351 Facts About Rafael Nadal

Rafael Nadal Parera was born on 3 June 1986 and is a Spanish former professional tennis player.

Rafael Nadal was ranked as the world No 1 in men's singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals for 209 weeks, and finished as the year-end No 1 five times.

Rafael Nadal is one of three men to complete the career Golden Slam in singles.

For nearly two decades, Rafael Nadal was a leading figure in men's tennis, alongside Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic, collectively known as the Big Three.

Early in his career, Rafael Nadal became one of the most successful teenagers in ATP Tour history, reaching No 2 in the world and winning 16 titles before turning 20, including his first major title at the 2005 French Open.

Rafael Nadal became the world No 1 for the first time in 2008 after defeating Federer in an historic Wimbledon final, his first major championship off clay.

Rafael Nadal followed with an Olympic singles gold at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Rafael Nadal won major singles titles in 10 consecutive years from 2005 to 2014, and again in a four-year span from 2017 to 2020.

Rafael Nadal won 11 doubles titles during his career, including an Olympic gold medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics.

Rafael Nadal surpassed his joint-record with Djokovic and Federer for the most Grand Slam 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.

Rafael Nadal retired from the sport after playing for Spain in the 2024 Davis Cup Finals.

Rafael Nadal frequently ranked among the tour leaders in return games, return points, and break points won.

Rafael Nadal's game was especially well-suited for clay courts, on which came 63 of his 92 singles titles.

Rafael Nadal won the Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship Award five times and was the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year in 2011 and 2021.

Rafael Nadal has opened a tennis academy in Mallorca, and is an active philanthropist.

Rafael Nadal Parera was born on 3 June 1986 in Manacor on the island of Mallorca, Spain, to Ana Maria Parera Femenias and Sebastian Nadal Homar.

Rafael Nadal's father is a businessman who owns an insurance company, a glass and window company, and a restaurant.

Rafael Nadal's mother owned a perfume shop but gave it up to raise Nadal and his younger sister, Maria Isabel.

One of his uncles, Miguel Angel Rafael Nadal, is a retired professional footballer who played for RCD Mallorca, FC Barcelona and the Spanish national team.

Rafael Nadal started to play tennis at the Manacor Tennis Club, where Toni worked as a coach, hitting his first few shots with his uncle.

At this stage Rafael Nadal's passion was football, which he often played on the streets of Manacor with his friends.

Rafael Nadal began to play tennis more regularly when he was five.

Rafael Nadal often played tennis in a group, but Toni singled him out during sessions, shouting at him instead of the other kids, and making him pick up the balls and sweep the courts.

Rafael Nadal admitted he sometimes returned home from tennis lessons crying.

At age 8, Rafael Nadal won an under-12 regional tennis championship while being a promising football player.

Rafael Nadal won the Spanish junior championships in 1997 and 1998, beating Ricardo Villacorta and Marcel Granollers respectively.

In 1998 Rafael Nadal reached the final of the U14 Spanish championship at the age of 12, a feat that remains unmatched, losing to Juan Sanchez de Luna in straight sets.

In late 1998, Rafael Nadal won the season-ending U12 Junior Masters at Stuttgart, beating future world No 5 Kevin Anderson in the final.

In February 1998, Rafael Nadal competed outside Spain for the first time and won the Open Super 12, an unofficial world championship for U12 players in Auray.

Rafael Nadal beat 1997 winner Jamie Murray in the final.

At the time, Rafael Nadal was torn between football and tennis, partly because his uncle Miguel Angel was preparing to compete in the 1998 FIFA World Cup with Spain.

Rafael Nadal said winning the Auray tournament helped him make the decision to "opt for tennis and try an international career".

In 1998, when Rafael Nadal was runner-up in the U14 event Spanish championship, he was still playing football.

Rafael Nadal's father insisted he choose between football and tennis to so his schoolwork wouldn't suffer, leading Rafael Nadal to quit football.

In 1999, the 12-year-old Rafael Nadal was playing in the U14 circuit of the ETA Junior Tour, winning the Tim Essonne, and finishing the year at No 69.

In 2000, Rafael Nadal dominated the U14 circuit, winning Les Petits As in Tarbes, beating Julien Gely in the final, and the European Junior Masters in Prato.

Rafael Nadal ended 2000 at No 5 of the ETA rankings for U14s.

The decision to stay home meant less financial support from the federation; instead, Rafael Nadal's father covered the costs.

Rafael Nadal turned professional at the beginning of 2001, at the age of 14.

Rafael Nadal reached the semi-finals of the junior singles event at Wimbledon and helped Spain defeat the US in the final of the Junior Davis Cup.

In early 2001, aged 14, Rafael Nadal began playing the qualifying draws of professional tournaments.

Rafael Nadal made his pro debut in the main draw at the Futures in Madrid on 11 September 2001, wasting 13 match points against Guillermo Platel-Varas in the opening round.

