GB's Boulter beaten as Slovakia level BJK Cup semi-final
Watch the best shots as Great Britain’s Katie Boulter loses 6-2 4-6 4-6 to Slovakia’s Rebecca Sramkova to level up their BJK Cup semi-final.
Watch the best shots as Great Britain’s Katie Boulter loses 6-2 4-6 4-6 to Slovakia’s Rebecca Sramkova to level up their BJK Cup semi-final.
Millions of tennis fans will this week say goodbye to Rafael Nadal as a professional tennis player. One of them is Roger Federer.
The Swiss great on Tuesday published an emotional tribute ahead of the final event of Nadal’s historic career, the Davis Cup Final 8 in Malaga. Federer, whose Lexus ATP Head2Head rivalry with Nadal lit up tennis’ biggest stages for nearly two decades, took to social media to salute both the Spaniard’s on-court achievements and his work as one of the game’s great off-court ambassadors.
Nadal’s fellow former No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings Federer wrote:
Vamos, @RafaelNadal!
As you get ready to graduate from tennis, I’ve got a few things to share before I maybe get emotional.
Let’s start with the obvious: you beat me—a lot. More than I managed to beat you. You challenged me in ways no one else could. On clay, it felt like I was stepping into your backyard, and you made me work harder than I ever thought I could just to hold my ground. You made me reimagine my game—even going so far as to change the size of my racquet head, hoping for any edge.
I’m not a very superstitious person, but you took it to the next level. Your whole process. All those rituals. Assembling your water bottles like toy soldiers in formation, fixing your hair, adjusting your underwear… All of it with the highest intensity. Secretly, I kind of loved the whole thing. Because it was so unique—it was so you.
And you know what, Rafa, you made me enjoy the game even more.
There are some people you are simply destined to meet ♥️
Thank you Rafa & Roger, for the rivalry, the friendship, and the endless memories 💫 pic.twitter.com/M34RdwzFkd
— ATP Tour (@atptour) November 19, 2024
OK, maybe not at first. After the 2004 Australian Open, I achieved the #1 ranking for the first time. I thought I was on top of the world. And I was—until two months later, when you walked on the court in Miami in your red sleeveless shirt, showing off those biceps, and you beat me convincingly. All that buzz I’d been hearing about you—about this amazing young player from Mallorca, a generational talent, probably going to win a major someday—it wasn’t just hype.
We were both at the start of our journey and it’s one we ended up taking together. Twenty years later, Rafa, I have to say: What an incredible run you’ve had. Including 14 French Opens—historic! You made Spain proud… you made the whole tennis world proud.
I keep thinking about the memories we’ve shared. Promoting the sport together. Playing that match on half-grass, half-clay. Breaking the all-time attendance record by playing in front of more than 50,000 fans in Cape Town, South Africa. Always cracking each other up. Wearing each other out on the court and then, sometimes, almost literally having to hold each other up during trophy ceremonies.
I’m still grateful you invited me to Mallorca to help launch the Rafa Nadal Academy in 2016. Actually, I kind of invited myself. I knew you were too polite to insist on me being there, but I didn’t want to miss it. You have always been a role model for kids around the world, and Mirka and I are so glad that our children have all trained at your academies. They had a blast and learned so much—like thousands of other young players. Although I always worried my kids would come home playing tennis as lefties.
And then there was London—the Laver Cup in 2022. My final match. It meant everything to me that you were there by my side—not as my rival but as my doubles partner. Sharing the court with you that night, and sharing those tears, will forever be one of the most special moments of my career.
Rafa, I know you’re focused on the last stretch of your epic career. We will talk when it’s done. For now, I just want to congratulate your family and team, who all played a massive role in your success. And I want you to know that your old friend is always cheering for you, and will be cheering just as loud for everything you do next.
Rafa that!
Best always, your fan,
Roger
To celebrate the end of Rafael Nadal’s historic career at this week’s Davis Cup Final 8, ATPTour.com is publishing a series of articles paying tribute to the Spaniard. View our #RafaSiempre series.
