The Making of Rafael Nadal

[clayqueen]

34 Stats On Rafael Nadal's 34th Birthday
Jun032020
Andrew Eichenholz
Nadal is the second-oldest player in the Top 10, trailing only 38-year-old Federer
In honour of Rafael Nadal's 34th birthday, the ATP Tour is celebrating by reliving 34 facts, moments or memories that have made his tennis career spectacular thus far.
34 - Percentage of return games won for Nadal in his career.
33 - Age when the lefty finished 2019 as the oldest year-end World No. 1 in history.
32 - Consecutive matches won from 2008 Hamburg until 2008 Cincinnati, Nadal's career-best winning streak.
31 - Number of matches Nadal won at Roland Garros before his first loss at the major in 2009.
30 - Age when Nadal was Spain's flagbearer for the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.
29 - Rafa's age when he opened his Rafa Nadal Academy by Movistar.
28th tour-level title came at the 2008 Fever-Tree Championships, setting up Nadal for his unforgettable Wimbledon run in which he defeated Roger Federer for his first trophy at The Championships.
27 - Number of Grand Slam finals Nadal has reached (19-8).
26 - Victories against Top 10 opponents at Roland Garros.
25 - Clay-court ATP Masters 1000 titles.
24 - Wins against Roger Federer (24-16)
23 - Age when the Spaniard won his 100th Grand Slam match at 2010 Roland Garros against Gianni Mina. He currently holds a 275-39 record at the majors.
22 - Age when Nadal first reached World No. 1 on 18 August 2008.
21 - Number of ATP 500 titles Nadal has won.
20 - Triumphs against World No. 1s, with his first coming as a 17-year-old at 2004 Miami against Federer.
19 - Grand Slam titles.
18 - Age when Nadal cracked the Top 10 of the FedEx ATP Rankings for the first time on 25 April 2005.
17 - 6-0 sets won at Roland Garros, where his record is 93-2.
16 - Years since winning his first title at 2004 Sopot.
15 - Age when Nadal won his first ATP Tour match at 2002 Mallorca against World No. 81 Ramon Delgado/Number of consecutive year-end Top 10 finishes.
14 - Number of year-end finishes inside the Top 5 of the FedEx ATP Rankings.
13 - No. of Masters 1000 finals Nadal has played Djokovic in.
12 - Roland Garros titles.
11 - Most titles in a single season, which came in 2005.
10 - Number of wins before Nadal cracks the 1,000-victory mark in his career, joining Jimmy Connors (1,274), Roger Federer (1,242) and Ivan Lendl (1,068) as the only players to reach that milestone.
9 - Number of seasons Nadal has led the ATP Tour in percentage of return games won.
8 - Consecutive titles won at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters from 2005-2012.
7 - Clay-court titles in 2005, his most in a single season.
6 - Wins against Novak Djokovic at Roland Garros.
5 - Finishes atop the year-end FedEx ATP Rankings.
4 - Age when he began playing tennis with his uncle, Toni Nadal.
3 - Grand Slam titles won without losing a set, all at Roland Garros (2008, 2010, 2017).
2 - Losses at Roland Garros compared to 93 wins.
1 - Total weeks at World No. 1: 209.

34 Stats On Rafael Nadal's 34th Birthday | ATP Tour | Tennis

In honour of Rafael Nadal's 34th birthday, the ATP Tour is celebrating by reliving 34 facts, moments or memories that have made his tennis career spectacular thus far.

www.atptour.com

 

[clayqueen]

The GOAT turns 34 today.

 

[TripleATeam]

Happy birthday to Rafa, an amazing competitor, even at an age when most would've thought he'd been retired. Rafa defies expectations at every turn and will continue to do so.

 

[DSH]

 

[Deleted member 748597]

 

[BeatlesFan]

Rafa's come a long way!

 

[MichaelNadal]

KING.

