Rafael Nadal

Tennis Player

• Born: June 3, 1986
• Birthplace: Manacor, Majorca, Spain

Sport: Tennis

Early Life

Rafael Nadal Parera was born on June 3, 1986, in Manacor, on the island of Majorca, in Spain, to Sebastián Nadal and Ana María Parera. Rafael has a younger sister, María Isabel. When Rafael was only three years old, he was introduced to tennis by his uncle, Toni Nadal, who was a professional tennis player himself. Toni remained Rafael’s principal coach. Although Rafael was right-handed, Toni encouraged him to play tennis with his left hand. With a two-handed backhand, Toni believed that the shot would be strengthened by the power of Rafael’s naturally strong right arm. As with most European players, Rafael grew up playing primarily on clay courts. He learned the importance of quickness on the court. In addition, he was taught to hit heavy topspin shots that angled away from his opponents. By employing a western grip on his forehand, Rafael could hit his topspin shots more effectively without worrying about his shots landing outside the lines.

Though Rafael had an obvious natural talent for tennis, he enjoyed playing soccer even more. His uncle, Miguel Ángel Nadal, was a professional soccer player. Rafael split his time playing soccer, playing tennis, and fishing. By the time he was twelve, he was winning tennis titles in his age group. Since athletics had become all-consuming to Rafael, he was falling behind in his schoolwork. Rafael’s father made him decide between playing tennis or soccer. While the Spanish tennis federation was interested in having Rafael join its training program in Barcelona, Rafael’s family was against the idea. Although Rafael did train for a short period of time during a couple of summers at the tennis camp in Florida run by Nick Bollettieri, Rafael’s uncle continued to serve as his primary coach.

The Road to Excellence

In 2001, Rafael took a chance and joined the professional tennis circuit. While only fifteen years old, he reached the second round of a challenger tournament in Seville, Spain. Rafael pushed himself, and in 2002, he won his first Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) match in Majorca. Amazingly, Rafael became only the ninth tennis player in the open era to win an ATP match before he turned sixteen. With energy to burn, he moved up in the rankings. In 2003, he finished the year ranked in the top fifty. During the year, he captured two challenger titles and competed in his first Wimbledon. He became the youngest player since Boris Becker in 1984 to reach the third round.

The Emerging Champion

Rafael had a breakout year in 2005. He won eleven titles, including his first French Open. By winning the French Open in his first attempt, he became the first player since Mats Wilander in 1982 to accomplish such a feat. In July 2005, Rafael became the number-two ranked player in the world. Although the year had many highs, he was disappointed with his performances at both Wimbledon and the US Open. He lost in the second round at Wimbledon and lost in the third round at the US Open.

A foot injury forced Rafael to miss the 2006 Australian Open in January. By February, he was back on the tour. He beat Roger Federer on clay at Monte Carlo, Rome, and the French Open. Rafael captured his second French Open by defeating Federer in a four-set final. He proved how much his game had evolved by advancing to the 2006 Wimbledon final. He lost to Federer on the grass in four sets.

Continuing the Story

By 2007, Rafael had become one of the few tennis players on the circuit who could challenge Federer for the number-one ranking. With a strong work ethic, Rafael had made himself supremely fit. In addition to his brilliant tennis strokes, he became popular with the fans and advertisers alike. While he was almost unbeatable on a clay court, he had to work extremely hard to make his game fit other surfaces.

At the 2007 French Open, Rafael again defeated Federer to capture the title. Rafael seemed always to stand in Federer’s way of winning a French Open title, and Federer seemed always to stand in Rafael’s way of winning Wimbledon. Federer was once again victorious at Wimbledon in 2007. However, he needed five hard-fought sets to beat Rafael. Rafael was getting closer to equaling Federer on grass. In 2008, he made remarkable strides in his all-court game. He also started his own charity foundation, the Rafa Nadal Foundation; his mother served as president.

While Rafael remained the best clay-court player in the world, he also began winning with more frequency on other court surfaces. He humiliated Federer in straight sets in the finals at the 2008 French Open. With this victory, Rafael had won four consecutive French Opens, making him the only other man besides the great Swedish champion Björn Borg to accomplish the feat. Many assumed Federer would get his revenge at Wimbledon. However, Rafael rose to the occasion and upset Federer at Wimbledon. In what was later called one of the all-time great matches, Rafael captured the Wimbledon title by beating Federer in a five-set match. These two champions played their hearts out on center court, with the final set going to Rafael 9–7. While this victory was an extraordinary highlight for the year, Rafael continued his winning ways by taking the gold medal at the Beijing Summer Olympics in August. On August 18, 2008, Rafael took the number-one ranking from Federer.

