During the spring clay-court season, Nadal won four singles titles and defeated Roger Federer in three finals. At the Monte Carlo Masters, he beat Federer in the final for the third year in a row to become the first player to win four consecutive titles there since Anthony Wilding in 1914. Furthermore, he also won the tournament's doubles event paired with Tommy Robredo, thus becoming the first player since Jim Courier in 1991 to win the singles and doubles titles at a Masters Series event. Nadal then won his fourth consecutive title at the Open Sabadell Atlántico tournament in Barcelona. A few weeks later, Nadal won his first Masters Hamburg title defeating Federer in a three-set final, thus becoming only the third player to have won all three clay-court Masters Series titles, in Rome, Monte Carlo and Hamburg. He then won the French Open, becoming the fifth man in the Open Era to win a Grand Slam singles title without losing a set. He defeated Federer in the final for the third straight year, but this was the most lopsided of all their matches, as Nadal only lost four games and gave Federer his first bagel since 1999. This was Nadal's fourth consecutive French title, tying Björn Borg's all-time record. Nadal became the fourth male player during Open era to win the same Grand Slam singles tournament for four consecutive years (the others being Borg, Pete Sampras, and Federer).
He had comparatively more success after returning to Europe to play five clay-court tournaments. He won the titles at the Monte-Carlo Masters, the Torneo Godó in Barcelona, and the Italian Open, before losing to Roger Federer in the final of the Hamburg Masters. This defeat ended his 81-match winning streak on clay, which is the male Open Era record for consecutive wins on a single surface. He bounced back quickly in the French Open, not dropping a set en route to the final where he faced Federer once again, this time winning in four sets to join Björn Borg as the only man to win three French Open titles in a row since Anthony Wilding in 1914. Between the tournaments in Barcelona and Rome, Nadal defeated Federer in the "Battle of Surfaces" exhibition match in Mallorca, with the tennis court being half grass and half clay.
By winning his first Wimbledon title, Nadal became the third man in the open era to win both the French Open and Wimbledon in the same year, after Rod Laver in 1969, and Borg in 1978–1980, (Federer later accomplished this the following year) as well as the second Spaniard to win Wimbledon after Manolo Santana in 1966. He also ended Federer's record streak of five consecutive Wimbledon titles and 65 straight wins on grass courts. This was also the first time that Nadal won two Grand Slam tournaments back-to-back.
Nadal injured his shoulder during a quarterfinal match against Lleyton Hewitt at the Artois Championships, played on grass at the Queen's Club in London. Nadal was unable to complete the match, which ended his 26-match winning streak. Nadal was seeded second at Wimbledon, and was two points from defeat against American qualifier Robert Kendrick in the second round before coming back to win in five sets. In the third round, Nadal defeated No. 20 Andre Agassi in straight sets in Agassi's last career match at Wimbledon. Nadal also won his next three matches in straight sets, which set up his first Wimbledon final, which was against Federer, who had won this tournament the three previous years. Nadal was the first Spanish man since Manuel Santana in 1966, to reach the Wimbledon final, but Federer won the match in four sets to win his fourth consecutive Wimbledon title.
At the French Open, Nadal won his semifinal match against Ferrer to set up another final against Novak Djokovic. This marked only the second time in tennis history (after Serena and Venus Williams between the 2002 French Open and the 2003 Australian Open), two opposing tennis players played four consecutive major finals against each other. This was a match of historic proportions as either Nadal would break Björn Borg's record of six French Open titles, or Djokovic would become the first man since Rod Laver in 1969 to win four majors in a row. Nadal eventually emerged victorious in four sets after multiple rain delays that forced the final to be concluded on the following afternoon. With this victory, Nadal became the most successful male player at the French Open, winning seven French Open titles. Nadal lost a total of only three sets in the 2012 clay court season.
