Rafael Nadal

Infobox Tennis player
playername=Rafael Nadal
full name= Rafael Nadal i Parera


nickname= "Rafa", "Gladiator", "The King of Clay", "The Bull"
country= Spain
residence= Manacor, Majorca
datebirth= birth date and age|mf=yes|1986|6|3
placebirth= Manacor, Majorca
height= height|m= 1.85
weight= convert|85.0|kg|lb st|abbr=on|lk=on
turnedpro= 2001
plays= Left-handed; two-handed backhand
careerprizemoney= US$20,566,948
singlesrecord= 330 - 75
singlestitles= 31
currentsinglesranking=No.1 (August 18, 2008)
highestsinglesranking= No. 1 (August 18, 2008)
AustralianOpenresult= SF (2008)
FrenchOpenresult= W (2005, 2006, 2007, 2008)
Wimbledonresult= W (2008)
USOpenresult= SF (2008)
Othertournaments = No
MastersCupresult = SF (2006, 2007)
Olympicsresult = )
doublesrecord= 65–45
doublestitles= 4
highestdoublesranking= No. 26 (August 8, 2005)
updated= September 8, 2008

Rafael Nadal Parera (IPA2|rafaˈel naˈðal) (born June 3, 1986) is a Spanish professional tennis player who has been ranked World No. 1 since August 18, 2008.

Nadal has won five Grand Slam singles titles and the 2008 Olympic gold medal. He has so far captured four consecutive French Opens from 2005 through 2008 and Wimbledon in 2008. As only the second Spaniard to have won Wimbledon, he is also the only man other than Björn Borg to have won four consecutive French Open titles. Adding to this, Nadal is the only tennis player in the history of the modern game to win the French Open, The Queen's Club Championships on grass (beginning the next day), and Wimbledon. He is currently the only winner of an Olympic Gold medal in the men's tennis singles, while being a top-five men's tennis player.

For much of his career, Nadal has had a rivalry with Roger Federer. He was ranked World No. 2 behind Federer for a record 160 weeks before earning the top spot. [ [http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/25978842/ It's official: Nadal will pass Federer for No. 1] ] Nadal has won 12 of their 18 singles matches, including four of their six Grand Slam finals. [http://www.atptennis.com/1/en/2008news/wimbledon_finalpreview.asp Roger, Rafa to Meet in Record Sixth Grand Slam Final] ]

Nadal has been especially successful on clay courts. He has a 22–1 record in clay court tournament finals [ [http://www.tennis.com/tournaments/2008/frenchopen/frenchopen.aspx?id=134680 Tennis.com - Nadal's Numbers: 10 amazing clay stats] ] and is undefeated in 43 best-of-five-set matches on clay.Fact|date=September 2008 In each of the last four years, he has won both the French Open and two clay court Masters Series tournaments. He also owns the longest single-surface winning streak in the open era, having won 81 consecutive matches on clay from April 2005 to May 2007. [citeweb|url=http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/tennis/news/story?id=2814194 |title=ESPN - List of Nadal's 81 straight wins on clay|publisher=ESPN|author=Greg Garber|date=2007-05-20|2008-08-01] As a result, some tennis critics and top players already regard him as the greatest clay-court player of all time. [cite web |url=http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/tennis/french08/columns/story?columnist=harwitt_sandra&id=3432383 |title=ESPN – Is Rafael Nadal the best clay-court player ever?] [ [http://www.nysun.com/sports/nadal-appearing-unbeatable-on-clay/75421/ Tom Perotta - Nadal Appearing Unbeatable on Clay] ] [ [http://tennisworld.typepad.com/tennisworld/2008/06/so.html Peter Bodo - Endgame on Clay] ]

In 2008, he was given the Prince of Asturias Award for sports. [ [http://www.fundacionprincipedeasturias.org/ing/04/premiados/trayectorias/trayectoria838.html Nadal receives 2008 Prince of Asturias Award] ]

