Rafael Nadal - Australian Open Men's Tennis Players
'The king of clay' is a perfect nickname for the 22-year old Spaniard, Rafael Nadal. He has had his most successes on clay, and has consistently beaten former tennis world no. 1, Roger Federer, on clay. Ranked world no.1, Nadal is a five-time Grand Slam Champion, having won the French Open singles title on four consecutive occasions (2005-08) as well as Wimbledon 2008. He managed to reach his first semifinal of the Australian Open in 2008 but lost out to rising star Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 6–2, 6–3, 6–2.
His record on hard court surfaces has not been as impressive against Federer, and on grass, Federer is by far the better of the two. He does, however, remain the only player with a winning record against Federer over 5 or more matches. Nadal is 6-1 on clay, 2-2 on hard courts and 0-2 on grass.
Rafael Nadal is without doubt one of the top Australian Open 2009 men's tennis players and is Roger's fiercest rival. He has, on two occasions, denied the world singles champion a Career Grand Slam, with his 2006 & 2007 victories at the French Open.
Punters will find it very difficult to choose between these two great tennis champions and the new surface for the Australian Open 2009 may just be the undoing of Federer and defending champion Novak Djokovic . Rafael Nadal is known for his immense power and speed, and by 'quickening' up the surface may just give the young Spaniard an edge. Can you predict the next Australian Open 2009 winner? If so you could be successful at tennis betting.
Nadal has not had huge success as an Australian Open men's tennis player. In 2004 he reached the third round, in 2005, he pushed Lleyton Hewitt to 5 sets, but succumbed to the more experienced Hewitt and in 2007 he reached the quarterfinal berth. He withdrew from the Australian Open 2006 due to injury. He finally reached the semifinals in 2008, but lost out to unseeded player Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.
Although his playing style is awesome on 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 more often than not, a 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:
- He holds the longest winning streak on a single surface with 81 consecutive clay court wins.
- He became the 7th player to win a Grand Slam in his first appearance - the French Open 2005.
- At the tender age of 19 he became the third teenager to reach the world no. 2 in the ATP rankings.
- He is the first player to force Roger Federer to a fifth set in a Grand Slam final.
- Rafael Nadal beat Federer at the "Battle of the Surfaces", an exhibition match played on a half grass, half clay surface in May 2007.
- Won his fourth French Open title, becoming the only player other than legendary Bjorn Borg to win 4 consecutive titles at the event.
- He won Wimbledon for the first time, crushing the Roger Federer and claiming the world number 1 spot in August 2008.
Of the Australian Open Men's tennis players, Nadal has the best chance of toppling Roger Federer and current champion Djokovic. To place a bet on this event we recommend William Hill for the best tennis betting experience
