There are no more adjectives to describe what the world of tennis is experiencing during the last five decades thanks to the Big 3. The fact that three of the best in history have coincided temporarily has been a gift for all lovers of this sport, accustomed to the fact that records are falling and stratospheric statistical data are recorded. Rafael Nadal is an expert in inscribing his name in the history of this sport with successes unthinkable decades ago and one of them reaffirms his greatness beyond the clay. It is clear that the Spaniard has forged much of his legend in brick dust, but also that his career cannot be understood without that innate ability to achieve memorable feats on the hard court.
Reviewing his data, we realize that of the 1,004 games won that he has registered on the ATP circuit, a total of 486 have been produced on hard court, as indicated on the ATP website. It is true that most tournaments on the tennis calendar are framed on this surface, which led the Spaniard from a very young age to adapt his game, born for clay, to faster contexts, having done so with astonishing success and naturalness. Winning 486 games on a surface that is not ideal for his game is very remarkable, but it is even more so if it is highlighted with data from other greats in history, analyzing his performance on hard courts.
And it is that only three men in the history of tennis have managed to register more than 500 matches won on hard court and all of them had this surface as their favorite, or one of them. Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic y André Agassi They have built much of their legend on that innate ability to perform at the highest level on this surface, unleashing their aggressive game. A select club of three members that could be expanded to four if Rafael Nadal He is capable of winning 14 hard court matches throughout 2021, a figure that seems quite affordable for him in case the calendar runs normally and he does not have serious injuries.
These are the players who have surpassed 500 hard court victories on the ATP circuit
- Roger Federer: 782
- Novak Djokovic: 604
- André Agassi: 592
- *Rafael Nadal: 486
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