The incredible Señor Nadal: Stages of a career

On October 10th, Rafael Nadal announced the end of his career with an emotional video message. tennis MAGAZIN bows to an athlete of the century.

He will appear once more as a professional: at the Davis Cup finals from November 19th to 24th in Malaga. Whether in singles, doubles or as a noble joker on the bench – you won’t know until the time comes. But it should be clear. There will be another party for Rafael Nadal that will honor him and his work on the global courts as befits the 38-year-old player of the century.

“Vamos Rafa” becomes “Adios Rafa”. The global fan base will have to get used to this. Among all the records in his 23-year career, one achievement will probably last forever. Between 2005 and 2022, the man from Mallorca won 14 Roland Garros trophies. Björn Borg follows at a large distance. The Swede won six times between 1974 and 1981. “What a career, Rafa. “I had always hoped that this day would never come,” wrote his great rival Roger Federer. Us too!

Olympia: He gives everything for his country

The Golden Slam only happens once. Steffi Graf won all Grand Slam tournaments plus the Olympics in one year in 1988. But Nadal at least managed a feat that only two other players managed: winning all majors and the Olympic Games, both in singles. The other two are Andre Agassi and Novak Djokovic. In 2008, Nadal won in Paris, Wimbledon and the Olympics in Beijing. He won double gold with Marc Lopez at the Games in Rio 2016. This year at the Olympics in Paris he had a dream pairing in doubles with Carlos Alcaraz (defeat in the quarter-finals). Previously, he was one of the torchbearers at the opening ceremony on the Seine.

Honor where honor is due: At the opening ceremony in Rio in 2016, Rafael Nadal carried the Spanish flag as he marched into the arena. ©Imago

Full commitment: As far as the shoes will carry you

In 1,307 career matches, a lot of kilometers are added up. For comparison: Roger Federer played an incredible 1,526 games. Novak Djokovic has 1,346 matches. The fact that Nadal has fewer injuries is also due to the many injuries. But when he was on the pitch, the “Bull of Manacor” gave his all. Fighting for every ball was his lifeblood, “Vamos Rafa” his religion. The possibility of defeat was not present in his mindset. He himself knows that he exceeded boundaries. In 2022, on the way to his last title in Paris, he had injections injected into his foot until it was numb and Nadal no longer had to endure the pain.

Nadal takes off: the slogan on the shoes – “Ramos Rafa” – became the Spaniard’s leitmotif. ©Imago/Giubilo

Rituals: This is how he goes into the “tunnel”

In the autobiography “Rafa – my way to the top,” which is worth reading, Rafael Nadal describes how he transformed himself in the locker room from a shy boy into a fighter who managed to block out everything. What helps him get into a kind of trance state, into the famous tunnel, are rituals. How he wraps his headband, the bandana, how he positions his drinking bottles when changing sides. The recurring ticks before his service games. Anyone who thinks of Rafa also thinks of his rituals. In other words: Without them, the champion Rafael Nadal would not have existed.

Full concentration: Nadal tying his bandana. ©Imago/Jürgen Hasenkopf

Special rivalry: Nadal vs. Federer

Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer played against each other 40 times; The Spaniard won 24 times. This was mainly due to Nadal’s superiority on clay. Federer was only able to win twice on Nadal’s favorite surface: in 2007 in Hamburg and 2009 in Madrid, where the balls are fast because the Spanish capital is around 670 meters above sea level. The first encounter – in Miami in 2004 – was surprisingly won by Nadal. The “new guy” on the tour had invaded the superstar’s territory. This did not affect the friendship between the two, which developed over the years.

Friends for life: Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal in the final of Miami 2005. ©Imago

Wimbledon: The flair for grass

It’s a myth that Rafael Nadal loves Paris more than Wimbledon. The tournament that he really wanted to win as a little boy was called Wimbledon. Naturally. Because despite all the appreciation for Roland Garros – and it is enormous – Wimbledon is the primus inter pares. It is the most important tournament in the world. A truism for Nadal, who was always aware of tradition. When he defeated Federer for the first time in 2008, it was like redemption for him. In 2006 and 2007 he had already fought epic battles against the Swiss. 2008 topped it all off and went down in history as “the greatest final ever”.

The double: After Roland Garros in 2008, Rafael Nadal also won at Wimbledon. With 9:7 in the fifth set against Roger Federer. ©Imago

Trophies: 92 on the ATP tour alone

The insignia of his triumphs are in his house in Mallorca and in the museum of his tennis academies. Rafael Nadal celebrated the first of 92 titles in total in Sopot, Poland in 2004. His opponent: Jose Acasuco. He celebrated coup number 92 in style at the French Open. Two years ago he gave Casper Ruud no chance at 6:3, 6:3, 6:0. His most frequent opponent in the final: Novak Djokovic. The two faced each other 28 times and the Serb won 15 games. In the final balance against the other big opponent, Federer, Nadal leads 14:10. This year there was still a chance for title number 93. Almost surprisingly, Nadal played his way into the final in Bastad. But Portuguese Nuno Borges won 6:3, 6:2.

Golden Cup: Rafael Nadal has won the Gentlemen’s Single Trophy, officially the Challenge Cup, twice. 2008 and 2010. Here he presents the 2010 trophy after beating Tomas Berdych. ©Imago

Football: Another great passion

At the age of eleven, Rafael Nadal and his team won the Balearic Football Championship. His uncle, Miguel Angel Nadal, was a Spanish international, won the Champions League with FC Barcelona and played in the Primera División for RCD Mallorca for 18 years. Nadal himself is a Real Madrid fan. He once explained why this was the case: “My father and my whole family were always Real fans.” If you want to see how talented Nadal was in football, you can find some videos online. No question: he would probably have had a career as a world-class football player. He has another uncle to thank for finding his way into tennis. Toni Nadal, an excellent table tennis player, discovered his nephew’s talent early on and turned the right-hander into a left-hander on the court.

With mat and ball: Rafael Nadal in a photo for the ITF Olympic book 2008. ©Imago/Zimmer

Davis Cup: Finale in Malaga

In the oldest team competition in the world, the individual player Nadal becomes a team player. His story started with a bang. In the 2004 final, Spain and 18-year-old Nadal beat the USA in front of 24,000 spectators in the Olympic Stadium in Seville. The Americans came with top star Andy Roddick and the Bryan brothers. Nadal started for Spain in 23 matches. Of his 30 singles matches, he only lost one match. His double record: 8:4. Before the Davis Cup finals in Malaga (November 19th – 24th), Nadal, now only number 153 in the world, said that he would forego playing in the singles for the sake of the team.

Is a circle closing? In 2019, Spain won with Nadal at the first Davis Cip final tournament in Madrid. ©Imago/Dubreuil

The time after: Lots of time for everything

“I am sailing, I am sailing,” sang pop icon Rod Stewart. It is the anthem of all sailing fans. Nadal is one too. Has his own 5.5 million euro luxury catamaran. It is near his home in Porto Cristo on Mallorca. How will the island’s most famous son spend his time in the future? He hasn’t commented yet. The obvious thing would be to spend a lot of time with wife Maria Francisca and son Rafael junior. Driving forward his business around the Rafa Nadal Academy. He has already announced that he will remain loyal to his team even after his career. He’ll watch football, play golf – and of course sail!

He loves the sea: Rafael Nadal on the Taiga, the flagship of the sophisticated Monte Carlo yacht club. ©Imago