Family and early life

Rafael Nadal was born in Manacor, Majorca to Sebastián Nadal and Ana María Parera. He has a younger sister named María Isabel. His uncle, Miguel Ángel, is a retired professional football player, having played for RCD Mallorca, FC Barcelona, and the Spanish national team.cite news | first=Christopher | last=Clarey | coauthors= | title=Rafael Nadal, Barely 19, He's Got Game, Looks and Remarkably Good Manners | date=2005-06-06 | publisher= | url =http://ustimes.us/rafael_nadal,_barely_19,_he's_got_game,_looks_and_remarkably_good_manners.htm | work =New York city Times | pages = | accessdate = 2007-02-16 | language = ] He is an avid supporter of Real Madrid. [ cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/newsid_6130000/newsid_6135900/6135996.stm |title=BBC – Sportsround meets Rafael Nadal] His other uncle, Toni, himself a professional tennis player, introduced Rafael to tennis as a 3 year-old boy and has been coaching him ever since. cite web|url=http://www.rafaelnadal.com/english/en/aboutrafa.html |title=Rafael Nadal Official Website |accessdate=2007-02-16 ] Toni has also stated that Rafael had a natural talent playing tennis while preferring to play football. [http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/article708386.ece The Big Interview: Rafael Nadal - Times Online] ] By the time Rafael was five, he was going to the tennis club twice a week to play and at eight years of age, also a promising striker in the local football team, he won the regional tennis championships for under-12s. By the time Rafael was 12 he had won the Spanish and European tennis titles in his age group and was playing either tennis or football all the time. Then in stepped the third of the three brothers, Rafael's father, Sebastian. He forced Rafael to choose between football and tennis so that his school work would not suffer. When Rafael was 14 years old, the Spanish tennis federation requested that he leave Majorca and move to Barcelona to continue his tennis progression and training. Rafael's parents and uncles turned down these requests, which resulted in Rafael receiving less financial support to aid his development. Sebastian covered these costs himself. By the age of 16, Rafael was ranked in the world's top 50 players.

While Rafael's upbringing and early years are largely kept private, he has stated growing up his passions were football, tennis, and fishing.

Nadal has been dating María Francesca Perelló, [ [http://getitfromboy.net/rafael-nadal-girlfriend-xisca-perello/ Rafael Nadal girlfriend Xisca Perello] ] also from Majorca, for three years as of 2008. [cite web|url=http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20208243,00.html |title=Tennis Hotshot Rafael Nadal Has a Secret Girlfriend |date=2008-06-23 |accessdate=2008-06-23 |publisher=People Magazine]

Career

Early years

When Nadal was very young, his coach and uncle, Toni Nadal, taught him to play left-handed even though he is naturally right-handed. Toni reasoned that Rafael's two-handed backhand would benefit from a strong right arm. [cite news | first=John | last=Pages | coauthors= | title=PlayStation or on-court, Raging Bull wins | date=2006-05-02 | publisher= | url =http://www.sunstar.com.ph/static/ceb/2006/05/02/sports/pages.playstation.or.on.court.raging.bull.wins.html | work = Sun Star | pages = | accessdate = 2007-02-16 | language = Also from [http://www.rafaelnadal.com Nadal's official page] , through its "Ask Rafa" service.]

Nadal was 12 when he decided to pursue a career in tennis instead of football. Toni was his primary coach, but he also trained at Nick Bollettieri's tennis camp in Florida for portions of two summers in his early teens. In May 2001, he defeated Grand Slam champion Pat Cash in a clay-court exhibition match.

2002–2004

In 2002, Nadal won his first ATP match, defeating Ramon Delgado in Majorca. He became the ninth player in the open era to win an ATP match before the age of 16. cite web|url=http://www.tennis.com/features/general/features.aspx?id=10488 |title=Wimbledon 2006: The Duel |accessdate=2007-02-16 |last=Tignor |first=Stephen |date=2006-06-20 ]

In 2003, Nadal won two Challenger titles and finished the year in the top 50. He is the second-youngest man to be ranked this high. At his Wimbledon debut, Nadal became the youngest man to reach the third round since Boris Becker in 1984. [cite news | first=Christopher | last=Clarey | coauthors= | title=WIMBLEDON TENNIS : An unusual comfort zone | date=2003-06-26 | publisher= | url =http://www.iht.com/articles/2003/06/26/tennis_ed3__12.php | work = International Herald Tribune | pages = | accessdate = 2007-02-16 | language = ]

In 2004, Nadal played his first match against world #1 Roger Federer at the Miami Masters. Nadal won the match in straight sets. He then missed most of the clay-court season, including the French Open, due to a stress fracture in his left ankle.

