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{{spanish name 2|Nadal|Parera}}
{{spanish name 2|Nadal|Parera}}
{{Infobox Tennis player
{{Infobox Tennis player
|playername = The worst player everl
|playername = Rafael Nadal
|fullname = Rafael Nadal Parera
|fullname = Rafael Nadal Parera
|image = [[File:Nadal Miami 2009 1.jpg|200px]]
|image = [[File:Nadal Miami 2009 1.jpg|200px]]

Revision as of 04:22, 23 January 2010

Template:Spanish name 2

Rafael Nadal
Full nameRafael Nadal Parera
Country (sports)Spain
ResidenceManacor, Majorca, Spain
Height1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
Turned pro2001
PlaysLeft-handed; two-handed backhand
Prize moneyUS$ 27,224,163
Singles
Career record401-91 (81.50%)
Career titles36
Highest rankingNo. 1 (18 August 2008)
Current rankingNo. 2 (4 January 2010)
Grand Slam singles results
Australian OpenW (2009)
French OpenW (2005, 2006, 2007, 2008)
WimbledonW (2008)
US OpenSF (2008, 2009)
Other tournaments
Tour FinalsSF (2006, 2007)
Olympic Games Gold medal (2008)
Doubles
Career record76–49
Career titles5
Highest rankingNo. 26 (8 August 2005)
Grand Slam doubles results
Australian Open3R (2004, 2005)
Wimbledon2R (2005)
US OpenSF (2004)
Last updated on: October 19, 2009.

Rafael "Rafa" Nadal Parera (Spanish pronunciation: [rafaˈel naˈðal]) (born 3 June 1986) is a former World No. 1 Spanish professional tennis player currently ranked No. 2 in the world. Nadal has won six Grand Slam singles titles, the 2008 Olympic gold medal in singles, 15 ATP Masters Series tournaments and also was part of the Spain Davis Cup team that won the finals in 2004 and 2009.

Nadal was ranked World No. 1 from 18 August 2008 to 5 July 2009. Nadal was ranked World No. 2, behind Roger Federer for a record 160 weeks before earning the top spot.[3] In 2009, he became the first player to simultaneously hold Grand Slam titles on clay, grass and hardcourt. His success on clay has earned him the nickname "The King of Clay", [4][5][6]

In 2008, Nadal was given the Prince of Asturias Award for Sports, in recognition of his achievements in tennis.[7]

Family and early life

Rafael Nadal was born in Manacor, Majorca to Sebastián Nadal and Ana María Parera (now divorced). He has a younger sister named María Isabel. His uncle, Miguel Ángel Nadal, is a retired professional football (soccer) player, having played for RCD Mallorca, FC Barcelona, and the Spanish national team.[8] Nadal supports football clubs Real Madrid and RCD Mallorca.[9] Recognizing that Rafael had a natural talent for tennis, his other uncle, Toni Nadal, a former professional tennis player, introduced him to tennis when he was three years old. Toni Nadal has been coaching him ever since.[10]

At age eight, Nadal won an under-12 year regional tennis championship at a time where he was also a promising football player.[11] This made Toni Nadal intensify training, and at that time he encouraged Nadal to play left-handed—for a natural advantage on the tennis court, as he noticed Nadal played forehand shots with two hands.[11] When Nadal was 12, he won the Spanish and European tennis titles in his age group and was playing tennis and football all the time.[11] Nadal's father made him choose between football and tennis so that his school work would not deteriorate entirely. Nadal said: "I chose tennis. Football had to stop straight away."[11]

When he was 14, the Spanish tennis federation requested that he leave Mallorca and move to Barcelona to continue his tennis progression and training. Nadal's family turned down this request, partly because they feared it would hurt his education,[11] but also because Toni Nadal said that "I don't want to believe that you have to go to America, or other places to be a good athlete. You can do it from your home."[10] The decision to stay home meant that Nadal received less financial support from the federation; instead Nadal's father covered the costs. In May 2001, he defeated former Grand Slam champion Pat Cash in a clay-court exhibition match.[8]

Nadal participated in two events on the ITF junior circuit. In 2002, at the age of 16, Nadal reached the semifinals of the Boy's Singles tournament at Wimbledon, in his first ITF junior event [12]. Later that year, Nadal won all of his matches en-route to a winning campaign with Spain, over the USA, in the junior Davis Cup in his second, and final, appearance on the ITF junior circuit.

