Rafael Nadal’s 5 most successful clay court events: Roland Garros No 1, 12 Barcelona Open titles
Over the past two decades, one man has loomed large over the clay-court season.
Rafael Nadal may have called time on his career in 2024, but the ‘King of Clay’s legacy on the dirt looms large over this part of the year, with the Spaniard redefining dominance with his exploits.
With the first clay season since his retirement now upon us, we look back at the five most dominant clay events of his extraordinary career.
5) Madrid Open – Four titles
Nadal first won the Madrid Open title in 2005 when the event was held on indoor hard courts, though he would triumph a further four times after the event switched to outdoor clay in 2009.
The Spaniard won his first clay title in his home capital city in 2010, beating Roger Federer in the final, and would later down Stan Wawrinka in the 2013 final.
Nadal lifted the title again in 2014, following Kei Nishikori’s retirement in the deciding set, before beating Dominic Thiem in the 2017 final to claim his final title.
He was also the runner-up in 2009 to Federer, in 2011 to Novak Djokovic, and in 2015 to Andy Murray.
4) Italian Open – 10 titles
One of the most historic clay court events of them all, Nadal won a staggering 10 titles at the Italian Open in Rome.
Nadal beat Guillermo Coria in an epic five-setter for his first title in 2005, before beating Federer in an equally enthralling five-set final in 2006.
After breezing past Fernando Gonzalez in the 2007 final, the Spaniard would regain his crown in 2009 with victory over Djokovic, before defeating David Ferrer in 2010 to claim his fifth title in Rome.
Nadal downed Djokovic for a sixth title in 2012 and Federer for his seventh in 2013, before ending a five-year wait for title No 8 in 2018 thanks to a three-set triumph over Alexander Zverev.
The Spaniard’s last two triumphs in Rome would come thanks to victories over Djokovic in the 2019 and 2021 finals, bringing his haul up to double digits.
Nadal was beaten by Djokovic in both the 2011 and 2014 finals.
3) Monte Carlo Masters – 11 titles
Nadal’s most successful tournament at Masters 1000 level was the Monte Carlo Masters, where he won a staggering 11 titles from 2005 to 2018.
He defeated Coria in four sets to lift his first title two decades ago, kicking off a staggering run of eight straight victories in the principality.
Nadal saw off Federer in three straight finals from 2006-08 and then beat Djokovic in 2009, before further victories over Fernando Verdasco in 2010 and David Ferrer in 2011.
The former world No 1 then defeated Djokovic in the 2012 final for an eighth straight title, though the Serbian ended his rival’s dominance with victory in 2013.
However, Nadal bounced back with a further three triumphs later on in the decade, starting with a three-set win over Gael Monfils in 2016.
That was followed by victories over Albert Ramos-Vinolas and Kei Nishikori in 2017 and 2018, respectively.
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2) Barcelona Open – 12 titles
The ATP 500 event in Barcelona proved to be one of the most special tournaments of Nadal’s career, with the ‘King of Clay’ triumphing 12 times in front of his home fans.
Nadal downed Juan Carlos Ferrero in 2005 to start a run of five straight titles, beating Tommy Robredo in 2006, Guillermo Canas in 2007, and Ferrer in both 2008 and 2009.
After missing out in 2010, Nadal again beat Ferrer in the 2011 and 2012 finals to bring his haul up to seven titles, and he saw off Nicolas Almagro to capture an eighth title in 2013.
Nadal returned to winning ways in 2016 with victory over two-time defending champion Kei Nishikori in the final, and hit double digits by downing Thiem in 2017 for his 10th triumph.
The Spaniard then beat Stefanos Tsitsipas in both the 2018 and 2021 finals to complete his haul.
1) Roland Garros – 14 titles
Undoubtedly one of the greatest records in sporting history, Nadal won 112 of 116 matches at the French Open – with 14 titles to his name.
Nadal triumphed over Mariano Puerta to lift the title on his tournament debut in 2005, and then beat Federer in three straight finals from 2006-08.
After a stunning loss to Robin Soderling in 2009, Nadal returned to title-winning ways in 2010 – this time beating the Swede in straight sets in the final.
That started a run of five consecutive triumphs for the Spaniard, who beat Federer in the 2011 final, Djokovic in both 2012 and 2014, and Ferrer in 2013.
Nadal was beaten by Djokovic in the 2015 quarter-finals and withdrew mid-event in 2016, though he thrashed Wawrinka in the 2017 final to become the first man to win 10 titles at any major in the Open Era.
The ‘King of Clay’ then downed Thiem in back-to-back finals in 2018 and 2019, before beating Djokovic in the 2020 final – the last Grand Slam final contested between the two.
Djokovic beat Nadal in the 2021 semi-finals, but the Spaniard roared back in 2022, and beat Casper Ruud to claim his final French Open title – and his 22nd and final Grand Slam title.
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