2005

The 2005 season was a highly successful one for Nadal, as he ascended to #2 in the rankings on 25 July, a position he subsequently held for a record 160 consecutive weeks. He won 11 titles (8 on clay, 3 on hard), tying Roger Federer for the season.

He began the year with hard-fought losses to Lleyton Hewitt at the Australian Open and Federer in the Miami Masters final. Both were considered to be breakthrough performances for Nadal. [cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/tennis/4200919.stm|title=Brave Hewitt battles past Nadal|publisher=BBC Sport|date=2005-01-24|accessdate=2008-08-03] [cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/tennis/4412667.stm|title=Nadal proves to be the real deal|publisher=BBC Sport|date=2005-04-05|accessdate=2008-08-03]

He then dominated the spring clay court season by winning 24 consecutive matches (a record for teenage men in the open era). [cite web|url=http://www.usatoday.com/sports/tennis/french/2005-06-05-day-14_x.htm|title=Teen Nadal gives Spain reign over French Open|publisher=USA Today.com|date=2006-06-05|accessdate=2008-09-03] He beat 2004 French Open finalist Guillermo Coria in the finals of both the Monte Carlo Masters and the Rome Masters, after which Coria conceded that Nadal was the best clay court player. [cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/tennis/4454535.stm|title=Nadal triumphant in Monte Carlo|publisher=BBC Sport|date=2005-04-17|accessdate=2008-08-03] Nadal then made his debut at the French Open and lived up to many analysts' predictions by winning his first Grand Slam singles title (Nadal was the first man to win on a debut appearance at the French since Mats Wilander in 1982). En route to the title, he defeated Federer in the semi-finals, beginning a streak of four consecutive wins over his budding rival at Roland Garros. Each of these victories has prevented Federer from achieving a Career Grand Slam.

Nadal proceeded to win Masters Series events on the hard courts of Canada and Madrid, thus capturing 4 Masters titles during the year. This a single-season record he shares with Federer. However, Nadal's performances at the other Grand Slam tournaments were more indifferent, as he suffered by that time shock losses in rounds two and three of Wimbledon and the U.S. Open respectively. [cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/tennis/4124562.stm|title=Nadal suffers shock Muller defeat|publisher=BBC Sport|author=Alistair Watkins|date=2005-04-17|accessdate=2008-06-23] [cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/tennis/4210548.stm|title=Nadal Inspired Blake ends Nadal hopes|publisher=BBC Sport|date=2005-08-03|accessdate=2008-08-03] A foot injury near the end of the year caused him to miss the Tennis Masters Cup and the start of the 2006 season. [cite web|url=http://www.rediff.com/sports/2006/jan/05nadal.htm|title=Foot injury delays Rafael Nadal's comeback|publisher=Rediff.com|author=Julian Linden|date=2006-01-06|accessdate=2008-09-03]

Nadal won the Golden Bagel Award that year with twelve 6-0 sets in the year.

2006

Nadal missed the Australian Open because of a foot injury. In February, he lost in the semifinals of the first tournament he played, the Open 13 tournament in Marseille, France. Two weeks later, he handed Roger Federer his first loss of the year in the final of the Dubai Duty Free Men's Open. To complete the spring hard court season, Nadal was upset in the semifinals of the Pacific Life Open in Indian Wells, California and in the second round of the Sony Ericsson Open in Key Biscayne, Florida, both of which were important Masters Series events.

On European clay, Nadal won all four tournaments he entered and 24 consecutive matches. He defeated Federer in the final of the Masters Series Monte Carlo in four sets. The following week, he defeated Tommy Robredo in the final of the Open Sabadell Atlántico tournament in Barcelona. After a one week break from tournament play, Nadal won the Masters Series Internazionali BNL d'Italia in Rome, defeating Federer in a fifth set tiebreaker in the final after Nadal saved two match points. Nadal broke Argentinian Guillermo Vilas's 29-year record of 53 consecutive clay court match victories when he won his first round match at the French Open. Vilas, however, refused to acknowledge Nadal's feat as more impressive than his own because Vilas's winning streak was in a single year. [cite news | first=Greg | last=Garber | coauthors= | title=With Vilas in stands, Nadal makes history | date=2006-05-31 | publisher= | url =http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/tennis/french06/news/story?id=2462389&lpos=spotlight&lid=tab4pos1 | work =ESPN.com | pages = | accessdate = 2007-04-30 | language = ] Nadal went on to play Federer in the final of the French Open. The first two sets of the match were hardly competitive as the rivals traded 6–1 sets. Nadal won the third set easily and served for the match in the fourth set before Federer broke him and forced a tiebreaker. Nadal won the tiebreaker and became the first player to defeat Federer in a Grand Slam final. [cite news | first=Greg | last=Garber | coauthors= | title=Roger's reign on hold with Nadal's dominance | date=2006-06-12 | publisher= | url =http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/tennis/french06/news/story?id=2479425 | work =ESPN.com | pages = | accessdate = 2007-03-09 | language = ]

