Rafael Nadal: Top 10 greatest career moments

Having turned professional in 2001, Nadal will represent Spain at the Davis Cup next month in Malaga, where he aims to make a triumphant final appearance on the international stage. Here, Inside The Games reflects on 10 remarkable achievements from Nadal’s career.

Nadal get’s the better of Federer for the first time
Nadal’s first encounter with Roger Federer took place in the third round of the Miami Open in 2004. At just 17 years old and ranked 34th in the world, Nadal stunned the Swiss sensation, defeating him 6-3, 6-3 in just 70 minutes.

Although Federer was left impressed by the young Spanish talent, Nadal downplayed his victory, claiming that Federer was not at his best that day. The two legends have faced each other 39 times in total, with Nadal leading the head-to-head record at 24 wins to Federer’s 16.

The year 2005 was a memorable one for Nadal as he claimed his first Grand Slam title at the French Open. At just 19 years old, the Spaniard triumphed over Roger Federer in the semi-finals of the Roland Garros tournament before facing Argentinian Mariano Puerta in the final.

Nadal secured the championship with a hard-fought victory, winning 6-7 (6-8), 6-3, 6-1, 7-5. With this win, he became only the second man in history to win the French Open on his debut, following Mats Wilander, who achieved the feat in 1982.

He also became the first male teenager to win a Grand Slam singles title since Pete Sampras claimed his first US Open title in 1990, while finishing the season as world No.2.

By 2008, Nadal had reached the Wimbledon final twice but had fallen short both times against Federer, a five-time champion at that point. However, it would be third time lucky for the Spaniard, who arrived at SW19 riding a wave of 17 consecutive match victories.

Federer, on the other hand, had held the world No. 1 ranking for 231 consecutive weeks, but just months earlier, he had suffered a crushing defeat to Nadal, losing 6-1, 6-3, 6-0 in the French Open final.

Rain initially delayed the start of the final, which would be the last match played on Centre Court before the installation of its roof. Although further rain interruptions occurred, they did little to diminish the drama unfolding on the court.

In a stunning four-hour and 48-minute battle, Nadal triumphed over his Swiss rival with a score of 6-4, 6-4, 6-7 (5-7), 6-7 (8-10), 9-7, making it the longest Wimbledon final in history at that time.

Olympic euphoria
Nadal entered the 2008 Beijing Olympics as the favourite for gold, making his Olympic debut alongside rivals Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray.

Top-seeded Federer was unexpectedly knocked out in the quarter-finals, clearing the path for Nadal, who defeated Djokovic in the semi-finals in straight sets. In the gold medal match, Nadal secured victory over Chile’s Fernando Gonzalez with a score of 6-3, 7-6 (7-2), 6-3. This triumph propelled him to the top of the world rankings for the first time, ending Federer’s impressive 237-week reign.

Eight years later, Nadal added an Olympic doubles gold medal to his collection, partnering with Marc Lopez at Rio 2016.

Triumphant down under
After winning both Roland Garros and Wimbledon, Nadal still sought to capture two elusive Grand Slam titles. In 2009, he faced Federer once again, marking their seventh consecutive meeting in a Grand Slam final at the Australian Open.

This matchup, which followed their previous epic battle just months earlier, is considered one of the greatest matches of all time and the finest in Australian Open history. Nadal ultimately triumphed, securing his first Australian Open title by defeating Federer in a thrilling five-set encounter with scores of 7-5, 3-6, 7-6 (7-3), 6-3, 6-2.

American dream