'King of Clay' Rafa Nadal.
Credit: Reuters Photo
Rafael Nadal announced his retirement from tennis at the age of 38-year-old, having played at the top level for 23 years.
As he heads towards the Davis Cup on November 19 for a final tourney, let's take a look at the battles fought, prizes won and records broken by the one that the tennis world crowned as 'King of Clay':
When did Nadal turn pro?
The boy from Mallorca turned pro in 2001. He won his first match at a Challenger tournament in Seville, Spain as a 15-year-old.
When did Nadal play his first Grand Slam?
Nadal first played in a Grand Slam in 2003's Wimbledon, where he reached the third round.
He then participated in the US Open the same and the Australian Open in 2004.
He played at his favoured and favourite Rolland Garros for the first time in 2005.
How many titles has Nadal won?
Nadal has won 92 ATP titles, of which 22 are Grand Slams.
ATP titles: 92
Australian Open: 2 (2008, 2022)
French Open: 14 (2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2022)
Wimbledon: 2 (2008, 2010)
US Open: 4 (2010, 2013, 2017, 2019)
Olympic golds: 1 singles (2008), 1 doubles (2016)
Davis Cup: 5 (2004, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2019)
What records does Nadal hold?
Rafael Nadal holds the following records in tennis:
Most French Open titles, with 14 tourney victories at the Rolland Garros.
The only tennis player who won at least one Grand Slam title in 10 back-to-back seasons, having done so from 2005 to 2014.
The only player in the world to have won all three of the clay-court Masters 1000 tournaments and the French Open in the same season.
The youngest male player to complete both the career Grand Slam and the career Golden Slam, at 24 years, three months, and 10 days.
The only male player who has clinched 10 or more titles in a single season before the age of 20.
Most ATP Masters 1000 titles, with 36 titles to his name.
The longest winning streak on a single surface in the Open Era for men’s singles, with 81 wins in a row.
Only player to complete a career Golden slam in both men's singles and men's doubles
Only player to be number 1 in three different decades.
These are just a few of the main records that Nadal holds among others.
Why is Nadal called 'King of Clay'?
Rafael Nadal has won the French Open a record 14 times.
He won 4 in a row from 2005 to 2008, then 5 row from 2010 to 2014, 4 in a row again from 2017 to 2020, before winning it a final time 2022.
Its his dominance of the Roland Garros, along with his mastery of the surface in the other 3 clay-court Masters 1000 tournaments that earned him the title 'King of Clay'.
What style of tennis is Nadal known for?
While there are many nuances to it, the simplest way to describe Rafael Nadal's style would be that he dominated through long rallies, waiting for his opponents to tire out and make a mistake, among other things.
Nadal's powerful forehand coupled with incredible topspin revolutions meant he was made for the long rallies.
What is 'Fedal'?
Fedal is the representative name for the rivalry between Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal.
The Swiss-Spanish duo were incredible rivals. Federer was the master of Grass, while Nadal the King of Clay.
Of their 40 matches, 20 were on hard court, 16 on clay, and 4 on grass. Nadal leads on clay (14–2), while Federer leads on grass (3–1) and hard court (11–9).
They played a total of 24 finals against each other, of which Nadal won 14 and Federer won 10.
The 2008 Wimbledon men's singles final is regarded as one of the greatest matches ever played in the sport, where Nadal triumphed over Federer on the Swiss' favoured surface, winning 6-4, 6-4, 6-7(5), 6-7(8), 9-7 after four hours and 48 minutes to clinch his first Wimbledon title.
The duo also share great comradery off the court. So much so that rumours say that Federer informed Nadal of his retirement 10 days before the Swiss officially announced it. And the Spaniard was so stunned by it that he was unable to focus on his game and lost a match he should have won at a canter.
How many weeks did he spend as world number one?
Nadal was top-ranked for 209 weeks. Nadal was number one in the world at the end of 2008, 2010, 2013, 2017 and 2019.
Why did Nadal retire?
While it isn't officially stated, injuries are likely the main reason. Nadal has been plagued with injuries all through his career, but they have started to affect him significantly in the recent years, and have also started occurring more frequently.
Also, having achieved it all, watching his great rival retire, and watching his successor rise to the top, perhaps Nadal decided it was time to call his career.
When will Nadal play his last tournament?
Nadal will play his final Tournament with the Spanish national team at the Davis Cup starting November 19.