Clay: Microscopic mineral grains formed by chemical weathering of rocks – the main component of all squishy mud! Rafael Nadal will be remembered as the irresistible force when it comes to the red stuff.
Rafael Nadal has won 14 French Open titles and 22 Grand Slams overall, but now it’s adios to one of the greats of the game.
His dominance of the clay transcended tennis itself and is arguably the most dominant any athlete has ever been at any given arena in any sport.
But never far from physical issues in his glittering career, Nadal soaked in the emotion of a memorable but bittersweet evening in Malaga as his professional career came to an end.
The Spaniard played 116 matches at the French Open on Roland Garros’ clay and won 112 of them. His win percentage (96.6 per cent) is the best of any player in a single Grand Slam event.
There is an argument that the numbers are skewed by Nadal’s dominance on the dirt, but four US Opens, two Wimbledon crowns and two Australian Open titles are not to be sniffed at.
Who is the greatest of them all is a debate that will rage for years to come but Nadal’s bulging haul of trophies means even the most ardent Roger Federer or Novak Djokovic fans cannot dispute the Spaniard’s supremacy on clay.
Nadal only lost four times at the French Open. Robin Soderling paid for his 2009 victory by losing to Nadal twice over the next couple of years, Djokovic prevailed in 2015 and 2021, while he bid an emotional farewell after losing in the first round to Alexander Zverev this year.
Nadal’s winning record at the French Open is understandably the best by a male at any of the four Grand Slams.
While Federer and Djokovic have their own enviable records at Wimbledon and the Australian Open respectively, the manner in which Nadal has racked up 14 titles at Roland Garros is just as scarcely believable as his number of titles.
Rafa’s uncle, Toni Nadal, a tennis coach, introduced him to the game when he was three and by the age of eight he had won the under-12 regional tennis championship. By 12 a young Rafa opted for a tennis career rather than football. He remained in his hometown of Mallorca before turning professional at 15.
In 2003, at the age of 16, Nadal became the youngest man to reach the third round of Wimbledon since Boris Becker in 1984.
A year later and Nadal beat world No 1 Federer in Miami but missed the French Open due to a stress fracture in his left ankle.
In 2005, the Spaniard won tournaments in Barcelona, Monte Carlo and Rome ahead of the French Open.
In Paris, Nadal upset Federer on his 19th birthday to reach his first major final. He then rallied from a set down to defeat unheralded left-hander Mariano Puerta to become the first player to win the Roland Garros title in his main draw debut since Mats Wilander in 1982.
Nadal became the first teenager to win a major singles title since Pete Sampras at the US Open in 1990.
Cue the familiar celebrations with many more future opponents set to be seduced by the beefcake Spaniard’s biceps.