In Canada, Nadal lost in the semifinals to Murray. Nadal also competed in the doubles with Djokovic in a one-time, high-profile partnership. This had not happened since 1976, when Jimmy Connors and Arthur Ashe as No. 1 and No. 2 paired together as a doubles team. The pair lost in the first round to Milos Raonic and Vasek Pospisil. The next week, Nadal was the top seed at the Cincinnati Open, losing in the quarterfinals to Marcos Baghdatis. At the 2010 US Open, Nadal reached his first final without dropping a set. In the final, he defeated Novak Djokovic in four sets to complete his first Career Grand Slam while also becoming the second male after Andre Agassi to complete a Career Golden Slam. Nadal's US Open victory meant that he also became the first man to win majors on clay, grass, and hard courts in the same year, and the first to win the French Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open in the same year since Rod Laver in 1969. Nadal's victory also clinched him the year-end No. 1 ranking for 2010.
At the French Open, Nadal recorded his 106th win defeating Jordan Thompson in the first round. With a 106–3 record at the French Open, he became the player with the most wins at a single major. He recorded his 300th career major win by defeating Corentin Moutet in the second round. He defeated Botic van de Zandschulp in the third round and faced Felix Auger Aliassime (coached by Nadal's uncle Toni) in the fourth round, winning the encounter after being taken to five sets for only the third time in his career at the French Open. Nadal met Djokovic for a record-extending 59th time in the quarterfinals – the first singles match in tennis history to feature two players each holding at least 20 Grand Slam titles and 1000 career match wins. Nadal emerged victorious in four sets to advance to his 15th French Open semifinal. He faced Alexander Zverev in a grueling battle lasting over three hours with only two sets played, and ended with Zverev's retirement due to an ankle injury. As a result, Nadal advanced to his record-extending 14th French Open final. There, he defeated Casper Ruud in three dominant sets to win his 14th French Open title and 22nd major title overall. In doing so, he became the then-oldest French Open champion ever, and the third man to earn four Top-10 wins en route to a major title since the ATP rankings started in 1973, after Mats Wilander (1982 French Open) and Roger Federer (2017 Australian Open). He ascended to world No. 4 on 6 June 2022.
He then dominated the spring clay-court season. He won 24 consecutive singles matches, breaking Andre Agassi's Open Era record of consecutive match wins for a male teenager. Nadal won the Torneo Conde de Godó in Barcelona after defeating the former world No. 1 Juan Carlos Ferrero in the final; a triumph that propelled him into the top 10 for the first time in his career. He then beat 2004 French Open runner-up Guillermo Coria in the finals of the 2005 Monte Carlo Masters and the 2005 Italian Open. These victories raised his ranking to world No. 5 and made him one of the favorites at his career-first French Open. On his 19th birthday, Nadal defeated Federer in the French Open semifinals, being one of only four players to defeat him that year (along with Marat Safin, Richard Gasquet, and David Nalbandian). Two days later he defeated Mariano Puerta in the final, becoming the second man, after Mats Wilander in 1982, to win the French Open on his first attempt. He also became the first male teenager to win a major singles title since Pete Sampras won the 1990 US Open at age 19. Winning improved his ranking to No. 3.
Both Nadal and Federer won eleven singles titles and four Masters titles in 2005. Nadal broke Mats Wilander's previous teenage record of nine in 1983. Eight of Nadal's titles were on clay, and the remainder were on hard courts. Nadal won 79 matches, second only to Federer's 81. Also, he earned the highest year-end ranking ever by a Spaniard and the ATP Most Improved Player of the Year award.
Fresh after achieving the "Undecima" at Monte Carlo and Barcelona, Nadal had to defend yet another title at Madrid. He reached the quarterfinals, defeating Gaël Monfils and Diego Schwartzman in straight sets, to extend his record to 50 consecutive sets won on clay, starting from the 2017 French Open. His win over Schwartzman broke John McEnroe's record of 49 straight sets won on a single surface. McEnroe had previously achieved the record on carpet in 1984. In a surprise, Nadal lost in straight sets to Dominic Thiem in the quarterfinals, ending his 21-match and record 50-set winning streaks on clay. He also relinquished his world No. 1 ranking to Federer in the process.
