a set, but was defeated by big-serving Sam Querrey.
203.
Rafael Nadal then won his 29th Masters 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.
204.
Rafael Nadal won his 18th ATP 500 title in Barcelona without dropping a set, marking his tenth victory in Barcelona.
205.
Rafael Nadal next played in the Madrid Open, where he defeated Dominic Thiem to tie Novak Djokovic's all-time Masters record of 30 titles.
206.
Rafael Nadal went on to beat Stan Wawrinka in straight sets and win a record tenth French Open title.
207.
Rafael Nadal won every set that he played in the tournament, dropping a total of only 35 games in seven matches, which is the second-fewest by any male player en route to a major title in the Open Era.
208.
Rafael Nadal climbed to second on the all-time major singles titles list, with 15, placing him one ahead of Pete Sampras.
209.
Rafael Nadal won his first match against Coric in straight sets but fell in the Round of 16 to Canadian teenager Denis Shapovalov.
210.
Rafael Nadal earned his third US Open title against first-time Grand Slam finalist Kevin Anderson, winning the final in straight sets.
211.
Rafael Nadal extended his winning streak by winning the China Open, winning the final against Nick Kyrgios in straight sets.
212.
Rafael Nadal became year-end No 1 for the fourth time in his career, tying him for fourth all-time with Novak Djokovic, Ivan Lendl and John McEnroe, behind Pete Sampras, and Roger Federer and Jimmy Connors.
213.
Rafael Nadal began his 2018 season at the Kooyong Classic, where he lost to Richard Gasquet in the first round.
214.
Rafael Nadal then played at the Tie Break Tens exhibition tournament in Melbourne, losing in the final to Tomas Berdych.
215.
At the Australian Open, Rafael Nadal recorded straight-sets wins in the first three rounds, before notching a tougher four-set win against Diego Schwartzman in the fourth round.
216.
Rafael Nadal faced Marin Cilic in the quarterfinal, but retired in the fifth set due to a hip injury.
217.
Rafael Nadal withdrew from the Mexican Open, Indian Wells Masters, and Miami Open due to an injury.
218.
Rafael Nadal beat Philipp Kohlschreiber and Alexander Zverev in straight sets.
219.
At the Monte Carlo Masters, Rafael Nadal successfully defended his title and won a then-record-breaking 31st Masters title, thus becoming the player with the most Masters titles in tennis history.
220.
Rafael Nadal won in Monte Carlo without dropping a set, beating Kei Nishikori in the final.
221.
Rafael Nadal went on to win his 11th title in Barcelona, defeating Stefanos Tsitsipas in straight sets, becoming the first player in the open era to win 400 matches on both clay and hard.
222.
Fresh after achieving the "Undecima" at Monte Carlo and Barcelona, Rafael Nadal had to defend yet another title at Madrid.
223.
Rafael Nadal 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.
224.
Rafael Nadal relinquished his world No 1 ranking to Federer in the process.
225.
At the Italian Open, Rafael Nadal captured his 8th title in the Italian capital as well as his 78th career title, defeating Alexander Zverev in three sets, thus overtaking John McEnroe in the fourth place on the list of most titles won in the Open Era.
226.
En route to the title, Rafael Nadal dropped only one set, beating Dominic Thiem in the final in three sets.
227.
Rafael Nadal became just the fourth man in the Open Era to win three or more major titles after turning 30.
228.
Rafael Nadal made it to the quarterfinals without dropping set.
229.
Rafael Nadal then won the Rogers Cup, a record-extending 33rd Masters title.
230.
Rafael Nadal then withdrew from the Cincinnati Masters to prepare for the US Open.
231.
Rafael Nadal was the top seed during his title defence at the US Open.
232.
Rafael Nadal first faced David Ferrer in Ferrer's last Grand Slam match, who retired due to injury during the second set.
233.
Rafael Nadal was due to start his season at the Brisbane International, but withdrew shortly before due to an injury.
234.
Rafael Nadal was seeded second at the 2019 Australian Open, where he progressed to his fifth Australian Open final, and did so without losing a set.
235.
Rafael Nadal then lost in straight sets to Novak Djokovic, winning only eight games for the match and marking Rafael Nadal's first straight-sets defeat in a major final.
236.
Rafael Nadal next played at the Mexico Open, where he lost to Nick Kyrgios in the second round despite holding three match points.
237.
Rafael Nadal withdrew from both Indian Wells and Miami due to a right hip injury.
238.