 

[Lleytonstation]

 

[clayqueen]

The GOAT

It's One-Way Traffic On L’Avenue Rafael Nadal
Jun032020
Craig O'Shannessy

12-time champ gets more dominant deeper into matches at Roland Garros

From 2005 to 2019, Rafael Nadal has lifted 12 titles and won 93 of his 95 matches at Roland Garros. If the city of Paris dedicated a street to their adopted Spanish son, it would be apropos to make sure it went only one way.

An Infosys ATP Beyond The Numbers analysis of how Nadal performs in each of the five possible sets identifies a competitor who explodes fast out of the blocks in set one and morphs into a runaway train by set three. The data set includes players who have played a minimum of 10 matches at Roland Garros since official statistics were first recorded in 1991.

Set One
Ready, set, gone.
Facing Nadal on Paris' terre battue is one of sport’s greatest challenges. The Spaniard does not give opponents time to get a feel for the clay, the stadium or the moment. He jumps on them immediately, attempting to end the contest before it becomes one.
Nadal has won 65.4 per cent (559/855) of games played in the opening set since his tournament debut in 2005. In 2019, the opening set scorelines in his seven matches were 6-2, 6-1, 6-1, 6-2, 6-1, 6-3 and 6-3. That is 42 games won and 13 games lost, good for a head-turning 76 per cent winning margin.

The leading five players with the highest percentage of games won in set one at Roland Garros are:

Rank	Player	Percentage Of Games Won	Games Won/Played
1	Rafael Nadal	65.4%	559/855
2	Goran Prpic	62.4%	53/85
3	Jim Courier	61.7%	232/376
4	Novak Djokovic	60.8%	474/780
5	David Ferrer	60.6%	329/543

Set Two
Set two represents second gear as Nadal moves up another level to create a wider margin between himself and his opponents. Nadal has won 66.2 per cent (561/848) of games in the second set, showing no signs of letting up and allowing opponents an opportunity to level the match.

The leading five players with the highest percentage of games won in set two at Roland Garros are:

Rank	Player	Percentage Of Games Won	Games Won/Played
1	Rafael Nadal	66.2%	561/848
2	Damir Dzumhur	62.6%	57/91
3	Oscar Hernandez	62.5%	60/96
4	Bernd Karbacher	61.8%	94/152
5	Arnaud Boetsch	60.1%	101/168

Set Three
With the finish line now squarely in sight, Nadal keeps ramping up the pressure, winning an astonishing 68.4 per cent (551/805) of games in set three. Opponents have to endure a fast start and a faster finish against the Spaniard. Close to 80 per cent of Nadal’s matches at Roland Garros have been decided in straight sets.

The leading five players with the highest percentage of games won in set three at Roland Garros are:

Rank	Player	Percentage Of Games Won	Games Won/Played
1	Rafael Nadal	68.4%	551/805
2	Boris Becker	67.7%	65/96
3	Juan Carlos Ferrero	62.3%	230/369
4	Juan Martin del Potro	61.4%	156/254
5	Kyle Edmund	61.4%	62/101

Set Four
Nadal sits in fourth place with games won in the fourth set, winning a strong 64.4% (123/191). Carl-Uwe Steeb leads the pack at 70.6 per cent (12/17).

Set Five
Nadal has only been extended to five sets at Roland Garros twice, winning both times. He has won 57.7 per cent (15/26) of games in the fifth set. David Goffin is the overall leader in fifth-set games won at 78.9 per cent (30/38).

Nadal's Five-Set Matches At Roland Garros

Year	Round	Result	Score
2013	Semi-Final	d. Novak Djokovic	6-4, 3-6, 6-1, 6-7(3), 9-7
2011	First Round	d. John Isner	6-4, 6-7(2), 6-7(2), 6-2, 6-4

Nadal has won an astonishing 57.5 per cent (9829/17080) of points at Roland Garros. It’s the closest thing to one-way traffic our sport has ever seen.

