Rafael Nadal – Wimbledon Men’s Tennis Player

Spaniard Rafael Nadal’s favoured surface is clay. He holds the record for the longest winning streak on clay with 81 consecutive victories and he has an unbelievable record at the French Open where he has never lost a match in the three back-to-back Grand Slam events he has played in and won!

He is currently ranked number two in the world and has been since July 2005, only four years after his debut on the ATP Tour. He is known for his incredible strength and power, and has a physique to match. He is reminiscent of a middle weight boxer, pugnacious and determined on court, unlike his arch rival, Roger Federer who plays with effortless grace and timing.

He has reached the finals at the All England Club on two occasions, in 2006 and 2007, only to be denied the crown by his closest rival and world number one, Roger Federer.

The two players have, in the past couple of years, been totally dominant and with their rivalry have brought an edge to the game of tennis which has been sorely missed. Rafael Nadal, Wimbledon men’s tennis player, is solely responsible for Federer not achieving a career Grand Slam on three occasions with his prowess at the French Open, and Federer has consistently denied him titles at Wimbledon, on the Masters Series and on the ATP Tour itself. 

Nadal has shown his ability to adapt to the grass of Wimbledon. Each year he has contested the tournament, he has improved in leaps and bounds:

• In 2005 he was eliminated in the second round by a relative unknown, Gilles Muller of Luxembourg.
• In 2006 he was the second seed for Wimbledon and went right through to the finals, having claimed the scalps of Marcos Baghdatis and Andre Agassi en route. Although he fell to the Swiss master in four sets, 6-0 7-6 6-7 6-3, he exceeded all expectations by winning more matches at Wimbledon (6) than he had ever won on grass in his entire career.
• In 2007 he impressed even further as his road to the finals was a difficult one, but he defeated up and coming star Tomas Berdych with ease in the quarters, and was blessed with a little luck when Serb and current world number three, Novak Djokovic, had to retire hurt in the semis. He again fell to the wiles of Federer 7-6(7), 4-6, 7-6(3), 2-6, 6-2 in a closely contested final.

Although Nadal, like Federer, has shown a slump in form at the end of the 2007 season, it would be foolish to write the youngster off. Over his years as a professional he has often shown signs of fatigue at the end of a gruelling season, but has always come back in the new year in top form and condition.