One of the greatest players to ever grace the tennis court, Rafael Nadal confirmed his retirement after an incredible career lasting 22 years. The 38-year-old will play the final Tennis match of his career in the 2024 Davis Cup final set to take place next month in Malaga.
The Spainiard is among the greatest Tennis players of all time and has set some records that might never be broken. Here is a look at some incredible records Nadal set in his incredible career –
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Rafael Nadal's Career In Numbers:
22 – Rafal Nadal won 22 Grand Slam titles in his career and is second in the elite list of players to win most men’s singles major title. Only Novak Djokovic (24) has more. Nadal finishes above Roger Federer in the list. The Spaniard won 14 French Open titles, four US Opens, and was crowned Wimbledon and Australian Open champion twice.
92 – Over the course of his career, Rafael Nadal won a total of 92 singles title. Among male players, only Jimmy Conors (109), Roger Federer (103), Novak Djokovic (99), and Ivan Lendl (94) have more.
2- Rafael Nadal won two Olympic golds in his career. He stood on top of the men’s singles podium in the 2008 edition at Beijing while winning the doubles title in 2016 with Marc Lopez.
14- Rafal Nadal won the French Open title 14 times in his career, the most any male player has a won a singles Grand Slam. It is also the joint most a player has won a slam on a single surface alongside Novaj Djokovic who has 14 (10 Australian Opens, 4 US Opens) on a single surface. The Spaniard is also the only player to play 14 finals at a singles major.
112 – Rafal Nadal holds the record for winning the most matches at a single grand slam having won 112 matches at the French Open in his career.
3 – Rafael Nadal is one of three players to win a single career golden slam (4 grand slam + Olympic gold) alongside Novak Djokovic and Andre Aggasi.
1 – Rafael Nadal is the first and till date only player in history to win the Career Grand Slam as well as an Olympic gold in both singles and doubles.
2- Rafael Nadal was the first player to Simultaneously hold a Grand Slam title on three different surfaces (hard, clay, and grass). Later Novak Djokovic also achieved this feat. Nadal was also the first to win a surface slam by winning a grand slam title on all three surfaces in the same year.
13 – Rafael Nadal has the longest gap between two Australian Open titles with 13 years between his first and second win in 2009 and 2022.
Also Read:When Will Rafael Nadal Play His Final Match After Confirming Retirement From Tennis?
17 – Rafael Nadal has the longest gap between two French Open titles with 17 years between his first and 14th title in 2004 and 2022.
11 – Rafael Nadal won the Monte Carlo Open 11 times in his career which is the record for the most times a player has won an ATP 1000 title.
3 – Rafael Nadal is the only player in history to be ranked World No.1 in three different decades (2000’s, 2010’s, 2020’s).
12 – Rafael Nadal holds the record for winning an ATP Master 500 titles the most times having won the Barcelona Open on 12 occasions.
2017 – In 2017, Rafael Nadal became the first player in history to finish a year as world no.1 after his 30th birthday.
81 – Rafael Nadal won 81 matches in a row on clay from 2005 to 2007 which is a record for the most consecutive wins on a single surface.
24- Rafael Nadal completed the Career Grand Slam (winning all 4 major titles) aged 24 years, 3 months, and 10 days. He is the youngest player in history to acheive the feat.