Nadal continued his incredible ascent in early 2003, reaching the finals of Challengers at Hamburg, Cherbourg and Cagliari, and winning at Barletta. He scored a total of 19 Challenger wins in the first three months of the season to find himself inside the Top 150. He then qualified for his second career ATP event, the Monte Carlo Masters, where in the second round he beat the 2002 French Open champion Albert Costa, then ranked No. 7, thus getting his first top 10 career win and entering the world’s top 100. In his next ATP event, the Torneo Godó in Barcelona, Nadal scored his first ATP bagel in a first round win over Juan Antonio Marín. Nadal then reached his fifth Challenger final of the year in Aix-en-Provence, which he lost to Mariano Puerta. In May, the 16-year-old Nadal entered his second Masters event at Hamburg, where he upset No. 4 Carlos Moyá before losing to future French Open Champion Gaston Gaudio in the third round. Nadal was then forced to postpone his French Open debut after injuring his elbow in a fall while training. He then qualified directly to Wimbledon, thus having never contested in a major qualifying event before. In his major main draw debut in Wimbledon, Nadal defeated Mario Ančić, who at the time was the most recent player to defeat Roger Federer on grass, and then reached the third round to became the youngest man to do so since Boris Becker in 1984.
Rafael Nadal Parera (born 3 June 1986) is a Spanish professional tennis player. Nadal has been ranked world No. 1 in singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) for 209 weeks, and has finished as the year-end No. 1 five times. Nadal has won 22 Grand Slam men's singles titles, including a record 14 French Open titles. He has won 92 ATP-level singles titles, including 36 Masters titles and an Olympic gold medal, with 63 of these on clay courts. Nadal is one of only two men to complete the Career Golden Slam in singles. His 81 consecutive wins on clay constitute the longest single-surface win streak in the Open Era.
Rafael Nadal Parera was born on 3 June 1986 in Manacor, a town on the island of Mallorca in the Balearic Islands, Spain, to parents Ana María Parera Femenías and Sebastián Nadal Homar. His father is a businessman who owns an insurance company, a glass and window company (Vidres Mallorca), and the restaurant Sa Punta. His mother once owned a perfume shop, but gave it up to raise Nadal and his younger sister, María Isabel. One of his uncles, Miguel Ángel Nadal, is a retired professional footballer who played for RCD Mallorca, FC Barcelona and the Spanish national team. As a child, he idolized Barcelona striker Ronaldo, and through his uncle was given access to the Barcelona team dressing room to have a photo taken with the Brazilian. Another of his uncles, tennis coach Toni Nadal, introduced him to that game when he was three years old.
At the 2021 Australian Open, Nadal lost in the quarterfinals to world No. 5 Stefanos Tsitsipas, despite being two sets to love up. This marked only the second time Nadal had lost a Grand Slam match after being two sets up. Nadal next played at the Monte Carlo Masters and defeated Federico Delbonis and Grigor Dimitrov in straight sets to reach the quarterfinals, where he lost to Andrey Rublev in three sets. On 25 April, Nadal won a record-extending twelfth Barcelona Open trophy with a three-set victory over Stefanos Tsitsipas in the final, saving a championship point in the third set. At 3 hours and 38 minutes, this was the longest best-of-three-set ATP Tour final since statistics started being tracked in 1991. He followed up in May by making the quarterfinals at the Madrid Open and winning his record-extending tenth Italian Open title. In the latter, he saved two match points against Denis Shapovalov and defeated Novak Djokovic in the final.
Nadal went on to become the first player since Andre Agassi in 1994–95 to finish the year ranked No. 2 in consecutive years.
Nadal won the Spanish junior championships in 1997 and 1998, beating Ricardo Villacorta and Marcel Granollers respectively. In 1998 he completed the double as a junior, winning the Spanish championship in doubles with his great friend Tomeu Salvá, beating Diáz and Granollers in the final. Nadal then reached the final of the U14 Spanish championship at the age of 12, a feat that remains unmatched, losing to Juan Sanchez de Luna in straight sets. In late 1998, Nadal won the season-ending U12 Junior Masters at Stuttgart, beating future world No. 5 Kevin Anderson in the final.