By the age of 17, Nadal was ranked in the world's top 50 players.[11][13]. In 2003, Rafael had won the ATP Newcomer of the Year Award.

Career

Main article: Rafael Nadal career biography

Rafael Nadal is an accomplished and renowned world class clay court tennis player, which he has won four consecutive French Open's from 2005–2008, and won two other slams off of the red clay on grass at the 2008 Wimbledon Championships and on hard at the 2009 Australian Open. He has a storied rivalry with one of the greatest tennis players of all-time Roger Federer, which Nadal leads in the overall record.

Rivalry with Roger Federer

Main article: Federer–Nadal rivalry

Nadal and Federer have been playing against each other since 2004, and this rivalry is a significant part of both men's careers:

  • They are the only men in the open era who have played each other in 7 Grand Slam finals, with Nadal winning 5 of the 7 finals. Three of these 5 wins were on Nadal's best surface (clay), and he has beaten Federer twice in non-clay major finals: Wimbledon 2008 and the Australian Open 2009.[14]
  • Their 2008 Wimbledon final has been lauded as the greatest match of all time by many long-time tennis critics.[15][16]
  • Many critics consider their rivalry to be the greatest in tennis history.[17][18][19][20]
  • Nine of Nadal's 13 wins over Federer have come on clay courts, Nadal's best surface. Nadal leads their overall head-to-head series 13-7 (Nadal leads 9-2 on clay, Federer leads 2-1 on grass, they are tied (3-3) on hard courts).

Playing style

Nadal fighting for every ball

Nadal generally plays an aggressive behind-the-baseline game founded on heavy topspin groundstrokes, consistency, speedy footwork, and tenacious court coverage.[21] Known for his athleticism and speed around the court, Nadal is a capable defender[22] who hits well on the run, constructing winning plays from seemingly defensive positions. He also plays very fine dropshots, which work especially well because his heavy topspin often forces opponents to the back of the court. [23] Nadal is primarily a baseliner and seldom volleys but when he does come to the net he is a capable volleyer.

Nadal employs a full western grip forehand, often with a "lasso-whip" follow through, where his left arm hits through the ball and finishes above his left shoulder—as opposed to a more traditional finish across the body or around his opposite shoulder.[24][25] Nadal's forehand groundstroke form allows him to hit shots with heavy topspin—more so than many of his contemporaries.[26] San Francisco tennis researcher John Yandell used a high-speed video camera and special software to count the average number of revolutions of a tennis ball hit full force by Nadal. “The first guys we did were Sampras and Agassi. They were hitting forehands that in general were spinning about 1,800 to 1,900 revolutions per minute. Federer is hitting with an amazing amount of spin, too, right? 2,700 revolutions per minute. Well, we measured one forehand Nadal hit at 4,900. His average was 3,200." [27] While Nadal's shots tend to land short of the baseline, the characteristically high bounces his forehands achieve tend to mitigate the advantage an opponent would normally gain from capitalizing on a short ball. [28] Although his forehand is based on heavy topspin he can hit the ball deep and flat with a more orthodox follow through for clean winners.

Nadal has developed his serve into a solid weapon since his earlier years as a pro.[21] Nadal is able to deliver a high percentage of first serves, struck with moderate pace and placed strategically.[21] Nadal's second serve usually employs a hard left-handed slice towards right-handed opponents' backhands. Nadal relies on the consistency of his serve to gain a strategic advantage in points, rather than going for service winners.[29]

Nadal's mental resilience and strategic approach to the game are other noted strengths. Nadal is able to avoid discouragement regardless of match score, allowing him to singularly focus on winning the current point and gaining an advantage. As a strategic player, Nadal can assess outside variables such as court surface, weather conditions, and his opponent's tactics in order to adjust his own play to best adapt to present conditions.[30]

While Nadal's game is best-suited to clay courts, Nadal is no longer considered a "clay court specialist" due to continued success at tournaments played on other surfaces, including holding Grand Slams simultaneously on grass, hard courts and clay.[21][31][32] Despite praise for Nadal's talent and skill, some have questioned his longevity in the sport, citing his build and playing style as conducive to injury.[33] Nadal himself has admitted to the physical toll hard courts place on ATP Tour players, calling for a reevaluated tour schedule featuring fewer hard court tournaments.[34]

Grand Slam performance timeline

To prevent confusion and double counting, information in this table is updated only once a tournament or the player's participation in the tournament has concluded. This table is current through the 2009 US Open.