It's One-Way Traffic On L’Avenue Rafael Nadal | ATP Tour | Tennis
In the latest Infosys ATP Beyond The Numbers analysis, Craig O'Shannessy looks at how Rafael Nadal has performed during each of the possible five sets of his matches at Roland Garros.
www.atptour.com

 

[vive le beau jeu !]

it's One-Way Traffic On L’Avenue Rafael Nadal
Jun032020
Craig O'Shannessy

12-time champ gets more dominant deeper into matches at Roland Garros

From 2005 to 2019, Rafael Nadal has lifted 12 titles and won 93 of his 95 matches at Roland Garros. If the city of Paris dedicated a street to their adopted Spanish son, it would be apropos to make sure it went only one way.

An Infosys ATP Beyond The Numbers analysis of how Nadal performs in each of the five possible sets identifies a competitor who explodes fast out of the blocks in set one and morphs into a runaway train by set three. The data set includes players who have played a minimum of 10 matches at Roland Garros since official statistics were first recorded in 1991.

Set One
Ready, set, gone.
Facing Nadal on Paris' terre battue is one of sport’s greatest challenges. The Spaniard does not give opponents time to get a feel for the clay, the stadium or the moment. He jumps on them immediately, attempting to end the contest before it becomes one.
Nadal has won 65.4 per cent (559/855) of games played in the opening set since his tournament debut in 2005. In 2019, the opening set scorelines in his seven matches were 6-2, 6-1, 6-1, 6-2, 6-1, 6-3 and 6-3. That is 42 games won and 13 games lost, good for a head-turning 76 per cent winning margin.

The leading five players with the highest percentage of games won in set one at Roland Garros are:

Rank	Player	Percentage Of Games Won	Games Won/Played
1	Rafael Nadal	65.4%	559/855
2	Goran Prpic	62.4%	53/85
3	Jim Courier	61.7%	232/376
4	Novak Djokovic	60.8%	474/780
5	David Ferrer	60.6%	329/543

Set Two
Set two represents second gear as Nadal moves up another level to create a wider margin between himself and his opponents. Nadal has won 66.2 per cent (561/848) of games in the second set, showing no signs of letting up and allowing opponents an opportunity to level the match.

The leading five players with the highest percentage of games won in set two at Roland Garros are:

Rank	Player	Percentage Of Games Won	Games Won/Played
1	Rafael Nadal	66.2%	561/848
2	Damir Dzumhur	62.6%	57/91
3	Oscar Hernandez	62.5%	60/96
4	Bernd Karbacher	61.8%	94/152
5	Arnaud Boetsch	60.1%	101/168

Set Three
With the finish line now squarely in sight, Nadal keeps ramping up the pressure, winning an astonishing 68.4 per cent (551/805) of games in set three. Opponents have to endure a fast start and a faster finish against the Spaniard. Close to 80 per cent of Nadal’s matches at Roland Garros have been decided in straight sets.

The leading five players with the highest percentage of games won in set three at Roland Garros are:

Rank	Player	Percentage Of Games Won	Games Won/Played
1	Rafael Nadal	68.4%	551/805
2	Boris Becker	67.7%	65/96
3	Juan Carlos Ferrero	62.3%	230/369
4	Juan Martin del Potro	61.4%	156/254
5	Kyle Edmund	61.4%	62/101

Set Four
Nadal sits in fourth place with games won in the fourth set, winning a strong 64.4% (123/191). Carl-Uwe Steeb leads the pack at 70.6 per cent (12/17).

Set Five
Nadal has only been extended to five sets at Roland Garros twice, winning both times. He has won 57.7 per cent (15/26) of games in the fifth set. David Goffin is the overall leader in fifth-set games won at 78.9 per cent (30/38).

Nadal's Five-Set Matches At Roland Garros

Year	Round	Result	Score
2013	Semi-Final	d. Novak Djokovic	6-4, 3-6, 6-1, 6-7(3), 9-7
2011	First Round	d. John Isner	6-4, 6-7(2), 6-7(2), 6-2, 6-4

Nadal has won an astonishing 57.5 per cent (9829/17080) of points at Roland Garros. It’s the closest thing to one-way traffic our sport has ever seen.