In February 1998, Nadal won the Open Super 12, an unofficial world championship for U12 players held in Auray. It was the first time that Nadal competed outside of Spain and he beat the 1997 winner Jamie Murray in the final. At the time, Nadal was still hesitating between football and tennis, partly because his uncle Miguel Ángel was preparing to compete in the 1998 FIFA World Cup with Spain, but in the end it was Auray who decided it. In a letter in French that he sent to the organizers in 2010, Nadal stated that winning this tournament helped him make the decision to "opt for tennis and try an international career". Latter in 1998, when Nadal was runner-up in the U14 event Spanish championship, he was still playing football. Nadal's father told him he had to choose between football and tennis so that his schoolwork would not deteriorate entirely. Nadal said: "I chose tennis. Football had to stop straight away."
In 1999, the 12-year-old Nadal was already playing in the U14 circuit of the ETA Junior Tour, currently known as the Tennis Europe Junior Tour, winning the prestigious Tim Essonne, and finishing the year at No. 69. Nadal then dominated the U14 circuit in 2000, collecting two of the most prestigious trophies of the year at Les Petits As in Tarbes, beating home favourite Julien Gely in the final, and the European Junior Masters in Prato. On the same day he turned 14, Nadal won the Sport Goofy Trophy, held in Getxo, beating Granollers in the final. In July, Nadal finally won the U14 Spanish championships, beating his friend and training partner Tomeu Salvá in the final. He broke a finger on his left hand during the first round, but still won the tournament anyways despite gripping the racquet with his four good fingers, his pinkie dangling. As a member of the Spanish national team, Nadal won the 2000 ITF World Junior Championship for players under 14, winning his matches in both singles and doubles (paired with Marcel Granollers) in a 3–0 win over Russia. Nadal ended 2000 at No. 5 of the ETA rankings for U14s.
By the time Nadal was 14, he had made a name for himself in the Spanish junior circuit by winning multiple age group titles. Those achievements earned him a tennis scholarship in Barcelona, and the Spanish tennis federation requested that Nadal leave Mallorca and move to Barcelona to continue his tennis training. His family turned down this request, partly because they feared his education would suffer, but also because Toni said, "I don't want to believe that you have to go to America or other places to be a good athlete. You can do it from your home." Furthermore, Nadal already was by then practicing three times a week at Palma with his childhood idol and fellow Majorcan, the former World No. 1 Carlos Moyá, who later became Nadal’s mentor and confidant, and whom Nadal beat in 2000, at the time still a Top-10 player, in an exhibition match. The decision to stay home meant less financial support from the federation; instead, Nadal's father covered the costs.
In early 2001, at age 14, Nadal began playing the qualifying draws of professional tournaments. Although he managed to win some matches, he failed to qualify for the main draws in any of the 10 Spanish Futures he played between January and September. He also competed in the qualifying round of the ATP 250 event at home in Mallorca, but failed to qualify. In May 2001, he defeated former Grand Slam tournament champion Pat Cash in a clay-court exhibition match. Nadal finally made his pro debut in the main draws at the Futures in Madrid on 11 September 2001, wasting no less than 13 match points against Guillermo Platel-Varas in the opening round. A week later he received a wild card into the main draw of the Challenger in Seville, his first Challenger tournament, and he ousted world No. 751 Israel Matos Gil 6–4 6–4 to claim his first pro win and earn the first five ATP points of his career to become world No. 1002. At age 15, Nadal ended 2001 as the world No. 811.
In 2002, Nadal, then ranked No. 762, received a wild card to the ATP 250 event on his home island of Mallorca, where on 29 April, at 15 years and 10 months of age, Nadal won his first ATP match by defeating No. 81 Ramón Delgado, and became the ninth player in the Open Era to do so before the age of 16. He proceeded not to compete for two months as he had to study for school exams, which was a very important thing for his family, thus missing the junior French Open in June. He made his return to the tour in the aforementioned Wimbledon junior event, where he was the only non-English speaking player to receive a wildcard and reaching the semifinals after winning four matches against rivals with much more experience on grass, such as second seed Brian Dabul in the first round and eight seed Philipp Petzschner, who was also two years older than him, in the quarterfinals, before being eliminated by Lamine Ouahab. Nadal then won six of the nine Futures events he entered from July until December, including 5 on clay and 1 on hard courts, but he did not reach any doubles finals. Nadal finished 2002 with a Futures record of 40–9 in singles and 10–9 in doubles. In October, Nadal achieved his first victory over a top-100 by defeating No. 76 Albert Montañés in the quarterfinals of a Challenger at Barcelona, before losing to Albert Portas in the semifinals. Nadal ended 2002 as the world No. 199.