On grass, Nadal injured his shoulder while playing a quarterfinal match against Lleyton Hewitt at the Artois Championships, played at Queen's Club in London. Nadal was unable to complete the match, which ended his 26-match winning streak. Nadal was seeded second at Wimbledon but was two points from defeat against American qualifier Robert Kendrick in the second round before coming back to win in five sets. In the third round, Nadal defeated World No. 20 Andre Agassi in his last career match at Wimbledon 7–6(5), 6–2, 6–4. Nadal won his next three matches in straight sets, which set up another final with Federer, who had won this tournament the three previous years. Federer won the match in four sets. Nadal and Federer were the only pair of men during the open era who had reached the Wimbledon final after having just played each other in the French Open final.

During the lead up to the US Open, Nadal played only the two Masters Series tournaments in North America. He was upset in the third round of the Rogers Cup in Toronto and the quarterfinals of the Western & Southern Financial Group Masters in Cincinnati, Ohio. Nadal was seeded second at the US Open but lost in the quarterfinals to World No. 54 Mikhail Youzhny of Russia in four sets.

Nadal played only three tournaments the remainder of the year. Joachim Johansson, ranked World No. 690, upset Nadal in the second round of the if... Stockholm Open 6–4, 7–6. The following week, Nadal lost in the quarterfinals of the last Masters Series tournament of the year, the Mutua Madrileña Masters in Madrid. After the tournament, Nadal blamed mental and physical exhaustion for his recent losses.Fact|date=August 2008 During the round robin stage of the year-ending Tennis Masters Cup, Nadal lost to James Blake but defeated Nikolay Davydenko and Robredo. Because of those two victories, Nadal qualified for the semifinals, where he lost to Federer 6–4, 7–5. This was Nadal's third loss in nine career matches with Federer.

2007

Nadal started the year by playing in six hard court tournaments. He lost in the semifinals and first round of his first two tournaments and then lost in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open to eventual runner-up Fernando Gonzalez. After another quarterfinal loss at the Dubai Tennis Championships, he won the Masters Series Pacific Life Open in Indian Wells, California before Novak Djokovic defeated him in the quarterfinals of the Masters Series Sony Ericsson Open in Key Biscayne, Florida.

He had comparatively more success after returning to Europe to play five clay court tournaments. He won the titles at the Masters Series Monte Carlo, the Open Sabadell Atlántico in Barcelona, and the Masters Series Internazionali BNL d'Italia in Rome before losing to Roger Federer in the final of the Masters Series Hamburg. This defeat ended his 81-match winning streak on clay, which is the male open era record for consecutive wins on a single surface. He then rebounded to win the French Open for the third straight year, defeating Federer once again in the final.

Between the tournaments in Barcelona and Rome, Nadal defeated Federer in the "Battle of Surfaces" exhibition match in Majorca, Spain, with the tennis court being half grass and half clay. [cite web |url=http://www.thebattleofsurfaces.com | title = The Battle of Surfaces | accessdate=2007-04-22]

Nadal played the Artois Championships at Queen's Club in London for the second consecutive year. As in 2006, Nadal was upset in the quarterfinals. Nadal then won consecutive five-set matches during the third and fourth rounds of Wimbledon before losing to Federer in the five-set final. This was Federer's first five-set match at Wimbledon since 2001. [cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/tennis/6280788.stm|title=Federer wins historic fifth title|publisher=BBC Sport|author=Caroline Cheese|date=2007-07-07|accessdate=2008-08-05]

In July, Nadal won the clay court Mercedes Cup in Stuttgart, which proved to be his last title of the year. He played three important tournaments during the North American summer hard court season. He was a semifinalist at the Masters Series Rogers Cup in Montreal before losing his first match at the Western & Southern Financial Group Masters in Cincinnati, Ohio. He was the second-seeded player at the US Open but was defeated in the fourth round by World No. 15 David Ferrer.