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To celebrate the end of Rafael Nadal’s historic career at this week’s Davis Cup Final 8, ATPTour.com is publishing a series of articles paying tribute to the Spaniard.
Rafael Nadal lit up courts around the world during his 21-year career, with the Spaniard one of the top competitors in the history of the game.
The 37-year-old relished a battle and so often came out on top due to his unparalleled fighting spirit, relentless determination and unwavering commitment to every point. As he prepares for his final tour-level event, the 2024 Davis Cup Final 8, he has stepped onto court 1,307 times, coming out as the winner on 1,080 occasions.
ATPTour.com looks back at 10 of Nadal’s most memorable matches, featuring Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Guillermo Coria, Ivan Ljubicic, Andy Roddick, Fernando Verdasco and Daniil Medvedev.
[ATP APP]2004 Davis Cup Final
Rafael Nadal d. Andy Roddick 6-7 (6), 6-2, 7-6 (6), 6-2
In 2004, Rafael Nadal was a fresh-faced 18-year-old who had started to make early waves in the sport. The Spaniard had won his maiden ATP Tour title on clay in Sopot in August before earning a standout victory against Roger Federer in the third round in Miami.
However, his breakthrough moment arguably came in his final match of the season. Competing in front of 27,000 fans inside the Olympic Stadium in Seville, Nadal faced American Andy Roddick in the Davis Cup Final. Roddick was No. 2 in the PIF ATP Rankings at the time and had dispatched Nadal for the loss of just seven games at the US Open in September.
In the leadup, Spanish captain Jordi Arrese was expected to select 2003 Roland Garros champion Juan Carlos Ferrero for the Roddick clash, but controversially picked Nadal to play the rubber. After Nadal lost the first set, it looked like Arresse’s decision may backfire. That was until the Spaniard rolled off the second set, saved a set point in the third set to lead before he flew through the fourth to earn a 6-7(6), 6-2, 7-6(6), 6-2 win.
As if he could see into the future, Roddick was full of praise for Nadal following the match.
“I just ran into someone who played too well,” said Roddick. “Every once in a while people come along and they’re big-match players. I think you either have it or you don’t, regardless of age.”
2005 Rome final
Rafael Nadal d. Guillermo Coria 6-4, 3-6, 6-3, 4-6, 7-6(6)
In 2005, Guillermo Coria was one of the best clay-court players in the world. The Argentine reached five ATP Masters 1000 finals on the surface across 2003 and 2004, winning in Hamburg and Monte-Carlo. Nadal and Coria entered the 2005 title match in Rome off the back of a final meeting in Monte-Carlo one month earlier, when the Spaniard defeated Coria in four sets to win his first ATP Masters 1000 title.
Their meeting in the Italian capital was a lung-busting epic that encompassed Nadal’s game at that stage of his career. The Spaniard was red-hot in the first and third sets but, at 18 years old, could go off the boil for extended periods. Nadal lost control of his forehand in the second set and was erratic for large parts of the fourth and fifth set, falling 0-3 behind in the decider.
However, at 0-3, 0/30 the Spaniard struck a forehand winner and went on to hold serve. Playing with a renewed sense of intensity, Nadal broke back and forced a tie-break. From 5/1 ahead, he briefly stumbled before sealing victory on his third match point when Coria pushed a volley long.
Nadal, who fell to his back after victory, described the final as “one of the toughest matches” of his career.
Photo Credit: Ian Walton/Getty Images
2005 Madrid final
Rafael Nadal d. Ivan Ljubicic 3-6, 2-6, 6-3, 6-4, 7-6(3)
Rafael Nadal finished his 2005 season on home soil in Madrid, having captured a staggering 10 tour-level titles earlier in the season. The then-19-year-old won seven trophies on clay in 2005, including his maiden major at Roland Garros, but was also starting to prove himself on hard courts – the surface the Mutua Madrid Open was played on from 2002-2008 – winning in Montreal and Beijing.