In 2002, Rafael Nadal, then ranked No 762, received a wild card to the ATP 250 event on his home island of Mallorca, where on 29 April, Rafael Nadal won his first ATP match by defeating No 81 Ramon Delgado, and became the ninth player in the Open Era to do so before the age of 16.

Rafael Nadal continued his ascent in early 2003, reaching the finals of Challengers at Hamburg, Cherbourg and Cagliari, and winning at Barletta.

Rafael Nadal scored a total of 19 Challenger wins in the first three months of the season to find himself inside the Top 150.

Rafael Nadal reached his fifth Challenger final of the year in Aix-en-Provence, which he lost to Mariano Puerta.

Rafael Nadal postponed his French Open debut after injuring his elbow in a fall while training.

Rafael Nadal won his first ATP title at Umag, partnering Alex Lopez Moron to beat Todd Perry and Thomas Shimada in the final.

At the US Open, Rafael Nadal lost in round two to Younes El Aynaoui.

Rafael Nadal won Chennai Open doubles, with Tommy Robredo defeating Jonathan Erlich and Andy Ram in the final; Rafael Nadal's second doubles title and first on hard courts.

In singles, Rafael Nadal had his 5th consecutive loss after a first round exit to Thierry Ascione; this remains the worst losing streak of his career.

Rafael Nadal reached the third round of the Australian Open, where he lost in straight sets to former world No 1 Lleyton Hewitt.

At Estoril, Rafael Nadal suffered a stress fracture in his left ankle during his round of 16 victory over Richard Gasquet, causing him to miss 3 months of play, the French Open, and Wimbledon.

Rafael Nadal won his first ATP singles title at the Prokom Open by defeating No 105 Jose Acasuso in the final, but won hardly any other match on the tour.

At the US Open, Rafael Nadal lost to defending champion Andy Roddick in the second round.

Rafael Nadal finished the year ranked No 51, mainly because he missed most of the clay court season.

At the 2005 Australian Open, Rafael Nadal lost in the fourth round to eventual runner-up Lleyton Hewitt.

Rafael Nadal won 24 consecutive singles matches, breaking Andre Agassi's Open Era record of consecutive match wins for a male teenager.

Rafael Nadal won the Torneo Conde de Godo in Barcelona defeating the former world No 1 Juan Carlos Ferrero in the final; which meant he was ranked in the top 10 for the first time in his career.

Rafael Nadal then beat 2004 French Open runner-up Guillermo Coria in the finals of the 2005 Monte Carlo Masters and the 2005 Italian Open.

On his 19th birthday, Rafael Nadal defeated Federer in the French Open semi-finals, being one of only four players to defeat him that year.

Rafael Nadal became the first male teenager to win a major singles title since Pete Sampras won the 1990 US Open at age 19.

Three days later, Rafael Nadal's 24-match winning streak was snapped in the first round on grass at Halle, Germany, where he lost to No 147 Alexander Waske.

Rafael Nadal then lost in the second round of 2005 Wimbledon to No 69 Gilles Muller.

Rafael Nadal's winning streak ended in the first round of the Cincinnati Open at the hands of Tomas Berdych.

Rafael Nadal was seeded second at the 2005 US Open, but was upset in the third round by No 49 James Blake.

Rafael Nadal broke Mats Wilander's previous teenage season record of nine in 1983.

Rafael Nadal was awarded ATP Most Improved Player of the Year award.

Rafael Nadal missed the Australian Open because of a foot injury.

Rafael Nadal was then upset in the semi-finals of Indian Wells by James Blake, and in the second round of Miami by Carlos Moya.

Rafael Nadal beat Federer in the final of the Monte Carlo Masters and Tommy Robredo in the Barcelona final.

Rafael Nadal won the Italian Open beating Federer in a fifth-set tiebreak in the final, after saving two match points, and equaled Bjorn Borg's tally of 16 ATP titles won as a teenager.

At five hours and five minutes, this was the longest match Federer and Rafael Nadal ever contested and it is considered to be where their rivalry began in earnest.

Rafael Nadal then broke Argentinian Guillermo Vilas's 29-year male record of 53 consecutive clay-court match victories by beating Robin Soderling in the first round of the French Open.

Rafael Nadal beat Novak Djokovic in the quarterfinals, the first-ever meeting of their historic rivalry.

Rafael Nadal won the final over Federer to become the first player to beat Federer in a major final.

At Wimbledon, Rafael Nadal beat No 20 Andre Agassi in Agassi's last ever match at Wimbledon.

Rafael Nadal won his next three matches to reach his first Wimbledon final.

Rafael Nadal was upset in the third round of the Rogers Cup in Toronto and in the quarterfinals of Cincinnati by Juan Carlos Ferrero.

Rafael Nadal played only three tournaments for the remainder of the year.

At the Australian Open, Rafael Nadal lost in the quarterfinals to eventual runner-up Fernando Gonzalez.

Rafael Nadal won the titles at the Monte Carlo, Barcelona and Rome, before losing to Roger Federer in the final of Hamburg.

