Rafael Nadal
Born 1986 · Age 39
Spanish former professional tennis player, widely regarded as one of the greatest of all time — dominant on clay, 22 Grand Slam singles titles (record 14 French Opens), two Olympic gold medals, world No. 1 for 209 weeks.
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Life & Career Timeline
Birth in Manacor, Mallorca
Rafael Nadal Parera born to Ana María Parera Femenías and Sebastián Nadal Homar in Manacor, Mallorca, Spain.
Introduced to tennis by uncle Toni Nadal
Toni Nadal (his uncle) introduced Rafael to tennis and started coaching him; he began hitting his first shots at the Manacor Tennis Club.
Began playing tennis regularly
Nadal began to play tennis more regularly (around age 5), moving focus from street football to tennis training.
Won under-12 regional championship
At age 8 Nadal won an under-12 regional tennis championship — a turning point prompting intensified coaching from Toni Nadal.
Won Spanish junior championships (U?)
Recorded as winning Spanish junior championships (one of his early junior national titles) in 1997.
Runner-up in Spanish U14 championship; won Open Super 12 (Auray)
Reached final of U14 Spanish championship (age 12), won the Open Super 12 in Auray and the season-ending U12 Junior Masters in Stuttgart.
Success on ETA junior tour (Tim Essonne) and year-end ranking
Won Tim Essonne on the U14 circuit and finished the year ranked No. 69 on the junior ETA (Tennis Europe) circuit.
Offered Barcelona scholarship; family declined
Spanish federation requested Nadal move to Barcelona for training; family declined to keep him at home in Mallorca under Toni Nadal's coaching.
Dominated U14 circuit — Les Petits As & European Junior Masters
Won Les Petits As (Tarbes), European Junior Masters (Prato), Sport Goofy Trophy (on his 14th birthday), U14 Spanish championships and ITF U14 World Championship (as part of Spain).
First pro match win (Challenger Seville)
Beat world No. 751 Israel Matos Gil in Seville Challenger to collect his first 5 ATP points and reach world No. 1002.
Turned professional
Officially turned pro at the beginning of 2001 (age 14); began attempting qualifying draws of professional events.
Pro main-draw debut – Futures Madrid; dramatic loss
Made pro main-draw debut at Futures Madrid and squandered 13 match points in opening-round loss to Guillermo Platel-Varas.
Strong Futures season and year-end jump to world No. 199
Won six of nine Futures events July–December and ended 2002 ranked world No. 199.
First ATP Tour match win (Mallorca)
Received wild card into Mallorca ATP event and defeated world No. 81 Ramón Delgado on 29 April 2002 — one of the youngest to win an ATP match (before 16).
Breakthrough year — first ATP title (doubles) and Top 50
Won doubles title at Umag (partner Álex López Morón), won Challenger titles, qualified for Monte Carlo beating Albert Costa and entered Top 50; awarded ATP Newcomer of the Year.
First Grand Slam doubles deep run (US Open semi in doubles)
Reached the US Open doubles semi-finals in 2004 (partnering Tommy Robredo) — his best Grand Slam doubles result as reported.
Helped Spain win Davis Cup (beat Andy Roddick)
In the 2004 Davis Cup final Nadal (18 years 6 months) beat world No. 2 Andy Roddick on clay to help Spain clinch the title — youngest to register singles victory in a winning Davis Cup final nation.
First ATP singles title – Prokom Open
Won his first ATP singles title at the Prokom Open (defeating José Acasuso), though he missed much of the clay season later due to a stress fracture in his left ankle.
ATP Most Improved Player of the Year
Awarded ATP Most Improved Player of the Year for his breakthrough 2005 season.
Breakout season — 11 titles and French Open champion
Won 11 titles in 2005 (a teenage record), including his first Grand Slam at the French Open (defeated Mariano Puerta); dominated clay season with 24-match streak; rose to world No. 3 and then No. 2 (25 July 2005).
Reached world No. 2
Reached career-high ranking of world No. 2 on 25 July 2005 after winning Canada Masters and other titles.
Second French Open title (2006)
Won second consecutive French Open (beat Roger Federer in final) and equaled Björn Borg's tally of 16 ATP titles won as a teenager after winning the Italian Open earlier that year.
81-match clay winning streak ended
Clay-court streak of 81 consecutive wins ended by Roger Federer in the Hamburg final on 20 May 2007 — Open Era record for single-surface streak (men).
Fourth straight French Open title (2008)
Won French Open for the fourth consecutive year (2005–08), tying Borg for consecutive Roland Garros wins; dominated clay season with multiple Masters titles.
Wimbledon champion (2008) — historic final vs Federer
Defeated Roger Federer in a 4h48m epic Wimbledon final (5th set 9–7) — his first major on grass and first major off clay.
Olympic singles gold and became world No. 1
Won Olympic singles gold in Beijing (defeated Fernando González) and on 18 August 2008 clinched the ATP world No. 1 ranking, ending Federer's 4.5-year reign.
Won Australian Open (2009) — first hard-court major
Beat Roger Federer in a five-set final to claim his first Australian Open and first hard-court major.
Helped Spain win Davis Cup (Dec 2009)
Contributed to Spain's Davis Cup victory (beat Tomáš Berdych in final December 2009) — Spain's fourth Davis Cup title.
Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship Award (first time)
Won the ATP Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship Award for the first time in 2010.
