Rafael Nadal: Fierce Determination and Consistency From The Baseline

Rafael Nadal is known as the King of Clay because of his high tops spin consistent back court play and record breaking success on clay courts.

Nadal was born in June 3, 1986 to Manacor, Majorca, Spain. His uncle Toni Nadal introduced Nadal to tennis when he was 3 and has been coaching him ever since. By the age of 16, Nadal was ranked in the world’s top 50 players.

Nadal won his first Grand Slam at the 2005 French Open. This was his first attempt at the French Open. He won the French Open for the next four years in a row. In 2008 Nadal won his first Wimbledon beating the defending champing Roger Federe in the final. This final is considered by many to be the greatest tennis match every played. In August 18, 2008, Nadal became the world’s number one player. He won his first Australian Open in 2009. Nadal has yet to win the US Open.

Nadal plays most of this tennis from behind the baseline. He uses heavy topspin on his shots. He is very consistent and covers the court very well. Nadal is also very athletic and can play winning shots from very difficult defensive positions. He is comfortable at the net to follow short balls to the net and finish points form there. One of the key facts that enables Nadal to win tennis matches is his mental toughness and determination to win.

Nadal has several records on clay courts. He has the longest winning streak on clay (which is also the longest wining streak in any surface) at 81 matches (2005-May 21, 2007). He has won the most clay court titles in a single year at 8 in 2005. Rafael Nadal is also the only male player to have won Wimbledon, French Open and Olympic Gold in the same year (2008).