Rafael Nadal began the clay season at the Monte Carlo Masters, reaching the semifinals, where he was upset by Fabio Fognini in straight sets.
239.
Rafael Nadal then competed in Barcelona, reaching the semifinals where he lost to Dominic Thiem in straight sets.
240.
Rafael Nadal won his first tournament of the year in Rome, with a three-set win over Djokovic in the final.
241.
At the 2019 French Open, Rafael Nadal defeated Kei Nishikori and Roger Federer en route to the final, dropping only one set en route.
242.
Rafael Nadal next played at Wimbledon and, like the previous year, reached the semifinals, where he faced Federer for the first time at Wimbledon since the 2008 final.
243.
At the Rogers Cup, Rafael Nadal was the defending champion and top seed.
244.
At the US Open, Rafael Nadal lost only one set en route to the final, where he won against Medvedev in five sets.
245.
In doing so, Rafael Nadal claimed his fourth US Open title and 19th major title overall, and completed his second-best season in terms of Grand Slam singles results.
246.
At the Paris Masters, Rafael Nadal reached the semifinals, but withdrew due to an abdominal injury.
247.
At the ATP Finals, Rafael Nadal defeated Tsitsipas and Medvedev in the round-robin stage, but failed to progress to the semifinals.
248.
At the 2019 Davis Cup Finals, Rafael Nadal helped Spain win its sixth Davis Cup title, defeating Canada in the final.
249.
Rafael Nadal won all eight of his matches in singles and doubles, extending his winning streak in Davis Cup singles matches to 29, without dropping a set or having his serve broken; he won the tournament's Most Valuable Player award.
250.
Rafael Nadal began his 2020 season by playing at the inaugural 2020 ATP Cup and helped Spain reach the final where they lost to Serbia, with Rafael Nadal losing to Djokovic in straight sets.
251.
Rafael Nadal then played at the 2020 Australian Open and won his first three matches in straight sets against Hugo Dellien, Federico Delbonis and Pablo Carreno Busta.
252.
Rafael Nadal lost in the quarter-final of the Italian Open after Diego Schwartzman beat him in straight sets.
253.
Rafael Nadal won his 13th French Open title, beating Novak Djokovic in straight sets in the tournament's final, only losing seven games.
254.
At the Paris Masters, Rafael Nadal defeated compatriot Feliciano Lopez in the second round to get his 1,000 victory in the ATP Tour, becoming the fourth man in the Open Era to achieve that milestone.
255.
Rafael Nadal then reached the semifinals where he lost to Alexander Zverev in straight sets.
256.
On 9 November 2020, Rafael Nadal reached his 790th back to back week as one of the ten highest placed players on the ATP rankings and surpassed the record held by Jimmy Connors.
257.
At the 2020 ATP Finals, Rafael Nadal played in the London 2020 group.
258.
Rafael Nadal then lost his semifinal match to eventual champion Daniil Medvedev in three sets.
259.
At the 2021 Australian Open, Rafael Nadal lost in the quarterfinals to world No 5 Stefanos Tsitsipas, despite being two sets to love up.
260.
Rafael Nadal next played at the Monte Carlo Masters and defeated Federico Delbonis and Grigor Dimitrov in straight sets to reach the quarterfinals, where he lost to Andrey Rublev in three sets.
261.
At the French Open, Rafael Nadal entered as the heavy favorite seeking to become the first man to win 21 majors.
262.
Rafael Nadal reached the semifinals after wins over Jannik Sinner and Diego Schwartzman, where he encountered Novak Djokovic in a rematch of the previous year's final.
263.
Rafael Nadal returned to action at the 2021 Citi Open, revealing that his recent withdrawals were actually due to a recurring left foot injury that returned at the 2021 French Open.
264.
Rafael Nadal defeated home favorite Jack Sock in a tight 3 set match before being upset by 50th ranked Lloyd Harris in the 3rd round.
265.
Rafael Nadal was then set to defend his title at the National Bank Open, but withdrew from the tournament before his first match, citing the same foot injury.
266.
On 20 August 2021, just 10 days out from the US Open, Rafael Nadal announced that would be ending his 2021 season due to the left foot issue that had been troubling him for most of the year.
267.
Rafael Nadal returned to the court on 17 December 2021, in an exhibition match at the Mubadala World Tennis Championship in Abu Dhabi.
268.
Rafael Nadal became the second man in the Open Era, after Djokovic, to complete the double Career Grand Slam.
269.
