Rafael Nadal

About Rafael Nadal

Rafael Nadal Parera (IPA: [rafaˈel naˈðal]) (born June 3, 1986, in Manacor, Mallorca) is a Spanish professional tennis player. He is ranked world number two (for a record 156 consecutive weeks).

From April 2005 to May 2007, Nadal won a record 81 consecutive clay court matches before being defeated by Federer in the 2007 Hamburg Masters final. This is the longest winning streak of any male player on a single surface in the open era. Nadal is undefeated at the French Open, having won all 28 matches and four single titles. These achievements have led some to regard Nadal as the greatest clay-court player in the history of the sport.

Nadal has a storied rivalry with Roger Federer, most notably for defeating the world number one at the French Open in 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008, so far denying Federer all four Grand Slams titles in a single calendar year. At Wimbledon 2008 Nadal defeated Federer in the final, ending the latter's run of five consecutive wins, and becoming the first player since Björn Borg in 1980 to win both the French Open and Wimbledon in the same year.