Tennis, like any other sport, is associated with numbers, data and statistics that serve to enlarge the legend of the best ever. It is the case of Rafa NadalAS Leyenda 2025 Award, who retired leaving behind an exquisite resume, one of the best in the history of sport, highlighted by an endless number of figures that serve to explain the greatness from Manacor.
- 92 ATP titles. In addition to the example he leaves behind through his values and behaviors, Nadal’s legacy is so extensive because he has never tired of winning. From Sopot 2004, his first professional title, to Roland Garros 2022, his last, Rafa has sunk his teeth into 92 individual trophies (90 outdoors, a historical record), including an Olympic gold. At 19, he is the tennis player who has won at least one tournament in the most seasons in a chain. To this we must add another 11 successes in doubles, highlighting another gold in the Games, in addition to five Davis Cup championships with Spain. To his credit, 1,308 ATP matches, from the first in Mallorca 2002, with a victory against the Paraguayan Ramón Delgado, to the last, in the Final 8 of the Davis Cup, in Malaga, with a loss against Van de Zandschulp, for a balance of 1,080-228 (82.6% of victories), 92-39 in finals.
- 22 Grand Slams. The Spaniard was the first male tennis player in history to reach that number, and only his inactivity in recent years allowed him to be surpassed by Djokovic who has 24. He has won 314 of his 358 matches. majors (87.7% victories), he has won 965 sets of the 1,202 he has played and has won 22 of the 30 finals in which he has participated. Twice champion at Wimbledon (2008 and 2010), four-time winner of the US Open (2010, 2013, 2017 and 2019), two Australian Opens (2009 and 2022)… and his eternal love affair with Paris.
- 14 Roland Garros. 14 is the number that most accompanies the memory of Nadal, and his dominance in the Bologna Forest is something that has rarely been seen in the history of sport. Champion in 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2022, Rafa is the player who has won the same major the most times. Until Djokovic’s tenth title in Australia, no one had even reached ten in the same Slam. He has a balance of 112 wins and four losses in the Parisian tournament (96.5% wins, a historical record in a major), he has never lost two games in a row there, 14-0 in finals, 39 consecutive wins between 2010 and 2015 (he managed to add 30 sets won in a row); He has never lost a fifth set and has won 333 of the 370 sets he has played (90%)… Only Djokovic, on two occasions, Soderling and Zverev have the honor of having beaten Nadal in the Philippe Chatrier, his garden.
- 209 weeks as number one. Rafa’s dominance in the world ranking has not been as great as it could have been due to his recurring injuries, which have prevented him from scoring points on a regular basis. Despite this, he is the sixth in history to have led the ATP ranking for the most weeks and has ended five seasons as king of the world (2008, 2010, 2013, 2017 and 2019). The first time it was number one was on August 18, 2008; the last time, on February 2, 2020. And his record is 56 consecutive weeks at the head of a classification that he has led on eight different occasions. He holds the record for most consecutive weeks in the world top-10: 912.
- 36 Masters 1000. The ATP gold category has been very good for Rafa, who is the second in history with the most titles, only behind Djokovic’s 40 (Federer has 28). With a balance of 410-90, his 11 titles in Monte Carlo and 10 in Rome stand out, in addition to five in Madrid and Canada, three in Indian Wells and one in Cincinnati. Miami, Shanghai and Paris are the only three that he has not won. He has played 99 quarters in the category, a record that still stands.
- Domain on land. His favorite surface, no one has dominated like him: 63 of his 92 titles are on clay, where he has a balance of 484-51 (90.4%). Of those victories, 81 were consecutive (between Monte Carlo 2005 and Hamburg 2007), the longest streak by a player on the same surface. Also, between 2017 and 2018, he chained 50 consecutive sets won on land, and went on to win 52 consecutive semifinals between 2004 and 2014, in addition to 46 victories in Monte Carlo between 2005 and 2013. His balance of sets on land is 1,111-200 (84.7%), and it is impressive that he has won almost half of the games against the rest (43%).
- Rivals and Big Three. Throughout his career, Nadal has faced 327 different opponents, and he has won face-to-face against 303 of them. He has it tied with 10, and there are only 14 with the ones he has head to head lost (only Djokovic, Davydenko, Coric and Hrbaty beat him by three or more games). His greatest rivalry is against Djokovic, with 31 wins for the Serbian and 29 for Rafa in 60 matches. Against the other member of the Big Three, Federer, the balance is 24-16 in favor of the Spaniard. And the rival he has harassed the most is Gasquet: 18 wins for the Balearic Islands and none for the Frenchman.
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