Rafael Nadal is one of the “Big Four” in male tennis who have dominated the sport for the last decade. His rivalries with Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Andy Murray have produced some of the greatest matches that have ever been played.
Arguably one of the best players of modern tennis, the Spaniard is undoubtedly the greatest clay-court player ever born. With an incredible nine French Open titles, Nadal is undoubtedly “the King of Clay” and his exploits and dominance on the surface might remain unmatched.
However, he cannot be called a clay specialist since he has won at least two Grand Slam titles on different platforms. The only other person to have done the same is Swedish great Mats Wilander. Rafael Nadal has won over $78 million in prize money in a long career that has seen him win 14 Grand Slam titles and 2 Olympic gold medals (2008 Beijing singles and 2016 Rio doubles).
Nadal has also been part of Spain’s Davis Cup winning teams for four times and was the youngest player to achieve a Career Grand Slam.
Nadal has been one of the most aggressive tennis players in recent history and his behind the baseline game is truly unmatched. Heavy topspin groundstrokes, excellent footwork, extensive court coverage and superb consistency are the hallmarks of Nadal are playing style.
His incredible athleticism and speed allows him to defend even the best shots and come back from positions and plays that seem lost.
Although his serve is one of the weak points of Nadal’s game, it improved after 2010 but still needs work.
Nadal’s shots are characterized by heavy topspin due to his semi-western grip forehand and he can make deeper and flatter shots than most other players.
Nadal’s rivalries with the fellow members of the Big Four have been a significant part of his career as well as his rivals’. Nadal first played Federer in 2004 and the two men consistently ranked in the top two in the world between for the next two years.
Both men have finished top of the rankings for four consecutive years and have played each other a total of 34 times till now, with Nadal winning 23-11 in the overall record. Of all these matches, 21 have been in tournament finals and when the two gentlemen met in 2008 at the Wimbledon final, it proved to be one of the greatest matches ever played.
Another one of his great rivals is Novak Djokovic, with whom he has played for 49 times and trails the overall record by 23-26. The Serbian is probably the only opponent who has managed to get the better of Nadal over multiple matches.
The pair has played the second longest match in a best of three sets (4 hours and 3 minutes) and the 2012 Australian Open final between them was the longest Grand Slam final in the Open Era at 5 hours and 53 minutes. Djokovic became only the second player to defeat Nadal at the French Open in 2015 which was the seventh consecutive time that Nadal lost to him.
Nadal has largely dominated his rivalry with Andy Murray winning 17 times out of 24 meetings across different surfaces. The pair has never met at a Grand Slam final despite playing regularly at that level in quarterfinals and semifinals. However the four times that the pair has met in ATP finals, Murray has won thrice.
He has raised an estimated net worth of $120 million.
Quick Summary:
Full name: Rafael Nadal
Date of birth: June 3, 1986
Birth place: Manacor, Balearic Islands, Spain
Age: 33 years
Profession: Tennis player
Height: 1.85 m
Weight: 85 kg
Net worth: $120 Million