Rafael Nadal bounced back quickly in the French Open, not dropping a set en route to the final where he faced Federer , this time winning in four sets to join Bjorn Borg as the only men to win three French Open titles in a row.

Between Barcelona and Rome, Rafael Nadal beat Federer in the "Battle of Surfaces" exhibition match in Mallorca, with the court being half grass and half clay.

Rafael Nadal then won consecutive five-set matches during the third and fourth rounds of Wimbledon before being beaten by Federer in a five-set final.

Rafael Nadal was a semi-finalist in Montreal before losing his first match at the Cincinnati Open.

Rafael Nadal won two of his three-round robin matches to advance to the semi-finals of the Tennis Masters Cup in Shanghai, where Federer defeated him in straight sets.

Rafael Nadal reached the semi-finals of the Australian Open for the first time, losing in straight sets to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.

Rafael Nadal lost to Nikolay Davydenko in the Miami final.

At Monte Carlo, Rafael Nadal beat Federer in the final for the third year in a row to become the first player to win four consecutive titles there since Anthony Wilding in 1914.

Rafael Nadal won the doubles event with Tommy Robredo, becoming the first player since Jim Courier in 1991 to win the singles and doubles titles at a Masters Series event.

Rafael Nadal won his first Masters Hamburg title, defeating Federer, to become the third player to have won all three clay-court Masters Series titles, in Rome, Monte Carlo and Hamburg.

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.

Rafael Nadal beat Federer in the final for the third straight year, losing only four games, and gave Federer his first bagel since 1999.

Rafael Nadal became the fourth male player during Open Era to win the same Grand Slam singles tournament for four consecutive years.

Rafael Nadal faced Federer in the final of Wimbledon for the third consecutive year, in the most anticipated match of their rivalry.

Rafael Nadal entered the final on a 23-match winning streak, including his first career grass-court title at Queen's.

Rafael Nadal ended Federer's streak of five consecutive Wimbledon titles and 65 straight wins on grass courts.

Rafael Nadal extended his winning streak to a career-best 32 matches by winning his second Canada Masters title in Toronto, and reaching the semi-finals at Cincinnati, where he lost to Djokovic.

At the US Open, Rafael Nadal was the top seed for the first time at a major.

Rafael Nadal helped Spain defeat the United States in the Davis Cup semi-finals.

At the Madrid Masters, Rafael Nadal lost in the semi-finals to Gilles Simon.

Rafael Nadal ended the year-end No 1, making him the first Spaniard to finish the year No 1 in the Open Era.

At the Paris Masters, Rafael Nadal withdrew from his quarterfinal because of a knee injury and ended his season.

At Qatar Open, Rafael Nadal lost in the quarterfinals to Gael Monfils.

Rafael Nadal won the doubles with Marc Lopez, beating No 1-ranked Daniel Nestor and Nenad Zimonjic in the final.

At the Australian Open, Rafael Nadal won his first five matches without dropping a set, before beating Fernando Verdasco in the semis in the fifth-longest match in Australian Open history.

Rafael Nadal beat Federer in a five-set final to win his first hard-court major singles title, and was the first Spaniard to win the Australian Open.

At Rotterdam, Rafael Nadal sustained a knee injury during the final, which he lost to Andy Murray.

At Indian Wells, Rafael Nadal won his 13th Masters tournament, beating Andy Murray in the final.

At the Miami Masters, Rafael Nadal lost to del Potro in the quarterfinals.

At Monte Carlo, Rafael Nadal beat Djokovic in the final to win a record fifth consecutive singles title.

Rafael Nadal won Barcelona and Italian Open, defeating Ferrer and Djokovic respectively.

Rafael Nadal dropped back to No 2 behind Federer on 6 July 2009.

At the Montreal, Rafael Nadal lost in the quarterfinals to del Potro, meaning he dropped outside the top two for the first time since July 2005.

Rafael Nadal lost in the semi-finals of Cincinnati to Djokovic in straight sets.

At the US Open Rafael Nadal lost in the semi-finals to eventual champion Juan Martin del Potro.

At the ATP Finals, Rafael Nadal lost all three of his matches to Robin Soderling, Nikolay Davydenko, and Djokovic without winning a set.

Rafael Nadal finished the year as No 2 for the fourth time in five years.

Rafael Nadal reached the semi-finals of the Indian Wells Open and Miami Masters, losing to the eventual champions.

Rafael Nadal won Monte Carlo, beating Fernando Verdasco in the final.

At Madrid, Rafael Nadal beat Federer in straight sets to become the first man to complete a clean sweep of the three clay-court Masters 1000 titles and was his 18th Masters title, breaking Andre Agassi's all-time record.

At the French Open, Rafael Nadal beat Soderling in the final in straight sets to win his fifth French Open championship.

At Wimbledon, Rafael Nadal needed five sets to defeat Philipp Petzschner in the third round, receiving warnings and a $2,000 fine for coaching during the match.

Rafael Nadal beat Tomas Berdych in the final to win his second Wimbledon title and his eighth major title.

Rafael Nadal played doubles with Djokovic in a one-time partnership, losing in the first round.