Tournament 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 Career SR Career W-L Career Win %
Grand Slam Tournaments
Australian Open A A A 3R 4R A QF SF W 1/5 21-4 84
French Open A A A A W W W W 4R 4/5 31-1 96.87
Wimbledon A A 3R A 2R F F W A 1/5 22-4 84.6
US Open A A 2R 2R 3R QF 4R SF SF 0/7 16-7 69.56
Win–Loss N/A N/A 3-2 3-2 13-3 17-2 20-3 24-2 15-2 N/A 90-16 84.90

Wins (6)

Year Championship Surface Opponent in Final Score in Final
2005 French Open Clay Argentina Mariano Puerta 6–7(6) 6–3 6–1 7–5
2006 French Open (2) Clay Switzerland Roger Federer 1–6 6–1 6–4 7–6(4)
2007 French Open (3) Clay Switzerland Roger Federer 6–3 4–6 6–3 6–4
2008 French Open (4) Clay Switzerland Roger Federer 6–1 6–3 6–0
2008 Wimbledon Grass Switzerland Roger Federer 6–4 6–4 6–7(5) 6–7(8) 9–7
2009 Australian Open Hard Switzerland Roger Federer 7–5 3–6 7–6(3) 3–6 6–2

Runner-ups (2)

Year Championship Surface Opponent in Final Score in Final
2006 Wimbledon Grass Switzerland Roger Federer 6–0 7–6(5) 6–7(2) 6–3
2007 Wimbledon (2) Grass Switzerland Roger Federer 7–6(7) 4–6 7–6(3) 2–6 6–2

Equipment and endorsements

Nadal uses an AeroPro Drive racquet with a 4 1/4" L2 grip. As of 2010 season, Nadal's racquets are painted to resemble the new Babolat AeroPro Drive with Cortex GT racquet in order to market a current model which Babolat sells.[35][36] Nadal uses no replacement grip, and instead wraps 2 overgrips around the handle. Nadal uses Duralast 15L strings—strung between 55 and 66 pounds[37]—while promoting Babolat's Pro Hurricane Tour strings for marketing purposes.

Nike serves as Nadal's clothing and shoe sponsor. Nadal's signature on-court attire entailed a variety of sleeveless shirts paired with 3/4 length capri pants.[38] For the 2009 season, Nadal has adopted more traditional on-court apparel. Nike encouraged Nadal to update his look in order to reflect his new status as the sport's top player at that time[39] and associate Nadal with a style that—while less distinctive than his "pirate" look—would be more widely emulated by consumers.[40][41]

At warmup tournaments in Abu Dhabi and Doha, Nadal played matches in a polo shirt specifically designed for him by Nike,[42] paired with shorts cut above the knee. Nadal's new, more conventional style carried over to the 2009 Australian Open, where Nadal was outfitted with Nike's Bold Crew Men's Tee[43] and Nadal Long Check Shorts.[44][45][46]

Nadal wears Nike's Air CourtBallistec 1.3 tennis shoes,[47] bearing various customizations throughout the season, including his nickname—"Rafa"—on the right shoe and a stylized bull logo on the left.[48]

Nadal has appeared in advertising campaigns for Kia Motors as a global ambassador for the company. In May 2008, Kia released a claymation viral ad featuring Nadal in a tennis match with an alien. Nadal also has an endorsement agreement with Universal DVDs.[49]

Career Statistics

Main article: Rafael Nadal career statistics

Records

  • These records were attained in the Open Era of tennis.
Grand Slam Years Record accomplished Player tied
French Open 2005 — 09 31 consecutive match wins Stands alone
French Open — Australian Open 2008 — 09 Simultaneous holder of Grand Slams on clay, grass and hardcourt Roger Federer
French Open — Australian Open 2008 — 09 Simultaneous holder of Olympic singles gold medal and Grand Slams on clay, grass and hardcourt Stands alone
French Open 2005 — 08 4 consecutive wins Björn Borg
French Open 2005 — 08 4 consecutive finals Björn Borg
Ivan Lendl
Roger Federer

Rafael Nadal has either equaled or set various records in tennis history.

