Rafael Nadal, a king like no other: 14 French Open titles, 2 Olympic Gold medals, and 1 anticlimactic end

With 22 Grand Slam titles, including a record 14 at Roland-Garros, the legendary Spaniard announced his retirement from professional tennis at the end of the 2024 season. As the world bids farewell to the favourite son of tennis, let's revisit the dazzling career of the King of Clay.

“It's the appropriate time to put an end to a career that has been long and much more successful than I could have ever imagined.”

Those were the final words of Rafael Nadal as he announced his decision to retire from professional tennis at the David Cup Finals 2024 on October 10. It was a long time coming but it felt like a shock when the Spaniard spilled out emotions to break the news. As he said above, his glorious career defined his success like no one had ever imagined. 

Nadal’s professional journey started in 2002 and the fans witnessed the best of tennis in the next two decades. Nadal joined the already rising star from Switzerland, Roger Federer and welcomed the Serbian kid Novak Djokovic a few years later to take tennis to its pinnacle that no one had witnessed in history before. The trio dominated the sport with a record-laden 66 Grand Slam titles between them and rewrote history books to set new standards for the next generation. 

Federer left tennis at the end of the 2022 season and now Nadal is set for a goodbye which is clustered with success, glory, records, injuries and an emotional end. So, let’s break down his eventful career one more time with India TV’s special story for the stalwart of tennis.

Image Source : INDIA TVRafael Nadal achieved a historic Golden Slam in 2010

Picking a racquet over football studs 

Nadal came from a sporting family with his one uncle being the star Spanish footballer who represented Barcelona and the other one being a professional tennis coach. In his early growing years, Nadal played and displayed passion and skills for both tennis and football but was forced to choose one and he picked a racquet over studs at the age of 12 and it took him only two years to send never-witnessed before shockwaves in the tennis world. 

In his last appearance at the youth level, Nadal led Spain to the Junior Davis Cup and then made his professional debut in 2001 at the age of 15 years and 10 months. Nadal’s first ATP tournament win came against Ramon Delgado, just before turning 16 and it was the beginning of a beautiful story that will be told again and again for the generations.

Nadal witnessed a sharp rise in his career in 2003 when he stormed into the top 50 of the ATP rankings and that’s when tennis fans started noticing his name and paid more attention. He stunned the tennis world by beating the French Open champion and then world No.7 Albert Costa in the second round of the Monte Carlo Masters and proved he was no fluke by beating his childhood idol and the No.4 Carlos Moya. Nadal missed a chance to make his debut at the French Open but won his respective opening matches at the Wimbledon and the US Open to kick off his Grand Slam journey.

In his first meeting with Federer, who was then No.2 and had won 3 Grand Slam titles in 2004, Nadal gave fans some glimpses of greatness with a straight-sets win in the third round of the Miami Open. 

Nadal’s breakthrough success came in 2005 when he clinched his first Grand Slam title at Roland-Garros by defeating Federer in the semi-finals and Mariano Puerta in the final. He also defeated Andre Agassi in the Canada Masters final to register his first win on the hard court in 2005 and rose to 2nd in the ATP rankings.

Historic 2008 season which paved way to the 'Big Four’

Nadal and Federer then dominated the next three years with the latter maintaining the world No.1 crown and earning a remarkable fan following around the globe. Nadal ended Federer’s famous 56-match winning streak on hard court in 2006 as he frustrated the Swiss youngster with 6 wins in their first 7 meetings. 

Nadal also defeated Novak Djokovic in their first-ever meeting in the 2006 French Open semi-finals and became the first player to defeat Federer in any Grand Slam final to clinch his second consecutive title at Roland-Garros.

Nadal then displayed a never-seen-before consistency on clay by setting a new world record with 81 consecutive wins on any surface. 

After nearly spending 3 years as No.2, Nadal finally dethroned Federer in a historic 2008 season. Nadal defeated the world No.1 Federer on four occasions, all in the finals and two to win the French Open and Wimbledon titles. 

