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Birth
Rafa Nadal borned in Manacor, Mallorca, Spain -
Career as a professional
In 2001, Rafa Nadal began his career as a professional tennis player, reaching the second round of the Challenger in Seville with only 15 years. -
First ATP
His first ATP match victory was in Mallorca in 2002, a couple of months short of his 16th birthday. Thus, he became the ninth player in the "Open Era" to win a Professional Tennis Association match before the age of 16. -
Top ATP
In 2003, Nadal reached the ATP Top 50 for the first time. He missed Roland Garros due to injury, but once recovered, he was able to make his Wimbledon debut. He was the youngest player to reach the third round since Boris Becker in 1984 at age 16. -
First Davis Cup
2004 was a key year for Nadal's sporting life. At only 18 years old, the manacorí was an essential part of the Spanish National Team's victory in the Davis Cup against the United States and won his first major title. -
Firts Roland Garros
In 2005, Rafa Nadal became a professional tennis player. He won the first Roland Garros against Mariano Puerta. In addition, he achieved a teenage record with eleven titles, surpassing Mats Wilander's nine in 1983. -
Period: to
Roland Garros
He won the French tournament at Roland Garros again in 2006, 2007 and 2008. The latter was defeated by the Swiss Roger Federer, to whom he did not concede the victory of a single set. With this victory, Nadal equalled the record of Björn Borg, the only player who had won Roland Garros four times in a row. -
First Wimbeldon
In 2008, he also won his first Wimbledon victory over Roger Federer. It was the third consecutive time that Nadal and Federer faced each other in the English Grand Slam final, although in previous years it was the Swiss who won. -
Number 1 in the ATP
After an unparalleled 2008, the Manacor finished number 1 in the ATP, being the first Spanish to finish the season at the top of the ranking since 1973. In addition, he was awarded the Prince of Asturias Sports Award. -
first Australia Open
In 2009 he became the first Spaniard to win the Australian Open, winning his sixth Grand Slam trophy. In this way, Nadal was the fourth player to win on three different surfaces (clay, grass andcement) along with Andre Agassi, Mats Wilander and Jimmy Connors. That same year, Rafa Nadal surprised falling for the first time at Roland Garros. It was in the round of 16 against Robin Söderling. -
Down in the rakings
Until 2014, Nadal continued to shine. He finished the year with his ninth Roland Garros, winning four consecutive tournaments since 2010. However, that year his injuries began to worsen and he was operated on for appendicitis. This caused him to drop down in the rankings. -
Thirth in the ATP
Nadal began the 2015 season third in the ATP ranking and closed it fifth. He did not perform at the same level as previous years, something that many blamed on his injuries. For the first time since 2004, he did not win a Grand Slam per year. -
Olympic games
In 2016, the tennis player from Manacor won his second Olympic gold at the Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games. This time it was in the men's doubles category with his partner Marc Lopez. In the same Games, he withdrew from mixed doubles with Garbiñe Muguruza so as not to force his wrist in view of the qualification he achieved for the quarterfinals in the singles category, according to the organization. -
Number 1 in ATP
After his problems with injuries, Rafa Nadal returned to number 1 in the ATP in 2017. At 31, he became the oldest player to finish a year as first ranked. -
KING OF CLAW
In 2019, Nadal strengthens its position number 2 in the ATP ranking by winning his twelfth trophy at Roland Garros, crowned with the title of "king of clay.
