Rafael Nadal Retires | The matches that forged his legend

(Paris) Rafael Nadal, king of clay, has won 14 of his 22 Grand Slam titles at Roland Garros, but he has delivered epic battles on all surfaces. Here is a selection.

Roland-Garros 2005: semi-final won against Federer

On the way to the first Major. Federer was aiming for a fifth Grand Slam title at age 23, the first in Paris. But that day, the young 18-year-old Spaniard, who had won three clay court titles in the previous weeks, made a name for himself. Nadal beat the Swiss 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 in the semi-final. Two days later, the Mallorcan won the first of his 22 Grand Slam titles.

Wimbledon 2007: final lost to Federer

The turning point. Federer wins 7-6, 4-6, 7-6, 2-6, 6-2 for his 5^e consecutive title at Wimbledon, but following this match, we say that Nadal is much closer to beating Federer in his London garden than the Swiss is to beating the Spaniard on Parisian clay.

Roland-Garros 2008: final won against Federer

Spanking. It’s the severity of the score that makes this match incredible: Nadal played almost perfectly to humiliate the world No. 1 6-1, 6-3, 6-0.

Wimbledon 2008: final won against Federer

Victory at dusk. The rivalry between the two men is already well established and the Spaniard almost brought down the Swiss in his kingdom the previous year. This time, after 4:48 of a game interrupted several times by rain and as night fell, Nadal won the match point at 9:16 p.m. with a score of 6-4, 6-4, 6-7 (5/7), 6-7 (8/10), 9-7, ending Federer’s run of five Wimbledon titles. This meeting is the most famous in the history of tennis with the Borg-McEnroe of 1980, at the same place.

2009 Australian Open: final won against Federer

Tireless. Nadal won his first title in Melbourne by beating Federer 7-5, 3-6, 7-6 (7/3), 3-6, 6-2 and almost 4h30 of tennis at a very high level. In the semi-finals, he had already fought 5 hours 14 minutes to beat Fernando Verdasco. Defeated, Federer could not hold back his tears during the trophy ceremony.

2010 US Open: final won against Djokovic

The Missing Major. In 2010, the US Open was the last one missing from Nadal’s record. Despite the confidence built up from his victory against Federer in the semi-final, Djokovic was unable to stop the Spaniard. Nadal won 6-4, 5-7, 6-4, 6-2 at 24.

2012 Australian Open: final lost to Djokovic

The longest. Novak Djokovic won 5-7, 6-4, 6-2, 6-7, 7-5 in 5 hours 53, making it the longest final of a Grand Slam tournament to date. The Serb concluded on Monday at 1:37 a.m. a match which had started on Sunday evening.

2019 US Open: final won against Medvedev

Never defeated. After two calmly won rounds, Nadal was surprised by the return of a young, still unknown 23-year-old Russian with a strange game, Daniil Medvedev. Pushed into the fifth round, the 33-year-old Spaniard proved that he never gives up and won in 4 hours 51 minutes of an epic fight 7-5, 6-3, 5-7, 4-6, 6 -4.

Roland-Garros 2020: final won against Djokovic

The lesson. The edition of the Major on clay is being played in the fall due to the COVID-19 pandemic which prevented it from being held in the spring. Wet, windy and cold conditions are all obstacles in the way of a 13^e Parisian title for Nadal. And we say to ourselves that Djokovic has his chance to beat the king of the earth in the final of “his” tournament. In fact, the Spaniard corrects the Serbian 6-0, 6-2, 7-5 and equals the record of 20 Grand Slam titles held since 2018 by Federer.

Roland-Garros 2021: semi-final lost against Djokovic

Revenge. Djokovic played the match of his life on clay and won 3-6, 6-3, 7-6, 6-2 after a match of rarely equaled quality and tension. Nadal later confessed to suffering from a foot injury and played only two more matches that season, withdrawing from Wimbledon and the US Open.

2022 Australian Open: final won against Medvedev

Stunning. Trailing two sets to nothing against Medvedev, the Majorcan managed to win 2-6, 6-7 (5/7), 6-4, 6-4, 7-5 after 5:24 of the match to claim a 21^e historic Grand Slam title, one more than Federer and Djokovic. However, he contracted COVID-19 in December and missed six months of competition in 2021 due to his painful left foot.

Roland-Garros 2022: quarter-final won against Djokovic

Relentless despite doubts. Nadal arrives at Roland-Garros very unprepared because of his pain in his left foot (he remains eliminated in 8^e final in Rome, one of his only two tournaments played on earth with that of Madrid, where the pain had become unbearable). Opposite, Djokovic is in ascending form, very close to his best level, and intends to equal the record for Grand Slam titles. But against all odds, it was Nadal who won 6-2, 4-6, 6-2, 7-6 and opened the way to a 14^e title on Parisian clay and a 22^e Major that he won at the age of 36 against the young Norwegian Casper Ruud.