Nadal’s 2008 Wimbledon final win over Federer lasted for then a record 4 hours and 48 minutes. The Spaniard ended Federer’s five-title run at Wimbledon by winning a five-set thriller in a tiebreak. The match was later voted as the greatest Wimbledon final of the Open Era and many still consider it the greatest ever in tennis history.

The Spaniard’s historic 2008 season also collided with Djokovic's silent rise who won his first Grand Slam title at the Australian Open in the same year and joined his future rivals Nadal and Federer in the top 3. Then the world witnessed the fiercest three-way battle for almost every major title for the next 15 years. 

The rivalry between Federer, Nadal and Djokovic revived tennis and never let fans settle for a breath till the end of the 2022 season. Andy Murray of Great Britain joined the magical trio in 2008 and forced fans to coin the term ‘Big Four’. Murray showed a similar spirit and boasted impressive wins over the trio but never tasted the same level of success for various reasons.

Nadal registered 23 wins in his first 32 meetings with Federer till 2015 but the latter made a sensational comeback by winning 7 of the last 8 encounters, including the last clash at the 2019 Wimbledon semi-final. Nadal stepped up to partner Federer in the final match of the latter’s career in doubles in the Laver Cup 2022 and the duo cooled down its heated rivalry with tears. 

Image Source : INDIA TVA comparison between Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic based on the total number of Grand Slam titles won.

Against Djokovic, Nadal enjoyed an early domination by winning 14 of their first 18 encounters but the Serbian displayed remarkable consistency to make it 31 wins to Nadal’s 29 at the end. In their last meeting at the Paris Olympics 2024 round of 32, which also proved Nadal’s last match in an individual event, Djokovic registered a two-set win and eventually claimed a gold to fulfil his dream of a long-awaited Career Golden Slam. 

Olympic Gold and earning the King of Clay title

Meanwhile, Nadal’s dominance over Federer in 2008 was not enough for him to go top of the rankings. A Gold medal in the men’s singles at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games paved the way to the top spot in the ATP rankings for the Spaniard. Nadal defeated the rising star Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals and Fernando Gonzalez in the final for a Gold to see the No.1 rank.

Nadal also proved his mettle in the doubles by winning gold in the men's doubles at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games. He became the only male player in tennis history to win an Olympic Gold in both singles and doubles, a feat which Federer and Djokovic struggled to match. Djokovic did manage to get his hands on an Olympic gold in Paris 2024 but never displayed the same hunger in the doubles.

Image Source : INDIA TVRafael Nadal also enjoyed Olympic success twice in his career

Meanwhile, after a memorable 2008 season, Nadal witnessed a lean form in 2009 despite winning the Australian Open. Federer ended Nadal's 33-match winning run on clay at the Madrid Open final and then Robin Soderling handed the Spaniard his first-ever and only defeat till 2015 at the French Open in the fourth round.

Nadal also struggled with knee injuries and later withdrew from Wimbledon, relinquishing his No.1 spot back to Federer. Andy Murray further pulled Nadal down to 3rd in the ATP rankings but the latter reclaimed the No.2 spot by winning the Davis Cup with Spain.

Rafa made one of the best comebacks in sporting history to take the 2010 season by storm. He was forced to withdraw from the Australian Open quarter-final against Murray due to a knee injury but he went on to win the French Open, Wimbledon and US Open titles in the same year to stun the world.

Nadal avenged the 2009 loss to Soldering with a straight sets win at the French Open final and reclaimed the No.1 spot from Federer. He continued his comeback by winning the Wimbledon and then entered the history books by winning his maiden US Open title.

He defeated Djokovic in the US Open final to complete a Career Grand Slam and Career Golden Slam. Rafa became only the second after Andre Agassi to achieve the Golden Slam in the men's singles and the youngest overall. 

Image Source : INDIA TVRafael Nadal earned the King of Clay title with 14 French Open triumphs

Nadal recalled the 2010 season best of his career when he finished as the World No.1 despite losing to Federer in the ATP finals. 