Entering the final in Madrid, Nadal was facing a red-hot Ivan Ljubicic, who had won his past two tournaments in Metz and Vienna, respectively. At a time when ATP Masters 1000 finals were best-of-five sets, Ljubicic struck 32 aces to race into a two-set advantage, with his big serve and sharp groundstrokes effective indoors.
Nadal refused to fade, fighting back to level the match before he recovered from a break down in the fifth set to eventually triumph in the tie-break when Ljubicic netted a forehand. It was the first time the Spaniard had won from two sets to love down, encompassing the fighting spirit fans became accustomed to seeing during his 21-year career.
“It was an unforgettable game, very exciting, where I remember that the public was incredible,” Nadal said ahead of the 2021 Mutua Madrid Open. “The game cost me a few months of [my] sports career. I broke my foot but it was worth it. It was worth the emotion I experienced, that made it impossible to forget. The next day I woke up lame, I couldn’t even walk.”
2006 Rome final
Rafael Nadal d. Roger Federer 6-7(0), 7-6(5), 6-4, 2-6, 7-6(5)
After simmering for two years, the rivalry between Nadal and Federer hit boiling point during a five-hour final at the Foro Italico in Rome. Nadal had won four of their first five meetings to that point, and all three on clay, but many still felt that it was just a matter of time before the World No. 1 Federer figured the teenager out, the way he had figured everyone else out over the previous two years.
For much of this five-hour match, it looked as if Federer had finally found a way to beat the world’s best dirt-baller. Yet he still lost.
The Swiss came to the net 84 times in the clash and won 64 of those points. Federer controlled the rallies with his forehand as often as he could. He sent Nadal into the sideline walls with his angles. He won the first set by playing a perfect 7/0 tie-break. He led 4-2 in the second set. He dominated the fourth set 6-2. In the fifth set, he led 4-1 and had two match points. In the deciding tiebreaker, he led 5/3. And then, after all of that, he made three errors and let Nadal run away with the last four points and the title.
It was Nadal’s 16th title as a teenager, tying him with Bjorn Borg for the record, while it was his 53rd straight win on clay, levelling Guillermo Vilas’ all-time men’s record.
2008 Wimbledon final
Rafael Nadal d. Roger Federer 6-4, 6-4, 6-7(5), 6-7(8), 9-7
Federer had beaten Nadal in two previous Wimbledon finals, but the Spaniard had gradually adapted to the surface, moving closer to the baseline, punching up his serve and taking greater risks with his groundstrokes. He won the first two sets, but Federer came back to take consecutive tie-breaks and level the match. The drama, already suffocating, was exacerbated by three rain delays, a quaint reminder that there was life before the roof came to Centre Court.
Nadal broke Federer’s serve at 7-7 in the fifth set when a forehand sailed long. Then down 0/15 at 8-7, Nadal chose to serve and volley for the first time in the match. Two winning volleys and a framed Federer backhand brought a third match point, which Federer erased with a fearless backhand return. Nadal, who converted on his fourth match point when Federer’s forehand found the net, finished the match with tears in his eyes.
The match, which ended in near-darkness at 9:15 p.m., required four hours, 48 minutes — Wimbledon’s longest final on record, going back to 1877. The triumph marked Nadal’s first title at the grass-court major and ended Federer’s five-year title streak at the All England Club. Nadal’s victory against Federer is widely considered the greatest match of all time.
Photo Credit: AFP/Getty Images
2009 Australian Open semi-final
Rafael Nadal d. Fernando Verdasco 6-7(4), 6-4, 7-6(2), 6-7(1), 6-4
When Rafael Nadal dropped to his knees on Friday 29th January 2009, the emotional toll of his battle against Fernando Verdasco was evident across his face. The Spaniard had just moved past his countryman 6-7(4), 6-4, 7-6(2), 6-7(1), 6-4 after five hours and 14 minutes in the longest match in Australian Open history at the time.
