Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal won 22 Grand Slam singles titles, and 14 of them came at the French Open. No player of either sex has dominated a single major on that scale, and it is the record most often cited as the least likely in tennis ever to be broken.
He retired in November 2024 at 38, playing for Spain at the Davis Cup Finals. Beyond Roland-Garros he won four US Opens, two Wimbledons and two Australian Opens, along with Olympic gold in singles in 2008. His rivalries with Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic are the two most-discussed in the sport.
Player Profile
| Full name | Rafael Nadal Parera |
|---|---|
| Date of birth | 3 June 1986 |
| Birthplace | Manacor, Mallorca, Spain |
| Nationality | Spanish |
| Plays | Left-handed (two-handed backhand) |
| Turned pro | 2001 |
| Retired | November 2024, at the Davis Cup Finals |
| Grand Slam titles | 22 |
| French Open titles | 14 |
| Olympic gold | Singles, Beijing 2008 |
Career Form & Notable Results
| Davis Cup Finals 2024 | Last match of his career — playing for Spain at the age of 38 in Malaga |
|---|---|
| French Open 2022 | Championhis 14th and final Roland-Garros title |
| Australian Open 2022 | Championrecovered from two sets down in the final to reach 21 majors |
| US Open 2010 | Championthe title that completed his career Grand Slam at 24 |
| French Open 2005 | Championhis first major, won on his tournament debut at 19 |
Playing Style & Strengths
Nadal built the most physically punishing game of his generation on a left-handed forehand hit with extreme topspin, which kicked up out of the strike zone of right-handed opponents and made the ad-court exchange almost unplayable on clay. Against Federer in particular, that one pattern decided years of matches.
The reputation as a clay-court specialist always undersold him. Two Wimbledons and four US Opens required him to flatten out his groundstrokes, serve bigger and shorten points, and he rebuilt his game more than once to do it. The cost was the body: a career of recurring foot, knee, wrist and abdominal injuries, which is what eventually ended it.