One last “ adios “. The Spanish Tennis player Rafael Nadal played his last professional match this Wednesday, November 20 in Malaga, after 23 years on the circuit. In October, he announced that he would put away his rackets at the end of the final phase of the Davis Cup. In the quarter-final of the doubles between Spain and the Netherlands with Carlos Alcatraz, he was eliminated by Van de Zandschulp and Wesley Koolhof. The final act of a sensational career.
► 14 titles won at Roland-Garros
This will surely remain a record for a very long time. During his career, the Spaniard won 14 titles at Roland Garros in 19 appearances, or 73.6% of final victories.
On the clay at Porte d’Auteuil, Rafael Nadal has played a total of 116 matches, from his first round in 2005 to that of the 2024 edition. On 112 occasions, he emerged victorious, for only four defeats (against Robin Soderling in 2009, against Novak Djokovic in 2015 and 2021 and Alexander Zverev in 2024).
► 912 weeks spent in the world top 10
Rafael Nadal holds the absolute record for weeks spent in the world top 10: 912 (the equivalent of 17 years) between 2005 and 2023.
This reference ranking in tennis, the ATP, is updated every week. Players are ranked according to the points they have earned over the last 52 weeks of competition. Because he has played little, and therefore won little in recent months, Rafael Nadal fell today to 154th place in the world in singles.
► $134,946,100 in tournament winnings.
Recognized for his talent, “Rafa” is also one of the highest paid athletes in the history of tennis. The champion has amassed a fortune, in “Prize money”, his winnings in tournaments.
Rafael Nadal has accumulated 134,946,100 dollars, or approximately 124 million euros. With 184 million dollars (for now), only Serbian Novak Djokovic has earned more money than the Mallorcan on the courts.
But this money earned through the racket is not his only source of income. From Nike to the Saudi Arabian Tennis Federation for which he is an ambassador, Rafael Nadal has been able to grow his image, signing lucrative contracts sponsoring. According to Forbes, his extra-sporting income reaches 23 million dollars annually.
► 1,080 victories on the circuit
To date, Rafael Nadal has won1080 victories for 229 defeats on the circuit. With a success rate of 82.6%, he obtains the second best winning ratio in the history of tennis, behind Novak Djokovic.
During his career, the Spanish player won 92 titles on the ATP circuit, including 36 Masters 1000 and 22 Grand Slam tournaments.
► 60 matches against Djokovic
Rafael Nadal, with the Serbian Novak Djokovic and the Swiss Roger Federer, makes up a historic trio which has dominated tennis for more than two decades. If the Nadal-Federer rivalry is considered one of the greatest in the history of modern tennis, the Nadal-Djokovic pair is the one who has faced each other the most often with 60 matches. For a balanced but favorable record for the Serb with 31 victories against 29 for the Spaniard.
Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal have faced each other 40 times. There, it is the Spaniard who dominates, having won 24 of his duels against the Swiss. And on clay alone, his favorite surface, the domination of “Rafa” is uncontested: 14 victories in 16 matches.
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