At the US Open, Rafael Nadal reached his first final without dropping a set and then beat Novak Djokovic to complete his first Career Grand Slam while becoming the second male after Andre Agassi to complete a Career Golden Slam.

Rafael Nadal became the first man to win majors on clay, grass, and hard courts in the same year, and the first to win the French Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open in the same year since Rod Laver in 1969.

Rafael Nadal's victory clinched him the year-end No 1 ranking for 2010.

Rafael Nadal won the Japan Open after saving two match points against Viktor Troicki in the semi-finals and then beating Gael Monfils in the final for his seventh title of the season.

Rafael Nadal won the Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship Award for the first time.

At the ATP Finals in London, Rafael Nadal won all of his round-robin matches for the first time in his career.

At the Qatar Open, Rafael Nadal lost in straight sets to Nikolay Davydenko in the semi-finals but went on to win the doubles title alongside Marc Lopez.

At the Australian Open, Rafael Nadal suffered a hamstring injury against David Ferrer early in his quarterfinal match and lost in straight sets, thus ending his attempt to win four major tournaments in a row.

In March, Rafael Nadal helped Spain defeat Belgium in a 2011 Davis Cup World Group first-round tie in the Spiroudome in Charleroi, Belgium.

Rafael Nadal reached the finals at Indian Wells and Miami, losing to Novak Djokovic in three sets.

Rafael Nadal won his sixth Barcelona crown, again defeating Ferrer in straight sets.

Rafael Nadal then lost to Novak Djokovic in the finals of the Italian Open and Madrid Open, which ended his 37-match winning streak on clay.

However, Rafael Nadal retained his No 1 ranking during the clay-court season and won his sixth French Open title by defeating Roger Federer.

Rafael Nadal then played Djokovic in their second successive major final, losing the match in four sets.

Rafael Nadal reached the final of the Japan Open, where he was defeated by Andy Murray.

At the ATP Finals, Rafael Nadal was defeated by Roger Federer and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the round-robin stage, and was eliminated from the tournament.

At Qatar Open, Rafael Nadal lost to Gael Monfils in the semi-finals.

At the Australian Open, Rafael Nadal won his semi-final match against Roger Federer to set up a third successive major final against Novak Djokovic, which he lost in a five-set epic that lasted 5 hours and 53 minutes, the longest Grand Slam final match in history.

Rafael Nadal called it "one of the toughest moments in my career".

Rafael Nadal then reached the semi-finals of both the Indian Wells, where he was beaten by Federer, and Miami, where he withdrew because of knee problems.

At Monte Carlo, Rafael Nadal did not lose a set en route to the title to become the first man in the Open Era to win the same tournament eight consecutive times.

Rafael Nadal then beat David Ferrer in a three-set final to clinch his seventh title in eight years at Barcelona.

Rafael Nadal criticized the new blue clay and threatened to skip future events if the surface wasn't changed back to red clay, a sentiment echoed by several players, including Novak Djokovic.

Rafael Nadal beat Djokovic in a tight straight-set final at the Italian Open.

At the French Open, Rafael Nadal won his semi-final match against Ferrer to set up another final against Novak Djokovic.

Rafael Nadal became the most successful male player at the French Open with seven titles.

Rafael Nadal lost a total of only three sets in the 2012 clay court season.

At Wimbledon, Rafael Nadal was upset in the second round by Lukas Rosol in five sets.

Rafael Nadal then ended his season early due to tendinitis in his knee.

Rafael Nadal ended 2012 ranked No 4, the first time in eight years that he was not ranked 1st or 2nd at the end of the year.

Rafael Nadal withdrew from Australian Open with a stomach virus and dropped out of the ATP Top 4 for the first time since 2005.

Rafael Nadal returned at the VTR Open in Chile, where he was upset by Argentine No 73 Horacio Zeballos in the final.

At the Brasil Open, Rafael Nadal beat David Nalbandian in the final.

Rafael Nadal was beaten by Djokovic in straight sets in Monte Carlo to end his eight-year reign at the tournament.

Rafael Nadal then won his eighth title at Barcelona beating Nicolas Almagro in the final.

Rafael Nadal went on to win Madrid, beating Stan Wawrinka in the final.

Rafael Nadal then overtook him when he beat Federer for his 7th title at the Italian Open.

Rafael Nadal won the French Open beating Novak Djokovic in the semi-final and David Ferrer in the final, breaking the record for the most match wins in the tournament with his 59th victory, surpassing the previous record held by Guillermo Vilas and Roger Federer.

Rafael Nadal became the first man in history to win any major eight times, and tied Roy Emerson for the third-most major titles in history.

However, Rafael Nadal then lost his first-round match at Wimbledon in straight sets to Steve Darcis, his first loss in the first round of a major.

Rafael Nadal won his 26th Masters title in Cincinnati beating John Isner in the final.

Rafael Nadal won his 4th hard court title of the year, defeating Djokovic in the US Open final in four sets to achieve the Summer Slam and clinch the US Open Series.

