Rafael Nadal: Career Stats in Focus

Last updated: May 14, 2024 by Leon Marshal

Along with Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal has been part of a Golden Era of men’s tennis, one which has seen the tennis history books rewritten.

Rafa Nadal's back muscles through his sweaty shirt

Here, we take a look at some of the records Nadal has set and highlight some remarkable statistics his career has produced.

How Many Titles Has Rafael Nadal Won?

Rafael Nadal has won 92 tour-level titles in his career, the first of which came in Sopot, Poland, in 2004.

22 of those titles have come at the Grand Slam tournaments – the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon and the US Open. The tally puts him second to Novak Djokovic (24) on the all-time men’s list for the majors.

Rafael Nadal at the Grand Slams

Nadal has won 22 Grand Slam singles titles – only Novak Djokovic (24) has won more in the men’s game.

Nadal has played in 30 Grand Slam singles finals. This figure puts him third on the all-time men’s list behind Djokovic (36) and Roger Federer (31).

Nadal is also third behind Djokovic and Federer in the lists for Grand Slam semi-finals and quarter-finals reached – the Spaniard has made 38 and 47 respectively.

Nadal has won 314 Grand Slam matches, a figure which puts him third on the all-time men’s list, again behind Federer and Djokovic.

Nadal has won a Grand Slam title in 15 different calendar years – a record. This includes a run of 10 consecutive years (2005 to 2014).

Nadal is one of only three men to have beaten four top-10-ranked players en route to winning a Grand Slam title, doing so at the 2022 French Open. The others to achieve this feat are Federer (2017 Australian Open) and Mats Wilander (1982 French Open).

Nadal has a 239-2 record when winning the first two sets of a Grand Slam match – his two losses coming against Fabio Fognini at the 2015 US Open and Stefanos Tsitsipas at the 2021 Australian Open.

Rafael Nadal’s Records

Nadal is one of only two players to have won the Career Golden Slam – all four Grand Slam titles, plus Olympic gold. Andre Agassi is the other.

Nadal is the youngest male player to complete the Career Grand Slam, doing so at the age of 24 by winning the 2010 US Open.

Nadal is the only male player to be ranked world number one in three different decades.

Nadal is the only man in the Open Era to lose three consecutive Grand Slam finals. He was beaten in the Wimbledon and US Open finals of 2011 and also lost in the 2012 Australian Open title match.

Nadal played in front the biggest-ever tennis crowd when he met Roger Federer in an exhibition match in Cape Town in February 2020. The contest attracted a record attendance of 51,954.

Nadal is the only man in the Open Era to win Olympic gold in both singles and doubles. He won the singles title at the 2008 Games in Beijing and doubles, with Marc Lopez, in Rio de Janeiro in 2016.

Rafael Nadal Facts and Figures

Nadal is one of eight players to win the Career Grand Slam, the others being Andre Agassi, Don Budge, Novak Djokovic, Roy Emerson, Roger Federer, Rod Laver and Fred Perry.

And he is one of only four to complete the Double Career Grand Slam of winning all four majors at least twice, Djokovic, Emerson and Laver being the others.

Nadal has been part of five Davis Cup-winning teams for Spain (2004, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2019), although he actually only played in four of the finals, missing the 2008 decider.

Nadal has 23 career wins over a world no 1 – more than any other player. All 23 came against either Federer or Djokovic.

Nadal’s longest win streak is 32 matches, achieved during the 2008 season. It began in Hamburg in May and was ended, by Djokovic, in Cincinnati in August. It is the longest winning run to be achieved over three different surfaces in men’s tennis.

Nadal is one of only five players to have won 1,000 matches at tour level. Jimmy Connors, Federer, Djokovic and Ivan Lendl are the others.

Rafael Nadal at the Australian Open

Nadal has won two Australian Open titles – the first in 2009 and the second in 2022.

The 13-year gap is the longest-ever wait between Australian Open titles.

Nadal has a 77-16 win-loss record at Melbourne Park.

Nadal’s clash with Novak Djokovic in the 2012 Australian Open lasted five hours and 53 minutes, making it the longest Grand Slam final in history.

Rafael Nadal at the French Open

Nadal has won the French Open 14 times – the tally is a record for any professional tennis tournament and he was often the favourite in odds offered by the best betting sites.

His five successive titles from 2010 to 2014 is a tournament record, beating Bjorn Borg’s run of four (1978-1981).

Nadal has won a record 112 matches at the French Open – a record for any of the Grand Slam tournaments. He has also played 115 matches at the event, which is a tournament record.

Nadal is the most recent player to win Roland Garros – the host nation’s name for the tournament – on his debut, doing so in 2005.

Nadal won 39 consecutive matches at the French Open between 2010 and 2015.

