When Rafael Nadal called it a day on his illustrious career in November, it was the end of an era for tennis and the Spaniard will be remembered as one of the all-time greats of the game. He will forever be remembered for the golden era of modern tennis, and epic battles with the likes of Andy Murray, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic.
Rafael Nadal: The King of Clay
At the age of 38 Nadal decided that injuries had taken too much of a toll on his body after 23 years on the ATP Tour, hanging up his racquet. Along the way, the man from Mallorca won all four Grand Slam tournaments, an Olympic gold medal and a Davis Cup title. In this article, we’ll reflect on the biggest achievements of the man they call ‘The King of Clay’.
Rafael Nadal: A 22-Slam Legend
Nadal sits second in the all-time Grand Slam winners list and is one of just eight players to have one all four major titles. His first Slam success came back in 2005, when lifting the French Open trophy at the age of just 19, following a four-set victory over Mariano Puerta. Nadal had won four Roland Garros titles before securing another Grand Slam tournament, with his fifth success coming at the 2008 Wimbledon Championship.
Grand Slam number six came in early 2009, when he beat great rival Roger Federer in a five-set classic 7-5 3-6 7-6 3-6 6-2. The Spaniard’s first US Open title came a year later, as part of three Grand Slam victories he claimed in 2010. Five more major titles came over the next four years, four French Opens in 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014, as well as the 2013 US Open.
Then 11 Grand Slam events came and went before Nadal returned to the winner’s circle, when he collected the French Open title again in 2017. His 21st and 22nd titles both came in 2022, beating Daniil Medvedev in Melbourne before defeating Casper Ruud in straight sets in Paris.
Rafael Nadal: The King of Clay
Nadal’s favourite surface is clearly clay and his record at the French Open may never be beaten. The left-hander won the men’s singles at Roland Garros on 14 occasions, a sensational record in the French capital. In 116 matches at the French Open, Nadal only officially lost on four occasions – in 2016 he pulled out before his third-round match due to a wrist injury.
The man from Spain won 63 ATP Tour clay-court titles during his illustrious career and holds the record for the longest winning streak on a single surface – with 81 clay-court victories between 2005-2007.
Rafael Nadal: Spanish Success
Nadal took Olympic singles gold at the 2008 Beijing Games, when the tournament was played on hard courts in China. The second seed beat Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals, before seeing off Chile’s Fernando Gonzalez 6-3 6-7 6-3 in the gold-medal match.
Nadal won a second gold medal in Rio in 2016, when he teamed up with Marc Lopez to win the men’s doubles. He also enjoyed Davis Cup success for his country on three separate occasions – in 2009, 2011 and 2019 – with all three of those victories coming on Spanish soil.
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