ATP · Retired · Spain

Rafael Nadal

Career-high ranking: 1

Player at a glance

For Rafael Nadal, this snapshot records 1,326 matches and 1,091 wins from 2002 through 2024. The highest verified singles ranking is world No. 1. The data records 22 Grand Slam singles titles and 92 tour titles. On Clay, the snapshot shows a 90.2% win rate across 541 matches.

Status: Retired
Age: Age 40
Height: 185 cm
Playing hand: Left-handed
Tour wins: 1091 / 1326
Tour titles: 92
Grand Slam titles: 22
Career win rate: 82.3%

Results by surface

Read each win rate together with its recorded match sample.

Hard: 77.2%680 matches
Clay: 90.2%541 matches
Grass: 78.4%97 matches
Carpet: 25.0%8 matches

Player at a glance

How they play

Rafael Nadal won 22 Grand Slam singles titles, including a record 14 at Roland-Garros, and became the benchmark for clay-court tennis. Even in long rallies, he builds a more favorable position one ball at a time.

Heavy topspin from his left-handed forehand raises an opponent’s contact point; once space opens, he changes direction. His court coverage and repeatable patterns provide the base for his attack.

Featured video

Roland-Garros · Aug 21, 2026Nadal vs Ruud · 2022 Roland-Garros final highlights

Nadal completed his 14th Roland-Garros title in this final. His signature pattern—heavy forehand spin to drive the opponent back, then a finish into the open court—is easy to see.

Watch on YouTube ↗

What to watch

If you are new to this player

After a shot, watch him recover toward the most likely next ball rather than automatically returning to the center.
Notice how he uses forehand spin to push an opponent back, then finishes the shorter reply.

For a closer look

Against a right-hander, follow how a left-handed serve and the next forehand repeatedly pressure the backhand.
On clay, track how the recovery step after a slide flows directly into preparation for the next shot.

Career timeline by age

Apr 29, 2002 · Age 15
First recorded tour match
The first main-draw tour match covered by the current data set.
Aug 9, 2004 · Age 18
First tour title
A verified tour-title milestone in this player’s career.
May 23, 2005 · Age 18
First Grand Slam singles title
A verified Grand Slam milestone in this player’s career.
Aug 18, 2008 · Age 22
Career-high ranking: No. 1
The highest position found in the available weekly singles rankings.
2022 · Age 36
Record-extending 14th Roland-Garros title
He extended the tournament record to 14 titles in Paris and completed his 22nd major victory.
Nov 19, 2024 · Age 38
Most recent recorded match
The latest tour match included in the current snapshot.

Racquet and string history

RacquetVerified use

Babolat pro setup

2019 Roland-Garros · stringing-room record

The official stringing-room report records a 317 g unstrung weight and 25 kg tension, but does not identify the exact model.

Aug 21, 2026 · Confidence: High

Worth knowing

Nadal won at least one ATP Tour title in 19 consecutive seasons from 2004 through 2022.
The 2019 Roland-Garros stringing-service record says that he changed racquets every seven games.

Verified sources

Official ATP player bioChecked Aug 21, 2026 · Confidence: High Official Roland-Garros stringing-room reportChecked Aug 21, 2026 · Confidence: High

What to borrow for your game

Copy the sequence of preparation, contact point, and recovery rather than only the final shot.
On Clay, identify the repeated starting position and purpose of the first two shots before borrowing the pattern.
Compare footage from different career stages to see how positioning and shot selection evolved.

Notable numbers

Reached a verified career-high singles ranking of world No. 1.
This page uses 1,326 recorded matches from the 2002–2024 seasons.
The snapshot records 30 Grand Slam finals and 22 titles.

Reviewed sources

A result-based profile built from surface results, rankings, titles, and playing hand. Missing shot-speed, spin-rate, and point-pattern data are not invented.

Player reference page ↗