Nadal has won the French Open without losing a set on four occasions. Across the four Grand Slam tournaments, no-one has won as many titles via this method.

Rafael Nadal at Wimbledon

Nadal has won two Wimbledon titles – in 2008 and 2010.

He has reached the final on three other occasions but not since 2011.

Nadal has a 58-12 win-loss record at the All England Club in London, SW19.

Rafael Nadal at the US Open

Nadal has won four US Open titles – 2010, 2013, 2017 and 2019.

Nadal has a 67-12 win-loss record at Flushing Meadows.

He has never lost in the first round in New York.

Rafael Nadal’s ATP Rankings Achievements

Nadal has spent 209 weeks of his career as world number one, and was always a tennis betting favourite. He first hit the rankings summit in August 2008, while his most-recent spell in top spot ended in February 2020.

His is one of only six male players to have spent 200 weeks at no 1, the others being Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Pete Sampras, Ivan Lendl and Jimmy Connors.

Nadal’s longest run as world no 1 was 56 weeks between June 2010 and July 2011.

He has been the ATP year-end no 1 on five occasions.

Nadal is the only male player to have been ranked world no 1 in three different decades.

Nadal spent a record 912 consecutive weeks inside the world’s top 10, a run which began on April 25, 2005 and ended on March 19, 2023. Only Federer has spent more time in the top 10 but his 968 weeks were non-consecutive.

Rafael Nadal’s Most Famous Matches

Roger Federer – Wimbledon, Final, 2008 (won 6-4 6-4 6-7 6-7 9-7)

This contest is regarded by many as the greatest match of all time. Nadal was bidding to end Federer’s four-year reign as Wimbledon champion and was very much on course to do so when winning the first two sets. But Federer fought back, the match hitting spectacular heights in the fourth-set tie-break which saw the Swiss save championship point. Rain delays in the fifth ensured the dramatic finish came amid the gloom with the clock well past 9pm by the time Nadal claimed the vital break of serve and then victory.

Daniil Medvedev – Australian Open, Final, 2022 (won 2-6 6-7 6-4 6-4 7-5)

Nadal headed to Australia at the start of 2022 on the back of one of his many lengthy injury breaks from the tour. Yet having barely played for months, he stormed through the draw to face Medvedev in the final. The game looked up when Nadal fell 0-40 down at 2-3 in the third set having already lost the opening two. But, in trademark fashion and in spite of his lack of preparation, the Spaniard rallied, finally clinching victory after five hours and 24 minutes. In the process, he set what was, at the time, a record of 21 Grand Slam titles.

Novak Djokovic – Australian Open, Final, 2012 (lost 7-5 4-6 2-6 7-6 5-7)

At five hours and 53 minutes, this remains the longest Grand Slam final in history and what a battle it was – the fact officials brought out chairs for the players at the presentation ceremony told you all you need to know. In match which ebbed and flowed and featured some incredible rallies, Nadal fought back when looking down and out in the fourth set and when he broke to lead 4-2 in the decider, the match was on his racquet. However, he famously missed a routine mid-court backhand at 30-15 in the next game to let the Serb back in.

Roger Federer – Australian Open, Final, 2017 (lost 4-6 6-3 1-6 6-3 3-6)

It’s hard to fathom now but Federer and Nadal were almost becoming the forgotten men of tennis by the time of the 2017 Australian Open, both having seemingly been usurped by a certain Novak Djokovic. Nadal hadn’t won a Grand Slam in almost three years; for Federer it was almost five. But the duo progressed through some tough battles to set-up a mouthwatering final which didn’t disappoint. On this occasion, Nadal couldn’t break down the Federer backhand and it was the Swiss who prevailed in a modern-day classic.

Roger Federer – Miami, Last 32, 2004 (won 6-3 6-3)

There’s every chance you hadn’t heard of Rafael Nadal until this match which saw him stun the then-world number one at the Miami Open. Getting more than 81% of his first serves in, Nadal didn’t even face a break point as he mastered the master when aged just 17. “I was impressed with what I saw,” was Federer’s verdict. The Swiss’ reign as world no 1 had only just begun but he had already met the man who would end it more than four years later.

Roger Federer – Rome, final, 2006 (won 6-7 7-6 6-4 2-6 7-6)

The Nadal-Federer rivalry was a defining era in the game and, for many, this match proved the power shift was very much under way. Federer, who had yet to beat Nadal on his favourite surface, played one of the best clay court matches of his life but it was still not enough. Nadal trailed 3-5 in the final-set tie-break but then produced the goods, winning four straight points to clinch victory with the match into its sixth hour.

Rafael Nadal v Roger Federer Rivalry

Nadal and Federer have played 40 matches against each other with the Swiss leading the head-to-head record 24-16.

Federer and Nadal have faced off in nine Grand Slam finals, Nadal winning six. It is the most-played Grand Slam final, alongside Nadal v Djokovic.