At the Mexican Open, Rafael Nadal won the title without dropping a set, which included a win over Medvedev, who that week had clinched the world No 1 ranking.
270.
Rafael Nadal extended his winning streak to 15 matches, his best start to a season in his career.
271.
Rafael Nadal next entered the 2022 Indian Wells Masters as the fourth seed.
272.
Rafael Nadal was beaten by Taylor Fritz in straight sets in the final, ending his winning streak.
273.
Rafael Nadal returned at the Madrid Open, where he defeated Miomir Kecmanovic, David Goffin in the second and third rounds respectively.
274.
Rafael Nadal then lost to Carlos Alcaraz in a rematch of their Indian Wells semifinal.
275.
Rafael Nadal then entered Rome, where he was the defending champion.
276.
Rafael Nadal defeated John Isner in straight sets, but then lost to Denis Shapovalov in three sets despite leading by a set and a break.
277.
At the French Open, Rafael Nadal recorded his 106th win defeating Jordan Thompson in the first round.
278.
Rafael Nadal recorded his 300th career major win by defeating Corentin Moutet in the second round.
279.
Rafael Nadal defeated Botic van de Zandschulp in the third round and faced Felix Auger Aliassime in the fourth round, winning the encounter after being taken to five sets for only the third time in his career at the French Open.
280.
Rafael Nadal emerged victorious in four sets to advance to his 15th French Open semifinal.
281.
Rafael Nadal faced Alexander Zverev in a grueling battle lasting over three hours with only two sets played, and ended with Zverev's retirement due to an ankle injury.
282.
Rafael Nadal ascended to world No 4 on 6 June 2022.
283.
Rafael Nadal returned to the US Open after three years, where he won the tournament the last time he competed.
284.
Rafael Nadal defeated Rinky Hijikata, Fabio Fognini and Richard Gasquet, before losing to American Frances Tiafoe.
285.
At the Laver Cup, Rafael Nadal competed for Team Europe alongside his fellow Big Four members Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray.
286.
Rafael Nadal played one match on Day 1, where he partnered in doubles with long-time rival Federer, for Federer's final professional match.
287.
Rafael Nadal withdrew from the tournament the following day, citing "personal reasons".
288.
At the 2022 ATP Finals, Rafael Nadal won his last match of the year against Casper Ruud after losing his first two matches against Taylor Fritz and Felix Auger Aliassime.
289.
Rafael Nadal finished the 2022 season with a year-end ranking of world No 2, becoming the oldest year-end top-2 player in the history of the ATP rankings.
290.
Rafael Nadal was the defending champion at the 2023 Australian Open, but lost in straight sets to Mackenzie McDonald in the second round.
291.
Rafael Nadal later declined to enter the French Open as well, meaning he missed the entire clay court season.
292.
Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal have been playing each other since 2004, and their rivalry is a significant part of both men's careers.
293.
Rafael Nadal ascended to No 2 in July 2005 and held this spot for a record 160 consecutive weeks before surpassing Federer in August 2008.
294.
Rafael Nadal won six of the nine, losing the first two Wimbledon finals.
295.
Rafael Nadal is the only player who has competed and won against Federer in the final of a Grand Slam on all three surfaces.
296.
Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal have met 59 times.
297.
Rafael Nadal won their last three 2012 meetings in the final of the Monte Carlo Masters, Italian Open and French Open in April, May, and June 2012, respectively.
298.
Rafael Nadal easily defeated Djokovic in the 2017 Madrid Open semifinals, his first victory against the Serb since the 2014 French Open.
299.
Rafael Nadal avenged his loss after defeating Djokovic in four sets in the quarterfinals of the 2022 French Open.
300.
Rafael Nadal defeated Murray in three consecutive Grand Slam semifinals in 2011 from the French Open to the US Open.
301.
The rivalry saw Rafael Nadal winning the first 12 encounters, all in straight sets, including 2 finals, one of which is a Masters final at Madrid in 2013.
302.
Rafael Nadal won their second Grand Slam final, at the 2017 French Open.
303.
Ferrer won their first meeting in 2004 in Stuttgart in 3 sets, but Rafael Nadal went on to win the next four until Ferrer defeated him in the 4th round of the 2007 US Open.
304.
In 2010, the pair met in their first Masters final in Rome, where Rafael Nadal won in straight sets.
305.
Ferrer was in his first major final, whereas Rafael Nadal was aiming for his 8th title at the French Open, and 13th overall.
306.
