Rafael Nadal Profile

Once nicknamed the 'king of clay', Rafael Nadal has matured into a world-beating player on all surfaces. While the majority of Nadal's grand slam titles were claimed at the French Open, his victories at Wimbledon in 2008 and the Australian Open in 2009 made him one of just a handful of players in the open era to have won grand slams on all surfaces.

Rafael Nadal of Spain hits a backhand return against Andy Murray of Britain in their men's singles fourth round match at the Australian Open tennis tournament Rafael Nadal is set to be one of the major contenders at the 2010 Australian Open. The Spaniard has recovered from his knee injuries, and will be entering the tournament as a defending champion. His major rivals at the event are likely to come in the form of Roger Federer, Andy Murray and the fast-improving Juan Martin del Potro..

Nadal is arguably least suited to hard courts, a fact demonstrated by his inability to win the US Open title. However, the surface in Melbourne favours Nadal's powerful, fast game, and could prove to be the difference between the Spaniard and his top-seeded rivals at the 2010 Australian Open.

Although his tenacious playing style is best suited to clay, Rafael Nadal has several strokes which put tremendous pressure on his opponents, regardless of the playing surface. His signature shot is his two-handed backhand, which is not only reliable, but also a consistent winner. Although his serve is not considered to be one of his greatest assets, it is consistent. Like Federer, he prefers to play from the back of the court.

Rafael Nadal fact file:

  • Nadal holds the longest winning streak on a single surface with 81 consecutive clay court wins.
  • In 2005 Nadal became only the 7th player to win a Grand Slam on debut, when he won the French Open.
  • At the tender age of 19 Nadal became the third teenager to reach the world no. 2 in the ATP rankings.
  • Nadal was the first player to force Roger Federer to a fifth set in a Grand Slam final. He would later become the first player to beat Federer in a grand slam tournament.
  • Rafael Nadal beat Federer at the "Battle of the Surfaces", an exhibition match played on a half grass, half clay surface in May 2007.
  • Nadal's fourth French Open title made him the only player other than legendary Bjorn Borg to win 4 consecutive titles at Roland Garros
  • In 2008 won Wimbledon for the first time, crushing the Roger Federer and claiming the world number 1 ranking. He would go on to defeat Federer in the final of the 2009 Australian Open several months later.