Rafael Nadal

Who is Rafael Nadal?

Rafael "Rafa" Nadal Parera is a Spanish professional tennis player and the current world No. 1. He is considered by some to be the single greatest tennis player of all time, and is widely held to be among the best ever. His success on clay has earned him the nickname "King of Clay" and has led many sports journalists and commentators, as well as former and current players, to regard him as the greatest clay court player in history.

Nadal has won 13 Grand Slam singles titles, the 2008 Olympic gold medal in singles, a record 26 ATP World Tour Masters 1000 and a record 15 ATP World Tour 500 tournaments. He was also a member of the winning Spain Davis Cup team in 2004, 2008, 2009, and 2011. In 2010, he became the seventh player in history and youngest of four in the Open Era to achieve the Career Grand Slam. He is the second male player, after Andre Agassi, to complete the singles Career Golden Slam.

Nadal and Mats Wilander are the only two players in history who have won at least two Grand Slam titles on three different surfaces—hard court, grass, and clay. By winning the 2013 French Open, Nadal became the only male player to win a single Grand Slam tournament eight times and the first to win at least one Grand Slam tournament for nine consecutive years, breaking the record of eight consecutive years previously shared by Björn Borg, Pete Sampras, and Roger Federer. Nadal holds the record for most consecutive titles at a particular tournament as a result of winning his eighth straight Monte-Carlo Masters in 2012.