Between that meeting and 2015, Ferrer and Rafael Nadal would go on to play 6 more matches, with Rafael Nadal winning 4 of the 6.
307.
Rafael Nadal won their first four meetings between 2007 and 2009, before del Potro went on to win the next three, including a straight-sets victory at the 2009 US Open semifinals.
308.
Rafael Nadal beat del Potro in four sets to claim the Davis Cup for Spain.
309.
In 2013, Rafael Nadal denied del Potro his first Masters title, with a victory in the final of the Indian Wells Masters.
310.
Rafael Nadal won the match in 3 sets, in what was only his 8th title on the tour.
311.
Rafael Nadal had reached his 4th Wimbledon final, in an attempt to win his second title.
312.
However, the Spaniard was too good for the Czech in the final, and Rafael Nadal won in straight sets to take his 8th Grand Slam title.
313.
However, like many of their meetings, Rafael Nadal dominated the Czech and beat him in straight sets.
314.
Rafael Nadal is, without a doubt, the best athlete in the history of Spain.
315.
Rafael Nadal is the king of Roland Garros and of world tennis.
316.
Rafael Nadal has achieved a record that is very difficult to beat.
317.
Rafael Nadal holds the joint-record for the most major men's singles titles in tennis history with Novak Djokovic, winning 22 titles.
318.
Rafael Nadal stands alone in the Open Era as the player with the most clay court titles, consisting of an all-time record 14 French Open titles, 12 Barcelona Open titles, 11 Monte-Carlo Masters titles, and 10 Italian Open titles.
319.
Rafael Nadal holds the record for the longest single-surface win streak in matches and in sets in the history of the Open Era.
320.
Rafael Nadal leads the head-to-head record at majors against the other members of the Big Three and holds the record for the most majors won beating a Big Three member en-route.
321.
Rafael Nadal is one of two men, along with Agassi, to win the Olympic gold medal as well as the four majors in singles in his career, a feat known as a Career Golden Slam.
322.
Rafael Nadal is the only male player in history to complete the Career Grand Slam and win an Olympic gold medal in both singles and doubles.
323.
Rafael Nadal is one of four men in history, along with Roy Emerson, Rod Laver and Djokovic, to complete the double Career Grand Slam in singles.
324.
In 2010, Rafael Nadal became the first man to achieve the Surface Slam by winning majors on three different surfaces in the same calendar year.
325.
In 2017, Rafael Nadal achieved La Decima by becoming the first man with 10 titles at a single major, following similar feats at the Monte-Carlo Masters and Barcelona Open.
326.
In 2020, Rafael Nadal became the first player to win the French Open in three different decades.
327.
Rafael Nadal holds the all-time records for the most years winning at least one major, the most consecutive years winning a major, the most majors won without losing a set, the most match wins at a single major, and the highest match-winning percentage at clay court majors, among many others.
328.
Rafael Nadal holds the Open Era records for the highest clay court match-winning percentage, the highest outdoor match-winning percentage, and the most consecutive seasons winning at least one tournament and two tournaments, respectively.
329.
Rafael Nadal has won the most outdoor Masters titles, Big Titles, and ATP Tour titles in the Open Era.
330.
Rafael Nadal is the only man to have been ranked world No 1 in three different decades.
331.
Rafael Nadal holds the record for the most wins against world No 1 ranked players.
332.
Rafael Nadal played an instrumental role in taking Spain to four Davis Cup crowns, and is the winner of two Olympic gold medals.
333.
Rafael Nadal was ranked as one of the world's highest-paid athletes by Forbes magazine in 2014.
334.
Rafael Nadal was named among the 100 most influential people in the world by Time magazine in 2022.
335.
Rafael Nadal generally plays an aggressive, behind-the-baseline game founded on heavy topspin groundstrokes, consistency, speedy footwork and tenacious court coverage, thus making him an aggressive counterpuncher.
336.
Rafael Nadal plays very fine dropshots, which work especially well because his heavy topspin often forces opponents to the back of the court.
337.
Rafael Nadal's serve was initially considered a weak point in his game, although his improvements in both first-serve points won and break points saved since 2005 have allowed him to consistently compete for and win major titles on faster surfaces.
338.
Rafael Nadal relies on the consistency of his serve to gain a strategic advantage in points, rather than going for service winners.
339.
Since the 2010 US Open, Rafael Nadal's serve speed dropped to previous levels and was again cited as in need of improvement.
340.
Under Moya's direction, Rafael Nadal improved his serve, and incorporated serve-and-volley as a surprise tactic in some of his matches.