  1. Longest single-surface winning streak (clay): 81 matches (2005- 21 May 2007)
  2. Winning the French Open at the first attempt. Tied with Mats Wilander (1982)
  3. Only the third teenager in history (since 1973) to reach world no. 2
  4. Most consecutive clay court winning streak: 81
  5. Most consecutive French Open titles: 4 tied with Björn Borg
  6. Winning French Open and Wimbledon in the same year. Tied-three others in Open Era history.
  7. Only male player to have won French Open, Wimbledon, and Olympic gold medal in the same year (2008)
  8. Won most titles as a teenager: 16 tied with Björn Borg
  9. Won 24 consecutive matches, the longest winning streak of any teenager in the open era, in 2005
  10. Most consecutive French Open finals in the Open Era: 4 (tied with Borg, Lendl and Federer)
  11. Most consecutive Masters Quartefinals (Hamburg 2008- Paris 2009)
  12. The first player to win 400 singles matches in fewer than 500 matches played (401-91).

See also

References

  1. ^ Niall, Jake (3 February 2009). "The man from Majorca breathes scent of victory". The Age. theage.com.au. Retrieved 30 October 2009. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |dateformat= ignored (help)
  2. ^ Scott, Brough (24 June 2008). "Wimbledon: Rafael Nadal happy with his game - and his shorts - as he moves through gears". The Daily Telegraph. telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 30 October 2009. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |dateformat= ignored (help)
  3. ^ Associated Press (1 August 2008). "Players — Head-to-head". ATPtennis.com. Retrieved 6 November 2008. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |dateformat= ignored (help)
  4. ^ Harwitt, Sandra (8 June 2008). "Is Rafael Nadal one of the best clay-court players ever?". ESPN 2008 French Open. ESPN.com. Retrieved 6 November 2008. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |dateformat= ignored (help)
  5. ^ Bodo, Peter (8 June 2008). "Endgame on Clay". Peter Bodo's tennisworld. Tennis.com. Retrieved 6 November 2008. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |dateformat= ignored (help)
  6. ^ Perrotta, Tom (28 April 2008). "Nadal Appearing Unbeatable on Clay". The Sun. The New York Sun. Retrieved 6 November 2008. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |dateformat= ignored (help)
  7. ^ "Sports 2008". Fundación Principe de Asturias. 3 September 2008. Retrieved 6 November 2008. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |dateformat= ignored (help)
  8. ^ a b Clarey, Christopher (6 June 2005). "Rafael Nadal, Barely 19, He's Got Game, Looks and Remarkably Good Manners". New York Times. NYTimes.com. Retrieved 6 November 2008. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |dateformat= ignored (help)
  9. ^ "Sportsround meets Rafael Nadal". CBBC Newsround. BBC. 11 November 2006. Retrieved 7 November 2008. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |dateformat= ignored (help)
  10. ^ a b Rajaraman, Aarthi (June 2008). "At Home with Humble yet Ambitious Nadal". Inside Tennis. InsideTennis.com. Retrieved 7 November 2008. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |dateformat= ignored (help)
  11. ^ a b c d e f Kervin, Alison (23 April 2006). "The Big Interview: Rafael Nadal". The Sunday Times. TIMESONLINE. Retrieved 7 November 2008. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |dateformat= ignored (help)
  12. ^ "ITF Tennis - Juniors - Player Activity".
  13. ^ Davis, Caris (23 June 2008). "Tennis Hotshot Rafael Nadal Has a Secret Girlfriend". People. People.com. Retrieved 7 November 2008. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |dateformat= ignored (help)