A Top Player

In the 2010s, Rafael continued his dominance on clay, winning the French Open every year from 2010 to 2014. His 2014 French Open title gave him nine for his career, a record for a male player. Success on other surfaces had often eluded him in his career but with an Australian Open win in 2009 and his first US Open championship in 2010, he became only the second man to notch a Career Grand Slam, winning all for major tournaments as well as an Olympic gold medal. (Andre Agassi was the first man to accomplish this feat).

Nadal struggled during the 2015 season—losing every Grand Slam tournament—and injured his wrist during the 2016 season. By the end of 2016, he had dropped to the ninth position in ATP rankings. His participation in the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, however, earned him his eight hundredth career win and a gold medal in the doubles event with partner Marc López.

Nadal made a comeback the following season, winning six titles, including the US Open and the French Open, and rising in the rankings. Rafael had reclaimed his number-one position by the end of 2017. He then defended his title at the French Open in 2018 and 2019, earning his eleventh and twelfth French Open titles, and with the latter win, his eighteenth Grand Slam title. With his 2019 win, Nadal became the first person to win twelve championships at the same Grand Slam event. He ended the season ranked second.

By defeating Novak Djokovic in the French Open in 2020, Nadal earned his thirteenth French Open title and his twentieth Grand Slam title. (Nadal's 2020 French Open victory tied Roger Federer's record of twenty Grand Slam wins). Nadal finished the season ranked second. The next year, Nadal again met Djokovic in the French Open, where the latter defeated the former in the semifinals. The loss was only the third time that Nadal had been defeated in the French Open. The remainder of the 2021 season was plagued with injuries for Nadal, who ultimately retired for the season just prior to the US Open due to a lingering foot injury.

A win in the 2022 Australian Open earned Nadal his twenty-first major title, which put him in sole possession of most men's single titles in the history of the sport (Djokovic had previously earned twenty titles to tie Federer and Nadal). His Australian Open victory also made Nadal just the second man in modern history to earn a double Career Grand Slam (the other athlete being Novak Djokovic). Nadal, meeting Djokovic again in the 2022 French Open, prevailed against his rival and proceeded to the final where he eventually emerged victorious. Nadal's win marked his fourteenth victory in the tournament and his twenty-second major title.

Nadal made headlines when he announced that he would be playing in the 2022 Wimbledon Championship after not competing in the event the previous three years. Although he advanced to the semifinal, Nadal ultimately retired due to a torn abdominal muscle he sustained earlier in the tournament.

Summary

In a relatively short period of time, Rafael Nadal established himself as one of the premier tennis players of his time. After growing up playing almost exclusively on clay courts, he worked hard in order to make himself a true champion on all court surfaces. In addition to his extraordinary natural talent, he proved to be a fierce competitor who refused to give an inch in any match situation. Along with Roger Federer, Rafael was not only a true champion but also a player who was widely respected by fans and other players alike. During the early part of the twenty-first century, Rafael helped to make tennis popular throughout the world.

Bibliography

Gregory, Sean. “Court Conquistador: Teen Idol Rafael Nadal Stormed through the French Open, He Could Be the Game’s Next Great Star.” Time 20 June 2005. Print.

Gregory, Sean. “A Duel to Fuel Tennis.” Time 4 Sept. 2006. Print.

Horn, Geoffrey M. Rafael Nadal. Milwaukee: Gareth Stevens, 2006. Print.

Klam, Matthew. “The Nemesis (Rafael Nadal).” Gentlemen’s Quarterly 77 (2007). Print.

Martin, James. “Number One [of a Kind] (Rafael Nadal) (Interview).” Tennis 43 (2007). Print.

Mitchell, Kevin. "Rafael Nadal Beats Dominic Thiem to Win 12th French Open Title." The Guardian, 9 June 2019, www.theguardian.com/sport/2019/jun/09/rafael-nadal-beats-dominic-thiem-wins-french-open-tennis-title. Accessed 19 July 2019.

Nadal, Rafael, and John Carlin. Rafa. New York: Hyperion, 2011. Print.

"Rafael Nadal Wins 14th French Open Title, 22nd Grand Slam, Becomes Oldest Champ in Tourney History." ESPN, 5 Jun. 2022, www.espn.com/tennis/story/‗/id/34041324/rafael-nadal-wins-14th-french-open-title-22nd-grand-slam. Accessed 18 Aug. 2022.

Wertheim, L. Jon. “The Spin Master.” Sports Illustrated 14–21 July 2008. Print.