341.
Rafael Nadal is a clay court specialist, in the sense that he has been extremely successful on that surface.
342.
Rafael Nadal has won 14 times at the French Open, 12 at Barcelona, 11 at Monte Carlo, and 10 at Rome.
343.
However, Rafael 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 titles on hard court, and winning an Olympic gold medal on hard court.
344.
Rafael 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.
345.
Rafael Nadal is currently coached by Francisco Roig and Carlos Moya.
346.
Rafael Nadal added that his family does not approve of it and breaking a racket means he is not in control of his emotions.
347.
Rafael Nadal is known for a host of on court rituals including specific bodily movements and the positioning of items courtside.
348.
Rafael Nadal has appeared in advertising campaigns for Kia as a global ambassador for the company.
349.
In May 2015, Rafael Nadal extended his partnership with Kia for another five years.
350.
At warmup tournaments in Abu Dhabi and Doha, Rafael Nadal played matches in a polo shirt specifically designed for him by Nike, paired with shorts cut above the knee.
351.
Rafael Nadal wears Nike's Air CourtBallistec 2.3 tennis shoes, bearing various customizations throughout the season, including his nickname "Rafa" on the right shoe and a stylized bull logo on the left.
352.
Rafael Nadal became the face of Lanvin's L'Homme Sport cologne in April 2009.
353.
Rafael Nadal uses no replacement grip, and instead wraps two overgrips around the handle.
354.
Rafael Nadal used Duralast 15L strings until the 2010 season, when he switched to Babolat's new, black-colored, RPM Blast string.
355.
The watch is made of titanium and lithium and is valued at US$525,000; Rafael Nadal was involved in the design and testing of the watch on the tennis court.
356.
In June 2012, Rafael Nadal joined the group of sports endorsers of the PokerStars online poker cardroom.
357.
Rafael Nadal won a charity poker tournament against retired Brazilian football player Ronaldo in 2014.
358.
In February 2010, Rafael Nadal was featured in the music video of Shakira's "Gypsy".
359.
The decision to name the asteroid after Rafael Nadal was made by the International Astronomical Union in response to a request by the observatory.
360.
Rafael Nadal owns and trains at the Rafa Rafael Nadal Sports Centre in his hometown of Manacor, Mallorca.
361.
Rafael Nadal took part in Thailand's "A Million Trees for the King" project, planting a tree in honour of King Bhumibol Adulyadej on a visit to Hua Hin during his Thailand Open 2010.
362.
The creation of the Fundacion Rafa Rafael Nadal took place in November 2007, and its official presentation was in February 2008, at the Manacor Tennis Club in Mallorca, Spain.
363.
On 16 October 2010, Rafael Nadal traveled to India for the first time to visit his tennis academy for underprivileged children at Anantapur Sports Village, in the Anantapur City, Andhra Pradesh.
364.
Rafael Nadal's foundation has worked in the Anantapur Educational Center project, in collaboration with the Vicente Ferrer Foundation.
365.
Rafael Nadal opened his tennis academy centre to Majorca flood victims in October 2018.
366.
Rafael Nadal is an avid fan of association football club Real Madrid.
367.
Rafael Nadal reportedly owns 10 percent and was offered the role of vice president, which he rejected.
368.
Rafael Nadal is a fervent supporter of the Spanish national team, and he was one of six people not affiliated with the team or the national federation allowed to enter the team's locker room following Spain's victory in the 2010 FIFA World Cup Final.
369.
Rafael Nadal lived with his parents and younger sister Maria Isabel in a five-storey apartment building in their hometown of Manacor, Mallorca.
370.
Rafael Nadal has been in a relationship with Maria Francisca Perello Pascual since 2005, and their engagement was reported in January 2019.
371.
In October 2020, Rafael Nadal competed in the professional-level Balearic Golf Championship, obtaining a World Amateur Golf Ranking in the process.
372.
In 2021, Rafael Nadal announced that he had a rare chronic disorder of his left ankle, Mueller-Weiss syndrome.
373.
Rafael Nadal was diagnosed at the age of 19 and held off surgery as long as he could.
374.
Rafael Nadal later received two numbing injections and anti-inflammatories before each of his seven matches en route to winning the 2022 French Open.
375.
Rafael Nadal stated that he is not willing to do this again.
376.
Rafael Nadal has won 14 French Open titles, an all-time record at any tournament.
377.
Rafael Nadal is the youngest player in the Open Era to win all four majors.