With the arena’s namesake, Rod Laver — a pretty good lefty in his own right — in the crowd and Spanish flags scattered around, Nadal found his renowned defense tested to the limit as Verdasco ripped 95 winners in the semi-final clash. But while he bent, he never broke, committing fewer than 10 unforced errors in every demanding set, including just four in the fifth.
“Today was one of those matches you’re going to remember a long time,” Nadal said. “In the last game, at 0-40, I started to cry. It was too much tension. Fernando was playing, I think, at his best level. He deserved this final, too.”
With his win, Nadal reached the final and would go on to defeat Roger Federer in another five-set epic in the title match to win the Australian Open for the first time.
2009 Madrid semi-final
Rafael Nadal d. Novak Djokovic 3-6, 7-6(5), 7-6(9)
The inescapable sun, the red clay, the high altitude, the Madrid setting. The long, pitched battle, full of forays and feints, between two competitors. The life-and-death final tie-break. Nadal and Djokovic’s clash at the 2009 Mutua Madrid Open had it all.
That European spring, Nadal had reached an early career pinnacle. During the previous 12 months, he had demolished Federer in the Roland Garros final, and then clawed past him in five sets in the Wimbledon final and the Australian Open final. No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings, he won Indian Wells and was more dominant than ever on clay, winning in Monte Carlo, Barcelona, and Rome. (In 2009, Madrid was played after Rome, and a week before Roland Garros; the next year Rome and Madrid flipped on the schedule.)
Meeting in the semi-finals, the Serbian was fast out of the blocks as he sought his first clay-court win against the Spaniard. After winning the first set, Djokovic failed to close, with Nadal using the energy of the crowd to level before he rallied from 1-3 in the decider. The Spaniard started to let loose with the forehand, with the match becoming one gruelling rally after another.
Nadal found the corners with topspin forehands and Djokovic countered with flat backhand missiles of his own. Nadal saved three match points in total in the tie-break, two with haymaker forehand winners and one from a backhand error from Djokovic. He eventually sealed victory after four hours and two minutes.
2012 Australian Open final
Novak Djokovic d. Rafael Nadal 5-7, 6-4, 6-2, 6-7(5), 7-5
At five hours and 53 minutes, Djokovic’s 2012 Australian Open final victory against Nadal is the longest major title match in history. They were the top two seeds that year and had met in the previous two Slam finals, at Wimbledon and the US Open. Djokovic won both of those in four sets and came into this match having won seven straight against Nadal, dating back to 2010.
The Spaniard was determined to end that run on one of the sport’s biggest stages and showed tremendous fight, rallying from 3/5 in the fourth-set tie-break to force a decider. Nadal then led 4-2 in the fifth set and was 30/15 up on serve when Djokovic popped up a forehand volley, giving Nadal a wide-open court for a short backhand pass. The Spaniard somehow pushed it an inch wide and from there Djokovic broke and won four of the next five games to win the title.
Before this final, Nadal held a 133-1 record in major matches after winning the first set, but he could not drag his body over the line on a muggy Melbourne night in Melbourne against Djokovic, who moved to five major titles.
Photo Credit: PAUL CROCK/AFP via Getty Images
2013 Roland Garros semi-final
Rafael Nadal d. Novak Djokovic 6-3, 3-6, 6-1, 6-7(3), 9-7
A hot day at Roland Garros was the setting for another Nadal-Djokovic blockbuster that was a mirror image of their epic Australian Open final the year before. That see-saw saga in Melbourne lasted five hours and 53 minutes, and went to Djokovic, 7-5 in the fifth set. This reprise in Paris lasted four hours and 37 minutes and went to Nadal, 9-7 in the fifth set. Each match featured merciless rallies, fine shot-making, peaks and valleys from both players, and one match-changing error.
After grabbing the fourth-set tie-break, Djokovic led 4-2 in the decider and at 4-3, he touched the net after hitting what would have been a winning overhead at deuce. Nadal went onto break and then refused to lose, tracking down every ball on the Parisian clay to earn his toughest victory at Roland Garros.
