Who is Rafael Nadal?

Rafael Nadal, popularly known as 'Rafa' among his fans, is a tennis player from Spain. He started playing tennis when he was just three years old. Though he was blessed with instinctive talent in both football and tennis, he chose the path of tennis. He began participating in junior tennis championships, and moved on to professional tennis with 'ATP' tournaments. He had retained the number one spot for a while, before suffering from serious knee injuries that affected his game. Famously know for his mastery on clay court, Nadal has also won numerous matches on grass and hard courts as well. He is the second male player after Swedish player Mats Arne Olof Wilander to have won a minimum of two ‘Grand Slam’ titles on all three surfaces. He is also the first tennis player to have won ‘Grand Slam’ tournaments for ten years at a stretch. Previously, the record was held by Roger Federer, Björn Borg, and Pete Sampras, for having won the tournaments for eight consecutive years. Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, and Andy Murray are few of the on field rivalry who Nadal have play against on the tennis court. This professional player from Spain has 19 ‘Grand Slam’ singles titles, five ‘Davis Cup’ titles with Spain, two ‘Olympic’ gold medals, and numerous ‘ATP’ trophies to his credit.

5 fun facts about Rafael Nadal

1. Rafael Nadal won his 14th French Open Sunday, the most in tournament history. Rafael boasts 112-3 French Open record at Stade Roland Garros, a clay surface court. He also has 81 consecutive victories on a clay surface, giving him his nickname King of the Clay.

2. Rafael’s French Open victory was his 22nd Grand Slam title, the most titles in men’s singles history. His 22 titles are two more than fellow rivalries Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer, who both have 20.

3. In 2010, Rafael appeared in Shakira’s music video for her song “Gypsy” from her She Wolf album. He plays the international pop star’s love interest in the video that has over 59 million views on YouTube.

4. As a huge soccer fan himself, Rafael cheers for Real Madrid and is a shareholder of his hometown club RCD Mallorca. During the 2010 FIFA World Cup, Rafael celebrated with the Spanish team in their dressing room after their World Cup victory, getting to hold the gold trophy.

5. An asteroid was named after Rafael in 2008 after he won his first Wimbledon title. Rafael Nadal was discovered at the Astronomical Observatory of Mallorca in 2003.