Because of those two victories, Nadal qualified for the semifinals, where he lost to Federer. Manacor, Mallorca, Spain (CNN)He conquered the clay courts of Roland Garros for a record-extending 12th time, but now Rafael Nadal has set his sights on a third Wimbledon title. Four of these matches were five-set matches (2007 and 2008 Wimbledon, 2009 and 2017 Australian Open), and the 2008 Wimbledon final has been lauded as the greatest match ever by many long-time tennis analysts. How a tennis star could be strong as any other player on tour, The Rafael Nadal plays a behind-the-baseline game and hits heavy, topspin groundstrokes. 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. As a warm-up ahead of Wimbledon Nadal played in Halle, losing to Philipp Kohlschreiber in the quarterfinals. 1, Nadal has also spent 351 weeks (including a record 160 consecutive weeks) as World No. This defeat ended his 81-match winning streak on clay, which is the male Open Era record for consecutive wins on a single surface. [173], After defeating Hyeon Chung in the second round of the Paris Masters Nadal secured the year-end No. [282][283] Nadal's forehand groundstroke form allows him to hit shots with heavy topspin â more so than many of his contemporaries.[284]. "It's not what makes me get up every morning or go and train and play. These victories raised his ranking to No. 1 ranking from Andy Murray. 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. [239] Seven of these nine appearances have been in quarterfinals and semifinals, making the rivalry an important part of both men's careers. [233] Djokovic is one of only two players to have at least ten match wins against Nadal (the other being Federer) and the only person to defeat Nadal seven consecutive times, and two times consecutively on clay. [288] Since the 2010 US Open, Nadal's serve speed dropped to previous levels and was again cited as in need of improvement. 2 the following day. Nadal played the Artois Championships at the Queen's Club in London for the second consecutive year. 12:53. In doing so, Nadal claimed his fourth US Open title and 19th Grand Slam title (placing him only one behind Roger Federer in overall standings), won his first five-set Grand Slam final since the 2009 Australian Open final, and completed his second-best season in terms of Grand Slam singles results. Rafael Nadal Vows Return Despite Fresh Wimbledon Headache Rafael Nadal's dramatic 6-3, 6-4, 3-6, 4-6, 15-13 fourth round defeat against Luxembourg's 16th seed Muller was ⦠73 Horacio Zeballos in the final. Two days later, he defeated Mariano Puerta in the final, becoming the second male player, after Mats Wilander in 1982, to win the French Open on his first attempt. [299] 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. "It's a very good project. [13] Nadal also competed in seven doubles tournaments in 2003, and won his first ATP title (doubles or singles) at the clay-court Croatia Open in Umag, where he partnered with Ãlex López Morón to defeat Todd Perry and Thomas Shimada in straight sets in the final. 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. Fans. It's very, very nice. After the US Open, Nadal made the final of the Japan Open Tennis Championships. On 8 July 2010, it was reported that he had become a shareholder of RCD Mallorca, his local club by birth, in an attempt to assist the club from debt. [68] With this loss, he relinquished the No. [281], Nadal employs a semi-western grip forehand, often with a "lasso-whip" follow-through, where his left arm hits through the ball and finishes above his left shoulder â as opposed to a more traditional finish across the body or around his opposite shoulder. In the fourth round, he defeated Nick Kyrgios in four sets and reached the quarterfinals, where he lost to eventual runner-up Dominic Thiem in four sets. Nadal said: "I chose tennis. He did not reach any doubles finals. [204] Nadal then played at the 2020 Australian Open and won his first three matches in straight sets against Hugo Dellien, Federico Delbonis and Pablo Carreño Busta. 1 spot from Federer. [182] Nadal became just the fourth man in the Open Era to win three or more major titles after turning 30. Nadal has won 20 Grand Slam men's singles titles, tied for the most in history with Roger Federer. Quotes. Later that year, the 34th-ranked 17-year-old played the first of many matches against Roger Federer, then ranked No. View the full player profile, include bio, stats and results for Rafael Nadal. Unlike their previous two Wimbledon finals, though, Federer was not the prohibitive favorite, and many analysts picked Nadal to win. In his Wimbledon debut in 2003, he became the youngest man to reach the third round since Boris Becker in 1984. [213] Ninety-three percent (93%) of his time in the Top 10 has been spent in the Top 5 as in addition to his 209 weeks as World No. He then faced #5 seed Juan MartÃn del Potro, who he defeated in five sets. Wimbledon. Nadal won the third set easily and served for the match in the fourth set before Federer broke him and forced a tiebreaker. However, since Wawrinka's breakthrough season in 2013 the pair has won an almost equal number of matches against each other (3â4) from 2014 onward. "If you ask me whether I would like it, of course. Nadal won the match in 3 sets, in what was only his 8th title on the tour. On 5 November, Nadal announced that he was pulling out of the Paris Masters owing to tendinitis in his left shoulder. Nadal went on to become the first player since Andre Agassi in 1994â95 to finish the year ranked No. 1 ranking on 2 April due to Federer's second-round loss. [333] Also located in the centre is a sports residence, a Rafael Nadal museum, a health clinic, a fitness centre with spa and a café. 1 Emirates ATP Ranking For Fourth Time | ATP Tour | Tennis", "Cilic back in semis after Nadal's retirement", "Davis Cup: Rafael Nadal and David Ferrer put Spain into semi-finals", Tribute: Rafa Hits 400 Clay-Court Match Wins, "50 And Counting... â ATP World Tour â Tennis", "Rafa Reigns In Rome, Returns To No. Spain went on to win the Davis Cup that year. In a rematch of the Australian Open final Nadal took on Roger Federer in the fourth round at Indian Wells but again lost to his old rival, this time in straight sets; it was their earliest meeting in a tournament in over a decade. At the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Nadal defeated Fernando González of Chile in the final to win his first Olympic gold medal.[50]. Nadal was able to regroup, winning the 2010 Rakuten Japan Open Tennis Championships in Tokyo by defeating Gaël Monfils for his seventh title of the season. Nadal then played Federer in the final of Wimbledon for the third consecutive year, in the most anticipated match of their rivalry.