  14. ^ Roger, Rafa to Meet in Record Sixth Grand Slam Final
  15. ^ Alleyne, Richard (7 July 2008). "Wimbledon 2008: John McEnroe hails Rafael Nadal victory as greatest final ever". Retrieved 7 August 2008. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |dateformat= ignored (help)
  16. ^ "Federer-Nadal rivalry as good as it gets". 2008-07-07. Retrieved 2008-08-07.
  17. ^ "Federer-Nadal rivalry as good as it gets". International Herald Tribune (Associated Press). 7 July 2008. Retrieved 2009-02-14. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  18. ^ Weaver, Paul (7 July 2008). "Move over McEnroe and Borg, this one will run and run in the memory". The Guardian. Retrieved 2009-02-14. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  19. ^ Flanagan, Martin (12 July 2008). "Federer v Nadal as good as sport gets". The Age. Retrieved 2009-02-14. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  20. ^ Bodo, Peter (30 January 2009). "Rivalry!". Peter Bodo's Tennisworld. Tennis.com. Retrieved 2009-02-14.
  21. ^ a b c d "Nadal Has Improved Virtually Every Aspect of His Game". ESPN. 2008-07-03. Retrieved 2009-01-30.
  22. ^ Cooper, Jeff. "Rafael Nadal - Game Profile". Retrieved 2007-07-30. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  23. ^ "Rafael Nadal's Drop Volley". Tennis Magazine. 2008-03-27. Retrieved 2009-01-30.
  24. ^ "Nadal's Forehand in Slow Motion". YouTube. 2008-08-07. Retrieved 2009-01-30.
  25. ^ "Coming to Grips with Today's Forehand". International Herald Tribune. 2006-06-25. Retrieved 2009-01-30.
  26. ^ "More and More Players Deliver Slap to Classic Forehand". New York Times. 2006-06-27. Retrieved 2009-01-30.
  27. ^ "Ripped. (Or Torn Up?)".
  28. ^ "The Forehand of Rafael Nadal". Tennis Magazine. 2006-12-15. Retrieved 2009-01-30.
  29. ^ "Rafael Nadal Determined to Keep One Step Ahead of Roger Federer". The Daily Telegraph. 2008-07-06. Retrieved 2009-01-30.
  30. ^ "Learning from Rafael Nadal". Tennis Magazine. 2006-10-13. Retrieved 2009-01-30.
  31. ^ "Making History In a Hurry". Deuce Magazine. 2008-11-01. Retrieved 2009-02-01.
  32. ^ "No limit to what Nadal can accomplish". ESPN. 2009-02-01. Retrieved 2009-02-01.
  33. ^ "Style of play catching up with Rafa?". ESPN. 2007-08-30. Retrieved 2009-01-30.
  34. ^ "Oz Champ Nadal Wants Changes in Tennis Schedule". Tennis Magazine. 2009-02-02. Retrieved 2009-02-02.
  35. ^ "Nadal Doesn't Use an APDC". Talk Tennis. 2007-09-01. Retrieved 2009-01-30.
  36. ^ "The Tennis Racket". ESPN. 2004-09-02. Retrieved 2009-01-30.
  37. ^ "Chat with Rafa Nadal". RafaNadal.com. 2009-02-04. Retrieved 2009-02-04.
  38. ^ "The Beefcake in the Backcourt". New York Magazine. 2008-08-17. Retrieved 2009-01-30.
  39. ^ "Rafa Needs More Than a New Look". ESPN. 2009-01-17. Retrieved 2009-01-30.
  40. ^ "Rafael Nadal to Launch New, More Traditional Image at US Open". Sports Business Daily. 2008-08-01. Retrieved 2009-01-30.
  41. ^ "Nadal's Wardrobe Malfunction". CNBC. 2009-01-26. Retrieved 2009-01-30.
  42. ^ "Fashion Focus: Rafael Nadal". Tennis Served Fresh. 2009-01-20. Retrieved 2009-01-30.
  43. ^ "Nike Bold New Tennis Crew". Nike Store. 2009-01-30. Retrieved 2009-01-30.
  44. ^ "Nadal Long Check Shorts". Nike Store. 2009-01-30. Retrieved 2009-01-30.
  45. ^ "Rafa's Costume Change". Tennis Served Fresh. 2009-01-24. Retrieved 2009-01-30.
  46. ^ "Emperor's New Clothes". Tennis Magazine. 2009-01-24. Retrieved 2009-01-30.
  47. ^ "Nike Air CourtBallistec 1.3". Retrieved 2007-09-05.
  48. ^ "Rafael Nadal's Custom Shoes at the 2009 Australian Open".
  49. ^ Kia Nadal versus Alien Video.
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