The Parisian night was cool, even though spring was flirting with summer at that time. In the stands of the Philippe-Chatrier center, coats were legion, the pretty dresses and elegant shirts having been left in the closet. And on the court, in front of a Novak Djokovic at the top of his art, a bruised Rafael Nadal, much more than we believed at that moment, was for a rare time the neglected on his land.
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We could have chosen a dozen key moments from the Spaniard’s career to remember his legend, but it was this June night that we wanted to tell. A night where, on one foot, the other being frozen to silence the pain, Rafa defeated the Djoker in the quarter-finals, to finally win his 14e and final title on the ocher of Roland-Garros a few days later.
Maybe it’s because The Journal It was there that we opted for this specific moment. We could also have set our sights on this Wimbledon final in 2008 against Roger Federer (the final of all finals!), that of the Australian Open, four years later against Novak Djokovic, or his first title in Paris, in 2005, at just 19 years old.
Nadal, the conqueror
But this night in June 2022 sums up both Rafa’s resilience and unwavering conquering spirit. Nadal did not want to play during the evening session of Roland-Garros, a novelty that year.
The cooler weather did not benefit his play on clay. It didn’t help his body, bruised by his long career and his spectacular, but so demanding, style.
Amazon, however, had the rights to this match in France and it was the broadcast platform which made the decision. The Nadal-Djokovic clash, 59e of their rivalry, was going to be broadcast in prime time.
And in the night, on one foot, it was the 36-year-old Spaniard who won in four rounds over the Serb a year his junior.
In singles, doubles or on the bench?
This week, in Malaga, for the Davis Cup, Nadal will draw the curtain on a career that saw him establish himself as the best clay court player in history and one of the most dominant on all surfaces confused. We also present some significant figures to you below.
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A career crowned with 22 Grand Slam titles, but also with formidable injuries, which many times could have forced him to throw in the towel much earlier.
This time, the body can’t take it anymore. Nadal had suspected it for a while: he has hardly played since this triumph in 2022. During his last outings, we could only glimpse the great champion who fought on every point for almost 23 years.
Photo AFP
Besides, the Spaniard doesn’t even know if he will actually take the field with the Spanish team this week. Will he play singles, doubles, both or not at all?
Nadal did not want to answer in front of the hundred journalists from all over the world who came to listen to him at a press conference on Monday, on the eve of the match against the Netherlands (at 11 a.m. Quebec time).
His most beautiful goodbye
One thing is certain: if his great career will certainly be highlighted with great fanfare during the tournament, we will have to wait for the last point contested by Spain before experiencing the celebrations. It was Rafa who made the request.
“My best goodbye would be the joy of winning with everyone. [….] But if I’m on court, I hope I can control my emotions. I’m not here to retire. I am here to help the team win,” he declared while his captain, David Ferrer, affirmed that he would reveal his formation an hour before the clash, as other countries do.
Photo AFP
To win this famous title, alongside Carlos Alcaraz, heir to the throne of the king of Spanish tennis, his country will first have to defeat the Dutch on Tuesday, then perhaps Canada on Friday, before reaching Sunday’s final.
In what would, of course, be a Hollywood-esque scenario.
But, for Rafa, films are an opportunity, tennis is another. “There is no ideal ending,” he said. Ideal endings usually occur in American films.”
– With AFP
Its legend in 14 figures
14
This is obviously THE number that comes to mind when we talk about the legend of Rafael Nadal. His 14 triumphs at Roland Garros, the most victories in a single major tournament. For comparison, among men, the next in line, Novak Djokovic, has won the Australian Open 10 times.
Photo AFP
112-4
Rafa’s win and loss record at Roland Garros, between his first participation in 2005 and his last this year. Added to this is a defeat by forfeit, in the third round, in 2016.
37
The total number of rounds lost by the Spaniard in his 116 matches played in Paris. Only three times has he been pushed to the limit of five sets by a rival. Among the lot, we find a certain Félix Auger-Aliassime, in the round of 16, two years ago.
22
Nadal’s number of Grand Slam titles, the second highest total in men’s singles, behind Djokovic and his 24. He won his first at Roland Garros, in 2005, at age 19, and his last at the same clay court, in 2022, at 36 years old.
Photo AFP
117,4
This is the total, in millions of US dollars, of the purses that the Bull of Manacor has collected since his professional debut in 2001. A sum of $164.5M in Canadian currency. Of the lot, US$26.8M ($37.5M Canadian) was won at Roland-Garros.
92
The number of singles trophies won by Nadal throughout his career. He ranks fifth in this regard on the ATP, behind Jimmy Connors (109), Roger Federer (103), Djokovic (99) and Ivan Lendl (94). In addition to his 14 triumphs at Roland Garros, he also won the title 12 times in Barcelona.
36
Nadal has won 36 Masters 1000 series titles, the most prized behind the four Grand Slam events. In this regard, he is only ahead of Djokovic, who has 40. Of the lot, he has won 11 on the clay of Monte-Carlo and 10 on that of Rome.
227
The total number of defeats that the Spaniard has suffered in singles in 23 years on the circuit, out of 1307 matches. This means that on 1080 occasions he left the court as the winner.
81
This is Nadal’s number of consecutive victories on clay, a streak that lasted from April 2005 to May 2007. It is the longest in the modern era on a single surface.
4
The total number of major tournaments that Nadal has won without losing a set, which is also a record. He achieved the feat in 2008, in 2010, in 2017 and in 2020, each time at Roland-Garros.
5
Rafa is one of five men in the modern era who have won all four Grand Slam titles during their career. He appears alongside Rod Laver, Andre Agassi, Djokovic and Federer. In addition to his 14 titles at Roland Garros, he won the trophy four times at the US Open, twice at the Australian Open and twice at Wimbledon.
209
This is the total number of weeks Nadal has spent at the top of the ATP rankings in his career, which represents the sixth highest total in history. He also remained at number one in the world for 56 consecutive weeks, placing him at 12e step. He is the only player to have been number 1 in three different decades (2000, 2010 and 2020).
2
The number of Olympic gold medals won by the Mallorcan. He won the singles title in Beijing in 2008, then the doubles title in Rio in 2016, alongside Marc Lopez.
5
And for Quebec tennis fans, here is one last one: this is the number of titles that Nadal won in Montreal (2005, 2013, 2019) and in Toronto (2008, 2018). Only one man did better than him: Ivan Lendl, with six.