After a month-long break from tournament tennis, Nadal played the Mutua Madrileña Masters in Madrid and the BNP Paribas Masters in Paris. David Nalbandian upset him in the quarterfinals and final of those tournaments. To end the year, Nadal won two of his three round robin matches to advance to the semifinals of the Tennis Masters Cup in Shanghai, where Federer defeated him 6–4, 6–1.

During the second half of the year, Nadal battled a knee injury suffered during the Wimbledon final. In addition, there were rumors at the end of the year that the foot injury he suffered during 2005 caused long term damage, which were given credence by coach Toni Nadal's claim that the problem was "serious". Nadal and his spokesman strongly denied this, however, with Nadal himself calling the story "totally false". [cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/tennis/7117076.stm|title=Federer Nadal plays down foot injury fear|publisher=BBC Sport|author=Piers Newbury|date=2007-11-28|accessdate=2008-08-05]

2008

As of September 24, Nadal has a 77–9 win-loss record and has won eight singles titles, including the French Open, Wimbledon, and the Olympic Games. He also had a career-best 32 match winning streak during which he captured five titles and secured the World No. 1 ranking for the first time.

Nadal began the year in India where he was the runner-up to Mikhail Youzhny at the Chennai Open. Nadal then reached the semifinals of the Australian Open for the first time. He also reached the final of the Sony Ericsson Open in Key Biscayne, Florida for the second time.

During the spring clay court season, Nadal won four singles titles and defeated Roger Federer in three finals. He beat Federer at the Masters Series Monte Carlo for the third straight year, capturing his open era record fourth consecutive title there. He won in straight sets, despite Federer holding a 4-0 lead in the second set. [http://www.atptennis.com/1/en/2008news/federer_nadal.asp ATPtennis.com - Roger & Rafa: The Rivalry] ] He then won his fourth consecutive title at the Open Sabadell Atlantico tournament in Barcelona. A few weeks later, Nadal won his first title at the Masters Series Hamburg, defeating Federer in the three-set final. He then won the French Open, becoming only the fifth man in the open era to win a Grand Slam singles title without losing a set. [cite news | author = International Herald Tribune | title = Men's Grand Slam Titles Without Losing A Set | url = http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/06/09/sports/TEN-Mens-Grand-Slam-Titles-No-Lost-Sets.php | date = 2008-06-09 | accessdate = 2008-08-09 | language =] He defeated Federer in the final for the third straight year, but this was the most lopsided of all their matches, as Nadal only lost four games and gave Federer his first bagel since 1999. This was Nadal's fourth consecutive French title, tying Björn Borg's all-time record. Nadal became fourth player of open era to win the same Grand Slam for 4 consecutive years, after Borg, Sampras and Federer.

He then played Federer in the final of Wimbledon for the third consecutive year, in the most anticipated match of their rivalry. [http://www.cbc.ca/sports/story/2008/07/05/wimbledon-federer-nadal.html Federer, Nadal set for Wimbledon showdown] ] [http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/tennis/wimbledon08/columns/story?columnist=ubha_ravi&id=3473804 Nadal enters Wimbledon final with clear mental edge] ] Nadal entered the final on a 23 match winning streak, including his first career grass court title at the Artois Championships, staged at Queen's Club in London prior to Wimbledon. Federer was also on a roll, having won his record fifth grass court title at the Gerry Weber Open in Halle without facing a break point and then reaching the Wimbledon final without losing a set. Unlike their previous two Wimbledon finals, though, Federer was not the prohibitive favorite, and many analysts picked Nadal to win. [ [http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/blog/index?entryID=3474615&name=bodo_peter Peter Bodo - 5 reasons Nadal will win] ] They played the longest final in Wimbledon history, and because of rain delays, Nadal won the fifth set 9-7 in near-darkness. The match was widely lauded as the greatest Wimbledon final ever, with some long-time tennis critics even calling it the greatest match in tennis history.cite news | author = Bruce Jenkins | title = The Greatest Match Ever | url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/07/06/SPP711KSLR.DTL | date=2008-07-07 | accessdate =2008-08-07 | language =] cite news | author = Richard Alleyne | title = Wimbledon 2008: John McEnroe hails Rafael Nadal victory as greatest final ever | url = http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/tennis/wimbledon/2305019/Wimbledon-2008-John-McEnroe-hails-Rafael-Nadal-victory-as-greatest-final-ever.html | date = 2008-07-07 | accessdate = 2008-08-07| language =] [http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/writers/jon_wertheim/07/09/wertheim.mailbag/index.html Jon Wertheim - Without a doubt, it's the greatest] ] cite news | author = International Herald Tribune, Associated Press | title=Federer-Nadal rivalry as good as it gets | url= http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/07/07/sports/TEN-On-Tennis-Rafa---Roger.php | date = 2008-07-07| accessdate = 2008-08-07| language =] [cite news|author=Alistair Magowan|title=Roger v Rafa - the best final ever?| url =http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/tennis/7493099.stm|date =2008-07-07| accessdate =2008-08-07| language =English] By winning his first Wimbledon title, Nadal became only the third man in the open era to win both the French Open and Wimbledon in the same year as well as the second Spaniard to win Wimbledon. He also ended Federer's record streak of five consecutive Wimbledon titles and 65 straight wins on grass courts.