Beating his rivals to 22 Majors and an injury-plagued end

After his early dominance over Federer and Djokovic, Nadal was hit with consistent injuries in the late 2010s but he stayed on level with his rivals. In 2020, Nadal equalled Federer's record 20 Grand Slam titles by beating Novak Djokovic in the French Open final.

Nadal clinched the Roland-Garros title without losing a set, a unique feat he achieved four times in his career, and also registered a record 100th win in the tournament. Federer described Nadal's 13th French Open title as the 'greatest achievement by any player in the history of sport'. 

 It is especially amazing that Rafa has now won Roland Garros an incredible 13 times, which is one of the greatest achievements in sport."

In 2022, Nadal became the first male tennis player to record 21 Grand Slam titles by winning the Australian Open. He made a stunning comeback after going two sets down in the final against then world No.1 Daniil Medvedev. Many compared that game to Nadal's 2008 Wimbledon final against Federer and also termed it the best in the Australian Open finals. 

Nadal then defeated Federer and Djokovic in the race for the 22nd Grand Slam title, his 14th French Open triumph and that was it, the last title, one last smile for his fans.

Nadal looked set for more glory when he reached the semi-finals at the 2022 Wimbledon but an abdominal injury forced him to withdraw. He then returned from injury but never looked completely over it and suffered some setbacks at the US Open and ATP finals.

The 34-year-old finished the 2022 season as the World No.2 player and with the most men's singles Grand Slam titles but who would have predicted a dreadful 2023 season which proved the beginning of the end of a story that started in 2002? 

Fans were rejoiced when Nadal returned in 2023 and featured in the Australian Open but that didn't last long. He was knocked out early in the second round and the later player revealed he was carrying a hip injury from the previous season. 

Nadal then missed the entire clay season which cost him the top 10 rankings for the first time since 2005, then he also failed to recover for the grass and hard court seasons which knocked him out of the top 100 for the first time in 20 years. His absence from the court somehow helped Djokovic claim three majors in 2023, taking his Grand Slam tally to a new high of 24, a record he currently shares with Margaret Court.

Fans were still hopeful for the good old days when Nadal returned from injuries in early 2024 but suffered another fresh muscle injury just before the Australian Open.

When Nadal was declared fit and ready for the 2024 French Open, not just tennis fans but the entire sports community was sure of a comeback. But a first-round loss on his beloved surface and at his temple was enough for the fans to ask no more of his body and efforts. 

Already being established as one of the best athletes of all time and having won everything there is, Nadal kept fighting in 2024 and displayed the same hunger he had in his prime during his last singles match against none other than Novak freaking Djokovic at the Paris Olympics 2024. It was never official but fans knew it was the last battle between two titans, one was playing to prove his greatness and one was there to give something back to the sport.

Compared to other events, Nadal vs Djokovic at Court Philippe-Chatrier felt like the moment of the 2024 Olympic Games. Emotions were high for both players in their 60th encounter and the first in the last two years. 

Djokovic was also struggling with injuries and form in 2024 but he was on a mission at the Olympics. After losing the first set 6-1, Nadal showed his fighting spirit with the broken body but the Serbian took the second set and the match by 6-4.

It never felt like an upset or defeat for Nadal as everyone came together to say 'Well done Nole and best luck for the gold', which he achieved by beating another Spaniard and favourite Carlos Alcaraz. 

Nadal announced he will not feature in the US Open 2024 and then fans were hoping for a return at the Roland-Garros in 2025. But Nadal said no and broke the news of his retirement with an emotional video message. 

As Nadal said to his fans in his retirement post, 'You have given me the energy I have needed at every moment', he did the same for his fans who were so accustomed to that energy. He inspired millions not just with his on-court heroics but with his sportsmanship, his remarks in pressers, his post-match answers, his honest reactions to defeats, and most importantly his never-back-down attitude. 

Federer was a fan favourite having won everything before his rivals and Djokovic surpassed everyone in numbers in 2024 but it was never about more titles and glory in the end. 

In terms of titles, all three lacked something but with Nadal off to end the road, it feels like all three, and of course, the three-time Grand Slam winner Andy Murray achieved everything and fulfilled every fan's dream.

What more can we ask from immortals?