“You need to love the game,” Nadal said after winning the exhilarating encounter.
Nadal went on to beat David Ferrer in straight sets in the final to win his eighth title in Paris, while Djokovic’s wait for a first Roland Garros crown went on.
2022 Australian Open final
Rafael Nadal d. Daniil Medvedev 2-6, 6-7(5), 6-4, 6-4, 7-5
Nadal’s never-say-die attitude has defined his historic career and his five-set victory against Daniil Medvedev in the 2022 Australian Open final optimises that.
The Spaniard did win the AO title in 2009 but had received his fair share of Melbourne heartbreak throughout his career, losing finals in 2012, 2014, 2017 and 2019. For 90 minutes, it looked as if Medvedev was going to add to his pain. The 2021 US Open champ led by two-sets-to-love and looked set to put the final nails in the Nadal coffin when the Spaniard hit two unforced errors on serve to trail 2-3, 0/40.
However, Nadal did not fade as he had done in previous Aussie Open finals. A sloppy Medvedev drop shot on his final break point at 2-3 gave Nadal a lifeline, with the Spaniard going on to hold before he won the set. Nadal kept his roll going in the fourth set, and then, after a few more shifts in momentum, he found himself serving for the title at 5-4 in the fifth. He was unable to close out at the first time of asking but recomposed to quickly reel off two consecutive games, moving to 21 major titles and taking the lead in the Grand Slam race at the time.
“It was the day to give everything,” Nadal said. “I enjoyed the fight. I enjoyed the emotions. At the end have this trophy with me means everything today.”
Photo Credit: Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images
The bond between GB’s players is proving key in their winning run at the Billie Jean King Cup Finals in Malaga.
Rafael Nadal says he is “not worried about the next chapter” as the 22-time Grand Slam champion prepares to retire from tennis after the Davis Cup Finals in Malaga.
To celebrate the end of Rafael Nadal’s historic career at this week’s Davis Cup Final 8, ATPTour.com is publishing a series of articles paying tribute to the Spaniard.
As Rafael Nadal retires, fans will remember one of the ATP Tour’s greatest competitors. They will also reflect on one of tennis’ most iconic ambassadors, both on and off the court.
The Spaniard was a hugely popular presence at tournaments around the world throughout his career. His on-court exploits earned him millions of fans globally, and his humble and gracious conduct off the court ensured he kept them.
To celebrate the end of Nadal’s illustrious career, ATPTour.com looks back at some of the light-hearted, unique, and fun moments provided by the Spaniard over the past two decades.
[ATP APP] The Superstitious Spaniard?
When Nadal arrived on the scene as a teenage prodigy from Mallorca in 2004, some of his on-court behaviours caught the eye. They included him being meticulous with the placement of his water bottles by his chair, always letting his opponent cross the net before he did during a changeover, and always pushing his hair behind his ear before each serve.
Later in his career, the Spaniard also acknowledged other fixed routines around his tennis, such as always using the same shower in the locker rooms at Roland Garros. Yet Nadal never considered these actions or mannerisms to be superstitions, but more just a reflection of him seeking complete focus as he prepared to compete.
“Some call it superstition, but it’s not. If it were superstition, why would I keep doing the same thing over and over whether I win or lose?,” wrote Nadal of his water bottle habit in his 2012 autobiography, Rafa: My Story. “It’s a way of placing myself in a match, ordering my surroundings to match the order I seek in my head.”
Roger Federer and Nadal during a change of ends at the 2013 Nitto ATP Finals. Photo Credit: Julian Finney/Getty Images
Teenage Rafa’s Iconic On-court Fashion
The tennis history books feature plenty of trailblazers when it comes on-court fashion, and Nadal had pretty much written a whole new chapter himself within months of his first appearances on the ATP Tour.