After Wimbledon, Nadal extended his winning streak to a career-best 32 matches. He won his second Rogers Cup title in Toronto and then made it into the semifinals of the Western & Southern Financial Group Masters in Cincinnati, Ohio. As a result, Nadal clinched the US Open Series and, combined with Federer's early round losses in both of those tournaments, finally earned Nadal the World No. 1 ranking on August 18, officially ending Federer's record four-and-a-half year reign at the top.

At the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Nadal defeated Novak Djokovic of Serbia in the semifinals 6–4, 1–6, 6–4 and Fernando González of Chile in the final to win his first Olympic gold medal. Nadal became the first male player ranked in the top five to win the gold medal. [ [http://tennis.com/news/news.aspx?id=142024 Nadal wins Olympic gold over Gonzalez] ]

At the US Open, Nadal was the top-seeded player for the first time at a Grand Slam tournament. He did not lose a set during his first three matches, defeating qualifiers in the first and second rounds and Viktor Troicki in the third round. He then needed four sets to defeat both Sam Querrey in the fourth round and Mardy Fish in the quarterfinals. In the semifinals, he lost to Andy Murray 6–2, 7–6(5), 4–6, 6–4.

Rivalry with Federer

Nadal and Federer have been rivals since 2005, and this rivalry is a significant part of both men's careers:
* They are the only men in the open era to have played each other in six Grand Slam finals.
* Their 2008 Wimbledon final has been lauded as the greatest match ever by many long-time tennis critics.
* Many critics consider their rivalry to be the greatest in tennis history. [cite news | author = Paul Weaver | title = Move over McEnroe and Borg, this one will run and run in the memory | url = http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2008/jul/07/wimbledon.tennis4 | date = 2008-07-07 | accessdate = 2008-08-07 | language =] [cite news | author = Martin Flanagan | title = Federer v Nadal as good as sport gets | url = http://www.theage.com.au/news/tennis/federer-v-nadal-as-good-as-sport-gets/2008/07/11/1215658132528.html | date = 2008-07-12 | accessdate = 2008-08-07 | language =]

Playing style

Nadal plays with well-angled topspin heavy strokes, a strong two-handed backhand, fast mobility on the court, and a preference to play from the deep court. Though naturally right-handed, Nadal plays left-handed, and uses his dominant right hand as an anchor for his two-handed backhand. In addition, being naturally right-handed allows him to stay balanced regardless of which foot he puts his weight on, an exceptional talent when one tries to hit the ball after starting a move in the wrong direction. Although, a natural right-hander, Nadal claims he is left footed and that it is difficult for him to play with his right hand. [cite web|url=http://timesonline.typepad.com/rafael_nadal/ |title=Rafael Nadal Blog |accessdate=2008-09-09 ] Known for his excellent defense, Nadal hits well on the run and creates many winners from seemingly defensive positions. Because of his extreme athleticism, Nadal tends to go after every shot, even apparent winners from his opponents.cite news | first=Jeff | last=Cooper | coauthors= | title=Rafael Nadal – Game Profile | date= | publisher= | url =http://tennis.about.com/od/playersmale/a/nadalgp.htm | work = | pages = | accessdate = 2007-07-30 | language = ] Historically, Nadal's playing style has worked best on clay courts, and he was once considered a clay-court specialist. Recent success on other surfaces has helped Nadal shed that label, though he is still considered most dominant on clay.

