Rafael Nadal: King of Clay
Nadal has a career 91.9 % successful rate on clay.
He’s won one out of every 5 French Opens ever contested.
He’s won Monte Carlo and Barcelona 10 times each. Nadal is the only man within the Open Era to win any occasion 10 times — and he’s carried out it at three different clay court events.
He’s the only man in tennis history to win the same Grand Slam title 11 times. Nadal’s 11 French Opens put him alongsideside Margaret Court as the only players, male or feminine, to win the identical Grand Slam title 11 instances (she won eleven Australian Opens).
He’s won more ATP clay-court titles than anybody else within the Open Era. Nadal’s fifty six career clay court titles is an Open Period document; the previous record-holder was Guillermo Vilas, with 49.
He’s 86–2 on the French Open. Nadal has lost just matches in his career at Roland Garros: within the fourth round in 2009, to Robin Soderling; and in the quarterfinals in 2015, to Novak Djokovic.
He holds 17 major titles, second only to Roger Federer’s record 20. Federer holds eight Wimbledon titles and has forsaken the clay season in a bid for an additional title on the grass.
Nadal has also won a record 32 Masters 1000 titles.
In April 2018, Nadal grew to become the primary player, male or female, to amass four hundred+ match wins on both hard and clay courts with 425 and 400, respectively.
He is also the first, and only male player up to now, to win three consecutive Grand Slam tournaments on three completely different surfaces (clay, grass and hardcourt) in the same yr (2010).
I have been an unabashed and fervent Rafa fan since I first saw him win Paris in 2005. He was 19, a charming boy, with long hair and pirate pants. He was also a ferocious and electrifying competitor, his presence on the court riveting for hours. Speedy and athletic, on his knees for pictures at the baseline, and whipping his arm over his head to bend it just like the soccer player he’s, Rafa was mesmerizing. Tennis fans — sports fans — fell hard and many people by no means looked away.
The doubters and the killjoys dismissed the Spanish boy wonder as a “dirtballer,” a one-dimensional player who would by no means have what it takes to succeed on all courts. 13 years later, the stats inform the story. In addition to his 11 French titles, he has 2 Wimbledon titles (defeating Federer, the king of grass, for one of them), 3 US Open titles, and 1 Australian Open crown.
The red clay is his dwelling, although, his natural habitat and he continues to astonish with his dominance. Many had written his career obituary a few years ago, after injuries and flagging confidence dimmed his star. He’s too much of a grinder, the knees can’t stand it, he’s going to burn out early, they said. They had been wrong and it’s delicious.
His victory celebration at the moment was muted. He didn’t fall to the red earth and spoil his outfit, like so many years before. He has always been a category act, gracious in victory and defeat, and right now was no different. His emotion prompt that he could also be wondering if this is the last, however that appeared the case last yr when he won the 10th. And the yr before.
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