In 2005, the Spaniard delivered one of the greatest seasons in history, during which he won 11-tour-level titles including his maiden major crown at Roland Garros. He did most of it wearing his own unique combinations of sleeveless tops and pirate shorts, an outfit with which his early charge to stardom will always be linked.
Dressed in his iconic sleeveless shirt/pirate shorts combo, Nadal wins 2005 Roland Garros. Photo Credit: Julian Finney/Getty Images
Mastering Federer In The ‘Battle Of Surfaces’
Nadal and his great rival Roger Federer played a unique exhibition match on the former’s home island of Mallorca in May 2007. The then-No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings Federer and No. 2 Nadal played a three-set match on a half-clay, half-grass court at Palma Arena.
The origins of the idea came from Nadal and Federer’s stunning winning streaks on clay and grass, respectively. The Spaniard had won 72 straight matches on clay heading into the exhibition match, while Federer was on a 48-match win streak on grass. In the event, Nadal overcame Federer 7-5, 4-6, 7-6(12-10).
Nadal takes on Roger Federer in the ‘Battle of Surfaces’ in May 2007. Clive Brunskill/Getty Images
Rafa & Roger Get The Giggles
By 2010 Nadal and Federer were more than used to life in front of the camera, but that didn’t stop the pair suffering a bout of the giggles while trying to record a promotional video for a charity match in Zurich, Switzerland.
Even after years of intense on-court battles, the clip was a reminder of the close off-court friendship between Nadal and Federer that helped define one of the greatest Lexus ATP Head2Head rivalries in history.
The pair’s subsequent meeting in Zurich in December 2010 was the first ‘Match for Africa’, which later became a series of exhibition matches to raise funds for children’s education in Africa. The 2020 edition of the event, which was held in Cape Town, South Africa and raised more than US$3 million, was played in front of 51,954 people. That remains the record number of spectators at any tennis match.
Roger Federer & Rafa Nadal are going to play a charity exhibition match in Cape Town, South Africa in February 2020
That reminds us…😂@rogerfederer @RafaelNadal pic.twitter.com/ODuz8hr1aM
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) July 4, 2019
Clay-court King Meets Carnival
From 2014-16, Nadal racked up one title and a 10-2 record match across three appearances at the Rio Open presented by Claro. In 2015, the Spaniard had the chance to soak in the atmosphere at the iconic Rio Carnival, which he attended with his countryman David Ferrer and the only Brazilian to reach No. 1 in PIF ATP Rankings history, Gustavo Kuerten.
“It was the first time we had the chance to enjoy the Rio Carnival and it has been an unforgettable experience,” Nadal said after his visit to one of the world’s most renowned street festivals. “There was unbelievable positive energy [from] everyone. Everyone was singing and dancing, it was fantastic for me to have the chance to enjoy this unique experience.”
Rafael Nadal, David Ferrer and Gustavo Kuerten at Rio Carnival in 2015. Photo: Yasuyoshi Chiba/AFP via Getty Images
Leaving A Legacy
Even as his playing career comes to an end, Nadal’s influence on the world of tennis will live on. One way that the Spaniard can continue to shape the sport’s future is through the Rafa Nadal Academy by Movistar, which he founded on his home island of Mallorca in 2016.
Nadal has frequently spoken about his desire to give back to tennis, the sport in which he has enjoyed so many historic moments of success. He revealed his thoughts on the idea of ‘legacy’ in a speech at the 2024 Rafa Nadal Academy by Movistar graduation ceremony, during which he recalled a conversation he shared with his old friend Federer during a visit to the Italian Dolomites in May 2024.
“Both Roger and I agree on something we believe is of the utmost importance,” explained Nadal, who was addressing 52 graduates from the academy. “How would we like to be remembered in a few years? How do we want the future generations to think of us? We are both very sure of our answers.
“It’s great that our achievements, our titles and our records are recognised, but as the years go by it is probable that someone will arrive and do something better. What is important, then, is that which will always be remembered. Therefore, both Roger and I agree that we would like to be remembered as good people.”