Nadal uses a full western grip forehand, which allows him to hit heavy, powerful topspin forehands, giving him a bigger margin of error because of the height at which his shot clears the net and the speed at which the ball drops due to the topspin that is applied to the ball. Nadal's heavy topspin makes the ball bounce up high in the air for his opponent, making it difficult to return. These types of shots tend to be returned short in length, but the spin kicks it up so high that this kind of play is sufficient on clay.

For many years, Nadal's serve was not considered one of his strengths. However, it has become more of a weapon lately; Nadal currently possesses a highly effective first serve and a moderate second serve. Usually employing a hard lefty slice towards most of his opponents' backhands (right-handed opponents), his serve can be relied upon for consistency and also for some short-point wins such as aces and bad service-returns.

Another one of Nadal's strengths is the mental aspect of his tennis game. His ability to come back from behind in a match greatly assists him. He also has good footwork, which helps him to prepare for tennis strokes and get around the court efficiently. In addition, he can put away short balls and comes to the net quite often. Rafael Nadal has an under-emphasized net game. He is able to volley deep, but his main strength at the net is his touch and feel. Nadal is good at angling volleys away from his opponents and can hit drop volleys well after running extremely quickly up to the net to return any drop shot made by his opponent.

Equipment

Nadal uses a Babolat AeroPro Drive racquet without the cortex system. However, his racquet has the paintjob of the Aero Pro Drive with Cortex, in order to commercialize and promote the current model that Babolat sells. This model's handle is (L2 grip= 4 1/4)) with no replacement grip, instead Nadal wraps 2 over grips, and the racquet strung between 53 and 55 pounds with Duralast 15L strings, although he promotes Babolat's Pro Hurricane Tour strings. His clothing sponsor is Nike and he is known for his unconventional wear, turning up in sleeveless tops and Capri pants in a variety of colours. He also wears the Nike Air Max Breathe Cage II shoes [cite web|url=http://www.tennis-warehouse.com/descpageMSNIKE-NBCAGEW.html |title=Nike Air Max Breathe Cage |accessdate=2007-09-05 ] which have been customized for him with the famous "Vamos Rafa" slogan written on the back of them. [ cite web|url=http://i3.tinypic.com/wgrvde.jpg|title=Nadal's trainers photo |accessdate=2007-03-28 ] Currently, his shoes display his nickname "Rafa" on one shoe and a logo specifically designed by Nike featuring a stylistic bull head on the other.

Career statistics

Grand Slam singles finals (7)

Wins (5)

Runner-ups (4)

(i) = Indoor

ingles 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 Spain's Davis Cup semifinal tie against the United States in Madrid, which ended on September 21, 2008."

ingles runner-ups (4)

* 2003: Hamburg "Challenger" (lost to Mario Ančić)
* 2003: Cherbourg "Challenger" (lost to Sergio Roitman)
* 2003: Cagliari "Challenger" (lost to Filippo Volandri)
* 2003: Aix-en-Provence "Challenger" (lost to Mariano Puerta)

ponsorships

Rafael Nadal is the global ambassador for Kia Motors, and has appeared in Kia's global advertising campaigns in TV and print media. In May 2008, Kia released a video called Nadal vs Alien featuring Rafael Nadal in a tennis match against an alien. [ [http://paultan.org/archives/2008/05/24/kias-bizarre-nadal-versus-alien-video/ Kia Nadal versus Alien Video] ]

ee also

* List of Grand Slam Men's Singles champions
* 128036 Rafaelnadal (asteroid)

References

External links

* [http://www.rafaelnadal.com Rafael Nadal's Official Site]
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* [http://steveghelper.com/MatchResults.php?players=Nadal&weeks=12 Nadal Recent Match Results]
* [http://steveghelper.com/RankingHistory.php?player=Nadal Nadal World Ranking History]
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Persondata
NAME=Nadal, Rafael
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=
SHORT DESCRIPTION= Spanish tennis player
DATE OF BIRTH=June 3, 1986
PLACE OF BIRTH=Manacor, Majorca, Spain
DATE OF DEATH=
PLACE OF DEATH=