Rafael Nadal leaves tennis with plenty of records and big numbers by his name
Spain's Rafael Nadal serves to Switzerland's Roger Federer during their semifinal match of the French Open tennis tournament, at the Roland Garros stadium, June 3, 2005 in Paris. Credit: AP/CHRISTOPHE ENA
MALAGA, Spain — Rafael Nadal was just 18 — and yet to win a Grand Slam title — when he first moved into the top 10 of the ATP rankings on April 25, 2005.
He remained there for 912 consecutive weeks, until March 19, 2023, nearly 18 full years, the longest run of appearances in the top 10 in the half-century-plus history of the computerized rankings in men's tennis.
That's just one of many records and key numbers associated with the 38-year-old Nadal's remarkable career, which comes to an end after Spain was eliminated by the Netherlands in the Davis Cup quarterfinals on Tuesday.
Here is a look at some of Nadal's statistics, according to the ATP and the International Tennis Federation:
— 22 Grand Slam titles, second among men to Novak Djokovic's 24
—14 championships at the French Open, the most at any Grand Slam tournament by a man or woman
—112-4 career win-loss record at Roland Garros
Spain's tennis player Rafael Nadal returns the ball during a training session at the Martin Carpena Sports Hall, in Malaga, southern Spain, on Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024. Credit: AP/Manu Fernandez
—A career Grand Slam, including four titles at the U.S. Open and two apiece at Wimbledon and the Australian Open
—29-2 in Davis Cup singles play; his only defeats came against Jiri Novak in his debut in 2004 and against Botic van de Zandschulp on Tuesday, prompting this remark from Nadal: “I lost my first match in the Davis Cup, and I lost my last one. So we close the circle.”
—.826 winning percentage in tour-level matches, second among men to Djokovic's .835
—1,080-228 career record in tour-level singles matches gives him the fourth-most wins among men in the Open era, which dates to 1968, behind Jimmy Connors (1,274), Roger Federer (1,251) and Djokovic (1,124)
Spain's tennis player Rafael Nadal returns the ball during a training session at the Martin Carpena Sports Hall, in Malaga, southern Spain, on Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024. Credit: AP/Manu Fernandez
—92 titles, the fifth most among men in the Open era, trailing Connors (109), Federer (103), Djokovic (99) and Ivan Lendl (94)
—209 weeks at No. 1 in the ATP rankings, the sixth-most ever
—Five years finishing at No. 1 in the rankings (2008, 2010, 2013, 2017 and 2019) and eight years finishing at No. 2 (2005-07, 2009, 2011, 2018, 2020 and 2022)
—Two Olympic gold medals, in singles in 2008 and doubles in 2016
—At least one tour-level title for 19 consecutive seasons from 2004 through 2022, tied with Djokovic
—23 victories against a man ranked No. 1 at the time, the most since ATP computerized rankings began in 1973
—63 clay-court titles, the most for a man in the Open era
—410 wins at ATP Masters 1000 tournaments, tied with Djokovic for the most
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