  • Overall: Nadal 24-16
  • On hardcourts: Federer 11-9
  • On claycourts: Nadal 14-2
  • On grass: Federer 3-1
  • In Grand Slams: Nadal 10-4
  • At Australian Open: Nadal 3-1
  • At French Open: Nadal 6-0
  • At Wimbledon: Federer 3-1
  • At US Open: Level 0-0 
  • In finals: Nadal 14-10

Rafael Nadal v Novak Djokovic Rivalry

Nadal and Djokovic have met on 59 occasions – making it the biggest rivalry in the history of the men’s Open Era, in terms of the number of matches played.

Djokovic leads the head-to-head 30-29.

The pair have met in 28 tour-level finals – another record. Djokovic leads 15-13.

Nadal v Djokovic is also the most-played Grand Slam match. Of their 18 such meetings, Nadal has won 11.

And the duo are also responsible for nine Grand Slam final meetings – Nadal leads 5-4. It is the most-played match in a Grand Slam final, alongside Nadal v Federer.

  • Overall: Djokovic 30-29
  • On hardcourts: Djokovic 20-7
  • On clay: Nadal 20-8
  • On grass: Level 2-2
  • In Grand Slams: Nadal 11-7
  • At Australian Open: Djokovic 2-0
  • At French Open: Nadal 8-2
  • At Wimbledon: Djokovic 2-1
  • At US Open: Nadal 2-1
  • In finals: Djokovic 15-13

Rafael Nadal’s Clay Court Records

Nadal won 81 consecutive claycourt matches in a row – a record – between April 2005 and May 2007, the streak ending with defeat to Roger Federer in Hamburg.

Nadal has won 63 claycourt titles in his career, a surface record. He is 63-8 in finals on clay.

Nadal won a record 50 consecutive sets on clay across 2017 and 2018.

In best-of-five-sets matches on clay, Nadal holds a 137-3 win-loss record.

Nadal has won 10 or more titles at four different claycourt tournaments – French Open (14), Barcelona (12), Monte Carlo (11) and Rome (10).

Nadal has never lost consecutive matches on clay at tour level.

Which Tournaments Has Rafael Nadal Not Won?

The biggest title Nadal is yet to claim is the ATP Finals. He was runner-up in 2010 and 2013 when the event was held in London.

Nadal is also missing three of the nine Masters 1000 titles from his CV. While he has reached the final of the Miami Open, Shanghai Masters and Paris Masters, he is yet to win any of those tournaments.

Rafael Nadal’s Losses From Two Sets Up

Nadal has three career losses from two sets up:

  • Roger Federer (Miami 2005)
  • Fabio Fognini (US Open 2015)
  • Stefanos Tsitsipas (Aus Open 2021)

Rafael Nadal’s Wins From Two Sets Down

Nadal has four career wins from two sets down:

  • Ivan Ljubicic (Madrid 2005)
  • Robert Kendrick (Wimbledon 2006)
  • Mikhail Youzhny (Wimbledon 2007)
  • Daniil Medvedev (Australian Open 2022)

Rafael Nadal’s Defeats From Match-Point Up

Following his defeat to Jordan Thompson at the 2024 Brisbane International, Nadal has lost nine times from match point up.

Rafael Nadal’s Wins From Match-Point Down

Nadal has won from match point down on 17 occasions, the most recent occasion being against David Goffin at the 2022 Madrid Open.

The Longest Matches of Rafael Nadal’s Career

  • 5 hours 53 minutes – lost to Novak Djokovic, 7-5 4-6 2-6 7-6 5-7, Australian Open, 2012
  • 5:24 – beat Daniil Medvedev, 2-6 6-7 6-4 6-4 7-5, Australian Open, 2022
  • 5:15 – lost to Novak Djokovic, 4-6 6-3 6-7 6-3 8-10, Wimbledon, 2018
  • 5:14 – beat Guillermo Coria, 6-4 3-6 6-3 4-6 7-6, Rome, 2005
  • 5:14 – beat Fernando Verdasco, 6-7 6-4 7-6 6-7 6-4, Australian Open 2009

How Much Prize Money Has Rafael Nadal Won?

As the end of the 2023 season, Nadal’s career on-curt earnings were just over US$134million.

Rafael Nadal’s Family

Nadal was born in Manacor on the Spanish island of Mallorca on June 3, 1986.

His father is Sebastian Nadal and mother Ana Maria Parera. They are now divorced.

He has two famous uncles – Toni Nadal, his long-time coach and the man who introduced him to tennis at the age of three, and Miguel Angel Nadal, a former professional footballer, who played for Barcelona and Spain.

Nadal married long-time girlfriend Maria Francisca Perello in October 2019 and the couple had their first child, son Rafael, in October 2022.