Career Golden Slam — won US Open (2010)
Defeated Novak Djokovic in the US Open final (Sept 2010) to complete the Career Grand Slam and Career Golden Slam (has Olympic gold and all four majors); also year-end No. 1 for 2010.
First Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship Award
Awarded the Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship Award (first of five total awards during career).
Year described as 'best year' by Nadal
Nadal called 2010 his best year after winning French Open, Wimbledon and US Open and finishing year-end No.1.
Laureus World Sportsman of the Year (2011)
Awarded the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year in 2011 for his achievements in tennis.
Sixth French Open title (2011)
Won the French Open (2011) — his sixth Roland Garros title, further cementing clay dominance.
Seventh French Open title (2012) — overtook Borg
Won the French Open (2012), becoming the most successful male player at Roland Garros with seven titles (surpassing Björn Borg).
Australian Open epic final (longest Grand Slam final) — loss
Lost an epic 5h53m Australian Open final to Novak Djokovic — the longest Grand Slam final by duration (2012).
Withdrew from Wimbledon run / knee tendinitis and ranking drop
After Wimbledon upset and subsequent knee tendinitis, Nadal ended the 2012 season early and finished 2012 ranked No. 4 — his first year-end finish outside top 2 since 2004.
Criticized 'blue clay' at Madrid and threatened boycott
Spoke out strongly against the blue clay surface at the Madrid Open (2012) after losing to Fernando Verdasco; threatened to skip if surface not changed back to red clay.
US Open champion (2013)
Won the US Open (2013), his second US Open title (helped return him to world No. 1 later in 2013).
Eighth French Open title (2013)
Won the French Open (2013) — becoming the first man to win the same Grand Slam singles event eight times.
Ninth French Open title (2014)
Won the French Open (2014) — his 9th Roland Garros, tying Pete Sampras with 14 Grand Slam singles titles overall at that point.
Rafa Nadal Foundation & philanthropic work expansion
Rafa continued philanthropic work (Anantapur Sports Village and Rafael Nadal Foundation programs) building on earlier foundation activity; Xisca Perelló joined foundation work in 2012 and later became CEO in Nov 2019.
Olympic doubles gold (Rio 2016)
Won Olympic gold in men's doubles at Rio 2016 partnering Marc López; earned his second Olympic gold medal.
Founded Rafael Nadal Academy in Mallorca
Opened the Rafa Nadal Academy in Mallorca (tennis academy and training facility) to develop young players.
Tenth French Open title (2017) and US Open winner (2017)
Ended Grand Slam drought by winning his 10th Roland Garros (June 2017) and won the US Open (Sept 2017) — regained No. 1 later in 2017.
US Open champion (2019) — 19th major
Won the US Open (Sept 2019) to claim his 19th Grand Slam singles title.
Long-term relationship engaged and married (personal life)
Began dating Maria Francisca 'Xisca' Perelló in 2005; engaged Jan 2019 and married in November 2019. (Included because it shaped personal life and philanthropic involvement.)
13th French Open (Sept–Oct 2020) — tied Federer at 20 majors
Won the delayed 2020 French Open (Sept/Oct) — his 13th Roland Garros, tying Roger Federer's then-record of 20 Grand Slam singles titles.
Laureus World Sportsman of the Year (2021)
Won the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year award for the second time (2011 and 2021).
Career prize money milestone reported
Career prize money reported at US $134,946,100 (ranked 2nd all-time in earnings at the time of the report).
Named one of Time's 100 most influential people (2022)
Time magazine included Rafa Nadal in its list of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2022.
Diagnosed with Müller–Weiss syndrome (reported June 2022)
ESPN reported Nadal had been diagnosed with Müller–Weiss syndrome, a degenerative condition affecting his left foot and causing chronic pain.
Won Australian Open (2022) — 21st major, new record
Overcame two sets down to beat Daniil Medvedev in the final to claim his 21st Grand Slam title (Jan 2022), moving ahead in the men’s major tally at that time.
14th French Open title (June 2022) — all-time record (22 majors total)
Won his 14th Roland Garros (June 2022) and extended his Grand Slam total to 22 — the most in men's singles history at that time.
Birth of son Rafael Jr.
Nadal and his wife Xisca Perelló had their son, Rafael Jr., in October 2022.
Returned to competition and played Paris Olympics (2024)
Returned to competition in 2024, competed at the Paris Olympics and lost to Novak Djokovic in first-round singles; continued to face injury challenges.
Estimated net worth reported (mid-2024)
Celebrity Net Worth estimated Nadal's net worth at approximately $220 million as of June 2024 (includes endorsements, prize money, academy and other assets).
Career totals at retirement: 92 ATP singles titles, 22 majors
Retired with 92 ATP Tour singles titles (63 on clay), 22 Grand Slam singles titles (record 14 French Opens), 36 Masters titles and two Olympic gold medals; 209 weeks at world No. 1, five year-end No.1 finishes.
Announced retirement plans (Oct 2024)
Announced in mid-October 2024 he planned to retire after competing for Spain in the Davis Cup in November, citing health and inability to play without limitations.
Final professional match and retirement (19 Nov 2024)
Played final professional match on 19 November 2024 in the Davis Cup Finals (lost 6–4, 6–4 to Botic van de Zandschulp) and officially retired from professional tennis.
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