Rafael Nadal became only the third player in history, after Patrick Rafter and Andy Roddick, to win all three events in succession.

Rafael Nadal helped Spain secure a Davis Cup World Group place for 2014, beating Sergiy Stakhovsky and winning a doubles win with Marc Lopez.

Rafael Nadal lost in the Shanghai semis to Del Potro.

Rafael Nadal beat David Ferrer, Stan Wawrinka, and Tomas Berdych in the round-robin and Roger Federer in the semis before losing in straight sets to Djokovic in the final.

At the Qatar Open, Rafael Nadal won the title beating Gael Monfils in the final.

However, Rafael Nadal suffered a back injury during the warm-up, which progressively worsened as the match wore on.

Rafael Nadal lost the first two sets, and although he won the third set, he lost the match in four sets.

Rafael Nadal reached the final of the Miami Masters, losing to Novak Djokovic in straight sets.

Rafael Nadal began his clay court season with a quarterfinal loss to David Ferrer at Monte Carlo.

Rafael Nadal was stunned by Nicolas Almagro in the quarterfinals of the Barcelona Open.

Rafael Nadal then won his 27th masters title at Madrid after Kei Nishikori retired in the third set of the final.

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.

Rafael Nadal equaled Pete Sampras' total of 14 Grand Slam wins.

Rafael Nadal then lost in the second round of Halle to Dustin Brown.

Rafael Nadal withdrew from the American swing owing to a wrist injury.

Rafael Nadal made his return at the 2014 China Open but was defeated in the quarterfinals by Martin Klizan in three sets.

Rafael Nadal was upset by Borna Coric at the quarterfinals of the 2014 Swiss Indoors.

Rafael Nadal skipped the rest of the season to undergo surgery for his appendix.

At Qatar Open, Rafael Nadal lost in three set to Michael Berrer in round one.

At the Australian Open, Rafael Nadal lost in straight sets to Tomas Berdych in the quarterfinal, ending a 17-match winning streak against the seventh-seeded Czech.

Rafael Nadal lost in the quarterfinals of Rome to Stan Wawrinka in straight sets.

Rafael Nadal lost to Djokovic in the quarterfinals of the French Open, ending his winning streak of 39 consecutive victories in Paris since his 2009 defeat by Robin Soderling.

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.

Rafael Nadal lost in the first round of the Aegon Championships to Alexandr Dolgopolov in three sets.

Rafael Nadal lost in the second round of Wimbledon to Dustin Brown.

Rafael Nadal lost to Djokovic in straight sets in the final in Doha.

At the Australian Open, Rafael Nadal lost in five sets to Fernando Verdasco in round one.

Rafael Nadal won his 17th ATP 500 in Barcelona, winning the trophy for the ninth time in his career.

At the Rio 2016 Olympics, Rafael Nadal achieved 800 career wins with his quarterfinal victory over the Brazilian Thomaz Bellucci.

Rafael Nadal lost the bronze medal match in men's singles to Kei Nishikori.

The defeat meant that 2016 was the first year since 2004 in which Rafael Nadal had failed to reach a Grand Slam quarter-final.

At Brisbane International Rafael Nadal lost to Milos Raonic in three sets in the quarterfinals.

Rafael Nadal began the Australian Open with straight-set wins over Florian Mayer and Marcos Baghdatis, before more difficult wins over Alexander Zverev and Gael Monfils, to reach his first Grand Slam quarterfinal since the 2015 French Open.

Rafael Nadal beat Raonic and Grigor Dimitrov, to set up a final against Roger Federer, his first Grand Slam final since he won the 2014 French Open.

Rafael Nadal lost to Federer in five sets; the first time that Rafael Nadal had lost to Federer in a Grand Slam since the final of the 2007 Wimbledon Championships.

Rafael Nadal lost to Federer in straight sets in the fourth round at Indian Wells and the Miami final.

Rafael Nadal then won his 29th Masters title in Monte Carlo; his tenth title, the most wins by any player at a single tournament in the Open Era.

Rafael Nadal won Barcelona without dropping a set.

Rafael Nadal beat Stan Wawrinka in straight sets to win a record tenth French Open title.

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.

Rafael Nadal climbed to second on the all-time major singles titles list, with 15, placing him one ahead of Pete Sampras.

Rafael Nadal earned his third US Open title against Kevin Anderson, winning the final in straight sets.

Rafael Nadal extended his winning streak by winning the China Open, beating Nick Kyrgios in straight sets in the final.

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.

Rafael Nadal became the first player aged over 30 to finish as year-end No 1 and the first to finish in the top spot four years since he last achieved the feat; he broke a number of other historical records, all of which he broke again in 2019.

At the Australian Open, Rafael Nadal retired in the fifth set of his quarterfinal against Marin Cilic due to a hip injury.

Rafael Nadal won his 11th Monte Carlo title without losing a set.

Rafael Nadal won his 11th title in Barcelona, beating Stefanos Tsitsipas in straight sets, becoming the first player in the Open Era to win 400 matches on clay and hard.

