By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Thursday October 10, 2024
Long live the king – OF CLAY! Today we celebrate the official news of Rafael Nadal’s retirement in November, by running down some of his most remarkable statistical achievements. We only have so much room, so we had to be selective…
1 - Nadal notched a record 23 victories over reigning World No.1-ranked players.
2 - Nadal won two Olympic gold medals: 2008 men’s singles in Beijing and 2016 men’s doubles (with Marc Lopez) in Rio. He’s the only male player to have won all four majors twice in addition to two Olympic gold medals.
4 - Nadal won Roland-Garros four times without losing a single set.
5 - Nadal amassed five year-end No.1 finishes, and finished a season in the Top 2 of the ATP’s rankings 13 times.
8 - Number of stints at World No.1 by the Spaniard. Nadal held the ATP’s top ranking in three different decades. He first climbed to the top of the ATP rankings on 18 August 2008. He last held the No.1 ranking on February 3rd 2020, at the age of 33 years and 244 days.
10 - Nadal won 10 titles at the Rome Masters. He also won a major in ten consecutive years, from 2005-2014, which is the longest streak by a male player.
11 - Number of cumulative wins notched over Federer (6-3) and Djokovic (5-4) in major finals.
11 - Number of Monte-Carlo titles won, more than any other player.
12 - Number of titles Nadal won in Barcelona, more than any other player.
13 - Nadal set a record for the longest gap between title wins at the Australian Open, winning titles in Melbourne in 2009 and 2022.
14 - Nadal won all 14 finals he played in Paris, and was never taken to five sets in any of his finals. His last major title was won on the terre battue, in 2022.
16 - Though he never won the title, Nadal qualified for the ATP Finals a record 16 times in succession, from 2005 to 2020.
17 - Consecutive years inside the Top 10. Nadal holds the record for most consecutive weeks inside the Top 10 (912), holding such a ranking from April of 2005 to March of 2023.
18 - Nadal holds the record for most consecutive seasons with at least two ATP titles, achieving the feat from 2005 to 2022.
19 - Nadal went 19-0 at Davis Cup on the clay.
19 - Nadal’s age when he won his first major title, at 2005 Roland-Garros.
21 - Number of cumulative wins notched over Federer (10-4) and Djokovic (11-7) at the majors.
22 - Nadal went 22-8 in major finals, winning 14 in Paris, 4 in New York and two at Wimbledon and the Australian Open.
24 - Having achieved the feat at 24 years of age, Nadal is the youngest man to complete tennis’ career Grand Slam. He would go on to win all four major titles at least twice, and add two Olympic gold medals to his resume.
32 - in 2008, Nadal won 32 consecutive matches across three different surfaces. It is the longest winning streak across three surfaces, with at least eight victories on each surface, in men’s tennis history.
The streak included five titles: two Grand Slam titles (French Open, Wimbledon), two Masters titles (Hamburg, Canada), and the Queen's Club title.
39 - Nadal won 39 consecutive matches at Roland-Garros from 2010 to 2015, an all-time tournament record.
46 - Length of Nadal’s record-breaking winning streak at Monte-Carlo which started on his debut in 2005 and lasted until 2013.
50 - Nadal won 50 consecutive sets on clay, from May of 2017 to May of 2018, an all-time surface specific record.
52 - Nadal won 52 consecutive clay-court semifinals from 2004 to 2014.
63 - Number of clay court titles won by the Mallorcan.
81 - From 2005 to 2007 Nadal compiled an 81-match winning streak on clay, which is the longest surface specific winning streak in men’s tennis history.
92 - Number of ATP titles won, which is third all-time.
97.4 - Nadal’s winning percentage at Roland-Garros.
112-4 - Nadal is the first player to win 100 matches at Roland-Garros, and owns a 112-4 overall record at his favorite major.
131 - Number of ATP finals reached by Nadal (92-39), which is third all-time.
209 - Total weeks at No.1.
484-51 - Nadal’s career clay-court record.
596 - Weeks inside the ATP’s Top 2.
912 - Nadal spent 912 consecutive weeks inside the Top 10. Nadal first reached the top 10 in 2005 and he only exited it in March 2023 after missing most of the season due to injury.
. Nadal has earned 1080 career wins, currently third all-time.