It’s inevitable, a crude truth of life. All good things come to an end, as has the highly entertaining tennis career of Rafael Nadal. The Spaniard on Thursday announced he will retire after the end of Davis Cup finals in November and thus draw curtains on a career that brought him 22 Grand Slam titles, global stardom, epic rivalries with Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic, some painful injuries and a treasure trove of memories he can fondly look back on.
Here’s a look at Nadal’s storied career
– 2002: At 15 years and 10 months old, Nadal recorded his first ATP match win in hometown of Mallorca.
– 2003: Reached third round in Wimbledon debut at 17, youngest man to get that far at the All England Club since Boris Becker was 16 in 1984.
– 2004: Beat then-No. 1 Roger Federer in Miami. Won first ATP title in Sopot, Poland, on clay. Defeated Andy Roddick to help Spain top the United States and win the Davis Cup.
– 2005: Won title in French Open debut; 11 trophies for the year were most in a season for a teenager in ATP history. Moved into top 10 in April; remained there until 2023. Finished the year ranked No. 2.
– 2006: Earned second French Open title, beating Federer in the final, before losing rematch in Wimbledon final. Stretched clay winning streak to record 62 matches.
– 2007: Third consecutive French Open title came via another victory over Federer — and, once more, Federer beat him in the Wimbledon final. Clay winning streak reached 81 matches before loss to Federer at Hamburg, Germany.
– 2008: Topped Federer in Roland Garros final for fourth straight trophy there; first man since Bjorn Borg in 1978-81 with that long a streak in Paris — and first since Borg to win the title without dropping a set. Met Federer in the final at the All England Club, but this time won 9-7 in the fifth set in fading light. Won Beijing Olympics gold; reached Australian Open and U.S. Open semifinals. Ended the year ranked No. 1. Dealt with tendinitis in right knee.
– 2009: Won first Australian Open title, defeating Federer in a five-set final, after edging Fernando Verdasco in a five-set semifinal. His 31-match unbeaten run at the French Open ended with a fourth-round loss to Robin Soderling. Nadal was troubled by knee tendinitis and sat out Wimbledon. Dealing with an abdominal issue, reached the U.S. Open semifinals before losing to champion Juan Martin del Potro.
– 2010: Stopped during Australian Open quarterfinal because of an injured right knee, but returned to top form at the French Open: He won his fifth title in Paris and didn’t drop a set, beating Soderling in the final. Won Wimbledon for the second time, then completed career Grand Slam by beating Novak Djokovic in the U.S. Open final. Finished the year ranked No. 1.
– 2011: Hurt left leg muscle at the Australian Open, but was fine by the French Open and tied Borg’s career mark for men with a sixth championship, beating Federer in the final. Nadal lost seven of 10 finals that season, with six of those setbacks against Djokovic, including at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open.
– 2012: Beat Djokovic for seventh French Open title. At Wimbledon, lost to Lukas Rosol in the second round while hampered by a left knee problem that kept him out for the rest of the season.
– 2013: After seven months off the tour because of his left knee and a stomach virus, put together a 10-title season that put him back at No. 1. Won eighth French Open and second U.S. Open, raising Grand Slam total to 13
– 2014: Pulled even with Sampras by adding French Open title No. 9, beating Djokovic in the final. Lost to 144th-ranked Nick Kyrgios in the fourth round at Wimbledon, then missed three months with a bad right wrist. After returning, sat out two events because of an appendicitis.
– 2015: Lost to Djokovic in French Open quarterfinals; bowed out at that stage or earlier at other three majors, ending 10-year run with at least one Grand Slam trophy.
– 2017: After losing Australian Open final in five sets to Federer, returned to dominance at the French Open, dropping 35 games through seven matches en route to his 10th title, beating Stan Wawrinka in the final. Added third U.S. Open trophy — his 16th major moved him within one of Federer — and finished at No. 1 in the rankings for the fourth time.
– 2018: Won 11th championship at Roland Garros. Stopped playing two Grand Slam matches elsewhere because of injuries and skipped other tournaments with knee, hip and abdomen issues.
– 2019: French Open title No. 12 and U.S. Open title No. 4 arrived, as did a return to No. 1 at age 33. Lost to Djokovic in the Australian Open final, to Federer in the Wimbledon semifinals. Was troubled by thigh, knee, left hand and abdominal problems at various points.
– 2020: Pulled even with Federer with 20 Slam trophies with a 13th title at the French Open, defeating Djokovic in the final. Won multiple titles in a season for 16th consecutive year.
– 2022: Moved into sole possession of the record for most Grand Slam singles titles, one ahead of Federer, by claiming No. 21 at the Australian Open, coming back to beat Daniil Medvedev after dropping the first two sets. Got No. 22 at the French Open, where he overcame what he said was debilitating pain in his left foot to lift the trophy for the 14th time by beating Casper Ruud in the final.
– 2024: Finally makes his on-court return at the Brisbane International where he didn’t make it past the quarters. Sustained another injury during the competition which forced him to miss the Australian Open. He recovered in time for the French Open but made his first ever opening round exit at the year’s second Grand Slam tournament. He skipped the Wimbledon before flying to Paris for the Olympics where he lost in the second round of men’s singles. He teamed up with Carlos Alcaraz for the men’s doubles event too and ended his Olympic career with a quarterfinal exit.
Tag: Rafael Nadal
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Rafael Nadal: Timeline of a Legendary Tennis Career
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Rafael Nadal to miss Wimbledon
Rafael Nadal confirmed on Thursday, June 13, that he will opt out of the upcoming Wimbledon Championships. The Spanish tennis legend stated that he wants to keep himself fit for the upcoming Paris Olympics, which, he also confirmed, will be his last Games. Nadal took to his official X (formerly Twitter account) to announce his withdrawal from the Wimbledon.