Rafael Nadal lost in straight sets to Dominic Thiem in the quarters, ending his 21-match and record 50-set winning streaks on clay.

At Rome, Rafael Nadal won his 8th title beating Alexander Zverev in three sets, to reach fourth place on the men's singles titles in the Open Era leaderboard with 78.

At the French Open, Rafael Nadal won his 17th Grand Slam title.

Rafael Nadal dropped only one set at the event, beating Dominic Thiem in the final in three sets.

Rafael Nadal became the fourth man in the Open Era to win three or more major titles after turning 30.

At Wimbledon, Rafael Nadal beat Juan Martin del Potro in five sets in the quarters.

Rafael Nadal won the Rogers Cup, a record-extending 33rd Masters title and his first Masters title on hard court since 2013.

Rafael Nadal withdrew from the Paris Masters due to an abdominal injury.

At Australian Open, Rafael Nadal progressed to his fifth Australian Open final without losing a set, then won only eight games against Novak Djokovic, which was Rafael Nadal's first straight-sets defeat in a major final.

Rafael Nadal won his first tournament of the year in Rome, with a three-set win over Djokovic in the final.

At the French Open, Rafael Nadal beat Kei Nishikori and Roger Federer en route to the final, dropping only one set en route.

Rafael Nadal won in four sets against Thiem to claim his record-extending twelfth French Open title.

Rafael Nadal broke Margaret Court's all-time record of singles titles won at the same major.

At the US Open, Rafael Nadal lost one set en route to the final, where he beat Medvedev in five sets to win his fourth US Open title and 19th major title overall, and completed his second-best Grand Slam year.

At the Paris Masters, Rafael Nadal reached the semi-finals, but withdrew due to an abdominal injury.

At the ATP Finals, Rafael Nadal beat Tsitsipas and Medvedev in the round-robin stage, but failed to progress to the semi-finals.

Rafael Nadal secured the year-end No 1 ranking when Djokovic was eliminated in the round-robin stage.

Rafael Nadal became the oldest person to finish as the year-end No 1 player, and created a record eleven-year gap between his first and last year-end No 1 seasons.

At the 2019 Davis Cup Finals, Rafael Nadal helped Spain win its sixth Davis Cup title, beating Canada.

Rafael Nadal extended 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.

At the inaugural ATP Cup Rafael Nadal helped Spain reach the final where they lost to Serbia, with Rafael Nadal losing to Djokovic in straight sets.

At the Australian Open Rafael Nadal won his first three matches in straight sets against Hugo Dellien, Federico Delbonis and Pablo Carreno Busta.

Rafael Nadal won his third Mexican Open title, defeating Taylor Fritz in straights sets in the final.

Rafael Nadal won his 13th French Open, beating Novak Djokovic in straight sets in the final, only losing seven games.

At the Paris Masters, Rafael Nadal defeated Feliciano Lopez in the second round to get his 1,000 victory on the ATP Tour, becoming the fourth man in the Open Era to achieve that milestone.

Rafael Nadal lost in the semi-finals to Alexander Zverev in straight sets.

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.

At the ATP Finals, Rafael Nadal defeated Rublev and defending champion Tsitsipas progressing to the semi-finals and securing ending the year as No 2.

Rafael Nadal lost his semi-final to eventual champion Daniil Medvedev in three sets.

At the Australian Open, Rafael Nadal lost in the quarterfinals to world No 5 Stefanos Tsitsipas, despite being two sets to love up.

Rafael Nadal next played at Monte Carlo and reached the quarterfinals, where he lost to Andrey Rublev in three sets.

Rafael Nadal won a record-extending tenth Italian Open title, saving two match points against Denis Shapovalov before beating Novak Djokovic in the final.

Rafael Nadal beat Jack Sock in a tight three-set match before being upset by 50th ranked Lloyd Harris in the 3rd round.

On 20 August 2021, 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.

Rafael Nadal's ranking fell to No 6 due to his injury.

Rafael Nadal won his second Australian Open title, 21st major title and 90th ATP title beating Daniil Medvedev in a five-set final, coming back from two sets down.

At the Mexican Open, Rafael Nadal won the title without dropping a set, including a win over new world No 1 Medvedev.

Rafael Nadal extended his winning streak to 15 matches, his best ever start to a season.

Rafael Nadal had a rib injury and lost to Taylor Fritz in straight sets in the final.

Rafael Nadal returned at the Madrid Open, where he beat Miomir Kecmanovic and David Goffin and lost to Carlos Alcaraz.

At the French Open, Rafael Nadal recorded his 106th win defeating Jordan Thompson in the first round, becoming the player with most wins at a single major.

Rafael Nadal beat Felix Auger Aliassime in the fourth round.

Rafael Nadal met Djokovic for the 59th time in the quarterfinals and won in four sets to advance to his 15th French Open semi-final.

Rafael Nadal faced Alexander Zverev and after more than three hours with two sets played, Zverev retired due to an ankle injury.