Carlos Moya and Nadal with the Class of 2024 at the Rafa Nadal Academy by Movistar. Photo Credit: Rafa Nadal Academy by Movistar
Big Name In Barca
It is not just an academy that bears Nadal’s name. Shortly before its 2017 edition, the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell, where Nadal had at that point won a record nine titles, announced it was renaming its centre court Pista Rafa Nadal.
“An honor to see this at the #TenisBarcelona!”, wrote Nadal at the time in Spanish on X, formerly known as Twitter. “Thank you very much @bcnopenbs”.
On court, the home favourite responded to the honour in predictable fashion. He charged to his 10th crown at the clay-court ATP 500 without dropping a set, easing past the fast-rising Dominic Thiem in the championship match. Nadal went on to extend his title tally in Barcelona to 12 with further triumphs in 2018 and 2021.
Un honor ver esto en el #TenisBarcelona! Muchas gracias @bcnopenbs 🙂 pic.twitter.com/RMGZaKzuw4
— Rafa Nadal (@RafaelNadal) April 26, 2017
Staying In Synch With Stef!
Nadal is renowned as one of tennis’ all-time great competitors, but that did not stop the Spaniard bringing his own brand of humour to the tennis court. That aspect of his personality was on full display at the 2019 Laver Cup in Geneva, when he sheepishly informed his Team Europe doubles partner Stefanos Tsitsipas that he did not understand the Greek’s behind-the-back tactical signals.
“We need to be a little bit more clear with the fingers,” said Nadal to Tsitsipas while stifling a laugh as fellow Team Europe star Federer giggled in the background. “Because I didn’t understand what you called.”
Nadal and Tsitsipas were ultimately edged by Kyrgios and Sock in a Match Tie-break in Geneva, but the Spaniard finished his career with a winning 142-77 tour-level doubles record. That tally includes title runs at Masters 1000 events in Monte-Carlo (2008 w/Tommy Robredo) and Indian Wells (2010 and 2012, both w/ Marc Lopez). He also won the men’s doubles gold medal with Lopez at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
Stefanos Tsitsipas and Rafael Nadal in doubles action at the 2019 Laver Cup. Photo Credit: Clive Brunskill/Getty Images for Laver Cup
Keeping Cool In A ‘Scary Moment’
A young ball girl found out first-hand just how powerful Nadal’s fearsome forehand was at the 2020 Australian Open, when she was struck on the head by a wayward return from the Spanish lefty during his second-round clash against Federico Delbonis.
Nadal immediately rushed over to Anita Birchall in what could have been a difficult moment for the youngster. Fortunately she was not hurt, and Nadal gave her a kiss on the cheek before later handing Anita his headband after wrapping up a straight-sets victory on Rod Laver Arena.
“For her, it was probably not a good moment,” said Nadal later. “The ball was quick and straight onto her head. She is a super-brave girl.”
As well as his on-court apology, Nadal later met with Anita and her family and presented her with a signed cap. The episode was a demonstration of the classy statesman that Nadal was throughout his career, reflected in the fact he is a five-time recipient of the Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship Award (2010, 2018-2021).
Rafael Nadal hands Australian Open ball girl Anita Birchall his headband after his 2020 victory against Federico Delbonis. Photo Credit: Daniel Pockett/Getty Images
Rafa, Roger & Andy Take On Instagram Live
The COVID-19 pandemic was a tough time for millions around the globe. Nadal did his best to offer some small respite for tennis fans by hosting what what he said was his “first Instagram live, I think ever”.
After overcoming some (highly relatable) early issues working out how to add people to the chat, Nadal was joined by a couple of special guests. Firstly his great on-court foe Federer came aboard, with the pair going on to discuss how they were spending their time with the ATP Tour suspended.
Later, he chatted with another of his great rivals, Andy Murray, who had already joined in with some light-hearted ribbing in the IG Live comments: “This is brilliant,” wrote the ever-witty Murray. “[Rafa] can win 52 French Opens but not work Instagram”.
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