“During my post match press conference at Roland Garros I was asked about my summer calendar and since then I have been practicing on clay. It was announced yesterday that I will play at the summer Olympics in Paris, my last Olympics. “With this goal, we believe that the best for my body is not to change surface and keep playing on clay until then. It’s for this reason that I will miss playing at the Championships this year at Wimbledon. I am saddened not to be able to live this year the great atmosphere of that amazing event that will always be in my heart, and be with all the British fans that always gave me great support. I will miss you all,” wrote Nadal.
Nadal further wrote that he will take part in the Nordea Open, the clay court tournament in the Bastad city of Sweden.
“In order to prepare for the Olympic Games, I will play the tournament in Bastad, Sweden. A tournament that I played earlier in my career and where I had a great time both on and off the court. Looking forward to seeing you all there. Thank you,” Nadal further wrote in his statement. Nadal last played at Wimbledon in the 2022 edition, where he reached the semi-finals. He won two titles at the calendar’s only grass-court slam – in 2008 and 2010. 2024 is likely to be Nadal’s final year on the tour, meaning the Spaniard might have already made his last appearance at Wimbledon. -
Rafael Nadal says foot injury a concern ahead of French Open
Rafael Nadal said that everyday training was a challenge and he would take a doctor with him to Roland Garros after the 21-times major winner was once again hampered by a chronic foot injury in his defeat by Denis Shapovalov at the Italian Open on Thursday, May 12. Nadal, who only recently returned from a stress fracture in the ribs, struggled badly at the back end of his match against the Canadian as he went down 1-6 7-5 6-2 in the last-16.
“I had my foot again with a lot of pain. I am a player living with an injury – it is nothing new. It’s something that is there,” Nadal, a 10-times champion in Rome, told reporters.
“Unfortunately, my day-by-day is difficult, honestly. Even like this, I am trying hard… it can be frustrating that a lot of days I can’t practice the proper way.”
The 35-year-old missed the bulk of last season due to the foot problem before mounting a remarkable comeback to win the Australian Open in January and also prevailing in Acapulco.
“Since I came back, the foot has been tough,” added the Spaniard. “Negative thing and toughest thing for me today is honestly I started to feel myself play much better. I started the match playing much better.” Nadal’s preparation heading into the French Open, where he will be bidding for a record-extending 14th title, has been far from ideal after he was also knocked out of last week’s Madrid Open by Carlos Alcaraz at the quarter-finals stage.
Source: Reuters
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Nadal enjoys victory in comeback at Melbourne Summer Set
Melbourne (TIP)- Rafael Nadal won his first singles match in five months on Thursday, Jan 6 at the Melbourne Summer Set, where he defeated Lithuanian qualifier Ricardas Berankis 6-2, 7-5 to reach the quarterfinals.
“Super happy to be back in the competition. It’s difficult to imagine a better place than here [at] the beginning of the season in Australia,” Nadal said. “It’s only the first match after a while. Honestly, I have been going through some difficult, challenging moments the past year-and-a-half, but in general terms I am super happy to be back in the competition. “Of course, it’s important to start with a victory, [which] gives me the chance to play another time tomorrow and that’s the main thing at this moment because I didn’t play for such a long time.” The Spaniard had not played a singles match since the Citi Open last August due to a left foot injury. The 35-year-old returned to action in doubles on Wednesday, when he partnered Jaume Munar to victory.
Nadal hit some bumps as he worked his way back into rhythm, letting slip a break advantage in the second set. But ultimately, the Spaniard was never in trouble and he triumphed after one hour and 32 minutes. He broke at love to close out the match, letting loose one of his trademark fist pumps after striking a final forehand winner.
The top seed won 78 per cent of his first-serve points and claimed 48 per cent of his return points in his first ATP head to head clash against Berankis. Nadal will next play Dutchman Tallon Griekspoor or Australian Alexei Popyrin. After his win, Nadal withdrew from his next doubles match against Andrey Golubev and Franko Skugor due to fatigue. Earlier, third seed Daria Kasatkina broke a hoodoo against Madison Keys with her first win in eight encounters against the American, 7-6(4), 2-6, 6-3, while second seed Simona Halep secured a Summer Set 1 quarterfinal berth with a routine 6-2, 6-1 victory over doubles partner and compatriot Elena-Gabriela Ruse. Source: IANS
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Small protest outside Djokovic Melbourne detention hotel
Melbourne (TIP): A small group of protesters supporting Novak Djokovic waved flags and banners outside an Australian immigration detention hotel where he remained on January 7. Locked in a dispute over his COVID-19 vaccination status, the number 1 men’s tennis player in the world is awaiting a court ruling on whether he can compete in the Australian Open later this month.
Djokovic, a vocal skeptic of vaccines, had travelled to Australia after Victoria state authorities granted him a medical exemption to the country’s strict vaccination requirements.
But when he arrived late Wednesday, the Australian Border Force rejected his exemption as invalid and barred him from entering the country. A court hearing on his bid to stave off deportation was set for Monday, a week before the season’s first major tennis tournament is set to begin.
The defending Australian Open champion is waiting it out in Melbourne at a secure hotel used by immigration officials to house asylum seekers and refugees. Djokovic is hoping to overtake rivals Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer and win his 21st Grand Slam singles title, the most by any player in men’s tennis. Djokovic’s securing of an exemption so that he could play triggered an uproar and allegations of special treatment in Australia, where people spent months in lockdown and endured harsh travel restrictions at the height of the pandemic.
After his long-haul flight, the tennis star spent the night at the airport trying to convince authorities he had the necessary documentation, to no avail. (AP)