Rafael Nadal became the then-oldest French Open champion ever, and the third man to earn four Top-10 wins en route to a major title since the ATP rankings started in 1973, after Mats Wilander and Federer.

Rafael Nadal beat Taylor Fritz in the quarterfinal, but aggravated an abdominal injury, and had to withdraw from the tournament.

Rafael Nadal lost in round one at Cincinnati to eventual champion Borna Coric.

Rafael Nadal returned to the US Open for the first time since 2019.

Rafael Nadal lost in round four to Frances Tiafoe, his only loss at a major in 2022, and his earliest major defeat since the 2017 Wimbledon Championships.

At the Laver Cup, Rafael Nadal competed for Team Europe alongside Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, and Andy Murray.

Rafael Nadal played doubles with rival Federer, losing to Jack Sock and Frances Tiafoe.

At the ATP Finals, Rafael Nadal won his last match of the year against Casper Ruud after losing his first two matches.

Rafael Nadal finished the year ranked No 2, becoming the oldest year-end top-2 player in the history of the ATP rankings.

Rafael Nadal was the defending champion at the 2023 Australian Open, but lost in straight sets to Mackenzie McDonald in the second round.

Rafael Nadal withdrew from Indian Wells and Miami to recover from his Australian Open injury and didn't play on tour again in 2023.

Rafael Nadal began his season at the 2024 Brisbane International, defeating Dominic Thiem and Jason Kubler before losing to Jordan Thompson.

Rafael Nadal lost in round two at the Italian Open.

Rafael Nadal then competed in the Summer Olympics, where he served as a torch bearer during the opening ceremony.

On 10 October 2024, Rafael Nadal stated his intention to retire from the sport after playing for Spain in the Davis Cup Finals in Malaga, Spain, in November.

Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal played each other from 2004 to 2019, and their rivalry was a significant part of both men's careers.

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.

Rafael Nadal had a winning record on clay and outdoor hard courts, while Federer led on indoor hard courts and grass.

Rafael Nadal won six of the nine, losing the first two Wimbledon finals and 2017 in Australia.

Rafael Nadal was the only player to defeat Federer in the final of a major on all three surfaces.

Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal met 60 times, more than any other pair in the Open Era.

Later that year, Rafael Nadal defeated Djokovic in the US Open final to complete the Summer Slam.

Rafael Nadal is, without a doubt, the best athlete in the history of Spain.

Rafael Nadal is the king of Roland Garros and of world tennis.

Rafael Nadal has achieved a record that is very difficult to beat.

Rafael Nadal won the second-most major men's singles titles in tennis history and the second-most "Big" titles since 1990.

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.

Rafael Nadal holds the men's all-time records for 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.

Rafael Nadal is considered by many to be the greatest player in tennis history.

Rafael Nadal is one of three men, along with Agassi and Djokovic, 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.

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.

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.

Rafael Nadal was ranked as one of the world's highest-paid athletes by Forbes magazine in 2014 and named among the 100 most influential people in the world by Time magazine in 2022.

In 2019, former world No 1 and 1995 French Open champion Thomas Muster stated: "Rafael Nadal is the best clay-court player ever".

Rafael Nadal played an instrumental role in the sport's revival, ushering in the Golden Age of tennis, which saw increased interest and higher revenues across tennis venues globally.

Rafael Nadal generally played an aggressive, behind-the-baseline game based on heavy topspin groundstrokes, consistency and shrewd court coverage; an aggressive counterpuncher.

Rafael Nadal played very fine dropshots, which worked well because his heavy topspin often forced opponents to the back of the court.

Rafael Nadal employed a semi-western grip forehand, often with a "lasso-whip" follow-through, where his left arm hit through the ball and finished above his left shoulder.

Rafael Nadal's serve was considered a weak point in his game, although his high number of first-serve points won and break points saved allowed him to consistently compete for and win major titles on faster surfaces.

However, Rafael Nadal himself admitted that playing a lot on them is tiring and takes a physical toll on ATP Tour players, so he repeatedly requested for a reevaluated tour schedule featuring fewer hard court tournaments and increasing the weeks of rest.

Rafael Nadal was noted for his visceral delight in competing, whether he won or lost.

Rafael Nadal had a rare philosophical approach to tennis and life that one sportswriter described as a "model of humility, empathy, and perspective".

Rafael Nadal was known for his on-court rituals including specific bodily movements and the positioning of items courtside.

Rafael Nadal explained that such rituals were meant to work as a psychological mechanism to help him stay calm in stressful situations.

Rafael Nadal usually took three balls, examined them, discarded one, shook the strands of hair that were not corralled by his headband out of his eyes, and then served.

Aged 12, Rafael Nadal began attending the Balearic Islands training centre 50 kilometers away from Manacor in Palma.

Rafael Nadal worked with the same team from 2006 to 2017, which consisted of members from his family and professional staff, whom Rafael Nadal considered his family.

Rafael Nadal said of his doctor that: "I trust Dr Cotorro with my life".

Forcades was the lead fitness expert for Rafael Nadal and developed his training program.