It's One-Way Traffic On L’Avenue Rafael Nadal | ATP Tour | Tennis
In the latest Infosys ATP Beyond The Numbers analysis, Craig O'Shannessy looks at how Rafael Nadal has performed during each of the possible five sets of his matches at Roland Garros.
www.atptour.com

pr lew himself couldn't have put it better:
the way the rusty peak injured golden bull literally stat-shames ATG legends like kyle edmund and oscar hernandez is just vamosingly #epic

 

[clayqueen]

Flashback: Nadal Outlasts Djokovic In 2013 Semi-Final Thriller
Jun042020
ATP Staff
Spaniard entered contest with 41-2 record in 2013

Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic have met on seven occasions at Roland Garros, most notably in the 2012 and 2014 championship matches. But, in the year between those two final clashes, the pair contested their greatest meeting in Paris at the semi-final stage.

Less than four months after spending seven months on the sidelines with a left knee injury, Nadal returned to Paris in red-hot form. The seven-time champion had reached finals in each of his opening eight comeback events, winning six trophies with 36 wins from 38 matches.

But, as the No. 4 player in the FedEx ATP Rankings, he would have to get past World No. 1 Djokovic to reach the championship match in Paris. Djokovic entered the contest with confidence, having ended Nadal’s streak of eight consecutive Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters crowns with a straight-sets final victory against the Spaniard in the Principality. The six-time Grand Slam champion was bidding to move one victory away from joining Nadal as the eighth man to complete the Career Grand Slam.

Across four hours and 37 minutes on Court Philippe-Chatrier, Nadal and Djokovic contested one of the greatest matches in their ATP Head2Head rivalry.

On a hot, blustery day in Paris, Nadal enjoyed success with his forehand and dominated the opening 75 minutes of the contest to lead by a set and a break. Facing the possibility of a two-set deficit, Djokovic responded emphatically in the next 25 minutes. With pinpoint groundstrokes into both corners of the court, the World No. 1 controlled the baseline and pushed his rival into defensive positions to earn five straight games and level the match.

Djokovic was unable to carry any momentum through to the third set, as Nadal claimed six of seven games to quickly move one set away from the championship match. In the fourth set, Nadal twice led by a break and served for the match at 6-5, only for Djokovic to win three straight points to force a tie-break. The 2012 runner-up dictated rallies throughout the tie-break and took the match to a decider with a driven cross-court forehand passing shot.

"Serving for the match at 6-5 in the fourth, I was serving against the wind, so I knew it was going to be a difficult game,” said Nadal.

For just the second time in his career, Nadal would have to contest a fifth set at Roland Garros. Only John Isner, in the first-round in 2011, had previously gone the distance with Nadal at the clay-court Grand Slam championship.

The reigning Australian Open champion imposed himself on Nadal’s serve in the opening game of the decider and held a break advantage until a crucial moment at 4-3. Serving at deuce, Djokovic hit a high forehand volley into the open court, but failed to stop himself from touching the net before the ball had bounced for a second time. The 26-year-old went on to drop his serve with a forehand error.

Flashback: Nadal Outlasts Djokovic In 2013 Semi-Final Thriller | ATP Tour | Tennis

ATPTour.com looks back at Rafael Nadal's five-set victory against Novak Djokovic in the 2013 Roland Garros semi-finals.

www.atptour.com

 

[Poisoned Slice]

My admiration for Kyle Edmund is reaching a new level.

 

[clayqueen]

It's One-Way Traffic On L’Avenue Rafael Nadal | ATP Tour | Tennis

The leading five players with the highest percentage of games won in set one at Roland Garros are:

Djokovic made 1 appearance and Federer not at all.

 

[clayqueen]

 

[clayqueen]

 

[clayqueen]

 

[clayqueen]

 

[clayqueen]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1269229226668015616