In 2006, Costa and Rafael Nadal's father convinced Benito Perez Barbadillo, who had been working as the press officer of the ATP since the late 1990s, to open his own company to work with them as Rafael Nadal's communications director.

Under Moya's direction, Rafael Nadal improved his serve, and incorporated serve-and-volley as a surprise tactic in some of his matches.

In 2009, Rafael Nadal played matches in a polo shirt specifically designed for him by Nike, paired with shorts cut above the knee.

Rafael Nadal wore Nike's Air CourtBallistec 2.3 tennis shoes, with various customizations throughout the season, including his nickname "Rafa" on the right shoe and a stylized bull logo on the left.

Rafael Nadal used no replacement grip, and instead wrapped two overgrips around the handle.

Rafael Nadal used Duralast 15L strings until the 2010 season, when he switched to Babolat's new, black-colored, RPM Blast string.

In February 2010, Rafael Nadal was featured in the music video for Shakira's "Gypsy".

In 2016, Rafael Nadal was one of many celebrities appearing in the music video for RedOne's "Don't You Need Somebody".

In 2018, Rafael Nadal was featured in a new ad for the 2018 tennis game Mario Tennis Aces.

Rafael Nadal appeared in the 2024 documentary Federer: Twelve Final Days about Roger Federer's final tournament before his retirement, the 2022 Laver Cup.

In 2021, prior to the tournament, the French Open paid tribute to Rafael Nadal by installing a statue at Stade Roland Garros, created by Spanish sculptor Jordi Diez Fernandez.

At both the London and Rio Olympic Games, Rafael Nadal was chosen as Spain's flag bearer.

In November 2007, Rafael Nadal launched the nonprofit Fundacion Rafa Rafael Nadal.

Rafael Nadal participated in a follow-up charity exhibition during the 2010 Indian Wells Open.

In late 2010, Rafael Nadal played his rival Roger Federer in the texhibition Match for Africa for the Roger Federer Foundation and the Rafa Rafael Nadal Foundation.

On 6 April 2023, the Fundacion Rafa Rafael Nadal announced that they would partner with UNESCO through its Fit for Life project, a sport-based flagship program designed to tackle physical inactivity, such as accelerating the recovery from COVID-19, mental health issues, and inequality.

In 2024, The Rafa Rafael Nadal Foundation received the Laureus Sport for Good Award at the Laureus World Sports Awards 2024.

Rafael Nadal was awarded the Arthur Ashe Humanitarian of the Year award for 2011.

Rafael Nadal appeared in advertising campaigns for Kia as a global ambassador for the company.

Rafael Nadal became the face of Lanvin's L'Homme Sport cologne in April 2009.

Rafael Nadal was the international ambassador for Quely, a biscuit company from his native Mallorca.

In June 2012, Rafael Nadal joined the group of sports endorsers of the PokerStars online poker cardroom.

Rafael Nadal won a charity poker tournament against retired Brazilian football player Ronaldo in 2014.

Rafael Nadal owns and trained at the Rafa Rafael Nadal Sports Centre in his hometown of Manacor, Mallorca.

In 2021, a four-episode series about the Rafa Rafael Nadal Academy was aired on Amazon Prime and Movistar and was broadcast in 244 countries.

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.

Rafael Nadal was offered the role of vice president, which he rejected.

In October 2020, Rafael Nadal competed in the professional-level Balearic Golf Championship, obtaining a World Amateur Golf Ranking in the process.

Rafael Nadal met his future wife, Maria Francisca Perello Pascual through his younger sister, Maria Isabel.

Rafael Nadal had previously commented on not starting a family early and expressed a desire to have children in the future, reflecting on the unpredictability of life during his ongoing tennis career.

Mery Perello was a sports marketer in London, but as she saw Rafael Nadal's career getting bigger, she decided to help his off-court business.

Rafael Nadal now serves as the director of Fundacion Rafa Nadal.

Rafael Nadal was raised a Catholic, but now identifies as an agnostic atheist.

When Rafael Nadal was aged 10 to 21, the extended Rafael Nadal family shared a five-storey, family-owned apartment building in Manacor.

In 2012, Rafael Nadal purchased a house in Porto Cristo for about 4 million euros, located near his family home.

Around the time he won the 2012 French Open, Rafael Nadal acquired a vacation home, a two-story villa in Playa Nueva Romana, in the Dominican Republic, for about 2 million euros.

Rafael Nadal is afraid of deep water, dogs, and thunderstorms, and is nervous about riding a bicycle.

In late 2012, Rafael Nadal received over six months of physical therapy, along with platelet-rich plasma therapy, a non-surgical treatment that had been previously disallowed by the World Anti-Doping Agency.

Rafael Nadal has a rare chronic disorder of his left ankle, Mueller-Weiss syndrome, diagnosed age 19.

Rafael Nadal received anesthetic injections en route to winning the 2022 French Open.

Rafael Nadal has won 14 French Open titles, an all-time record at any tournament.

Rafael Nadal is the youngest player in the Open Era to win all four majors.