Nadal turned professional at the beginning of 2001, at the age of 14. While most of his contemporaries were making their first steps on the ITF Junior Circuit, Nadal took a different approach and played just two events on the ITF junior Tour, both after turning 16 in 2002, reaching the semifinals of the junior singles event at Wimbledon, and then helping Spain defeat the US in the final of the Junior Davis Cup in his second and final appearance on the ITF Junior Circuit. He thus posted a 9–1 career junior record in singles, 4–1 on grass and 5–0 on clay. He had a career-high juniors singles ranking of world No. 145, attained on 30 December 2002.
128036 Rafaelnadal is a main belt asteroid discovered in 2003 at the Observatorio Astronómico de Mallorca and named after Nadal. The decision to name the asteroid after Nadal was made by the International Astronomical Union in response to a request by the observatory. The asteroid is four kilometers in diameter and travels through space at a speed of 20 km per second.
In July, Nadal reached the first national final of his career at the Spanish Championship in Majadahonda, where he beat the champion and finalist of the previous edition, Tommy Robredo and Fernando Verdasco, en route to the final, which he lost to Feliciano López. Nadal then participated at Umag, where he lost to Moyá in the semifinals. This remained Nadal's only loss at a clay-court semifinal for the next 12 years, as he then began a streak of 52 consecutive wins in semifinal matches on clay that only ended at the 2015 Rio Open. Nadal also competed in seven doubles tournaments in 2003, and won his first ATP title (doubles or singles) at Umag, partnering Álex López Morón to defeat Todd Perry and Thomas Shimada in the final. Nadal won his second Challenger title of the year in August at Segovia, thus entering the top 50 and winning the ATP Newcomer of the Year Award.
In 2005, Nadal was signed by Spanish agent Carlo Costa, who oversees the huge operation that runs around him, such as managing everything related to advertising, sponsorship or social events. In 2006, Costa and Nadal's father convinced Benito Pérez Barbadillo, who had been working as the press officer of the ATP since the late 1990s, to open his own company (B1PR) to work with them as Nadal's communications director (PR manager). Nadal then hired physiotherapist Rafael Maymó, who also designs his physical preparation together with Forcades and who is one of Nadal's closest friends, thus also acting as a psychologist. Nadal has stated that Maymó "has been almost my shadow since 2006” and that they spend more time with each other than they do with their wives.
Nadal and Tomáš Berdych met a total of 24 times, with Nadal leading 20–4 (83.3%). Although this rivalry is lopsided in favor of Nadal, the two had several close matches in prestigious tournaments. Their first match was a final in Båstad, which Nadal won. They then met four times in 2005–06, all in Masters tournaments, with Berdych winning in three. Their biggest meeting came in the 2010 Wimbledon final, which Nadal won in straight sets. Their next most significant meeting was in the opening round of the 2009 Davis Cup Final, where Nadal again defeated Berdych in straight sets en route to the title. At the 2015 Australian Open quarterfinal, following 18 straight losses over 9 years, Berdych was able to claim his only win over Nadal in a Grand Slam, winning in straight sets, including a "bagel" (6–0) in the second.
Nadal helped to lead a revival in tennis known by many as the Golden Age, leading to increased interest in the sport and higher revenues for many tennis venues. Rising revenues led to exploding prize money: When Nadal first won his first French Open in 2005, he earned $880,000. When he won in last in 2022, the prize had increased to AUD 2.2 million. The Djokovic–Nadal rivalry is widely considered by players, coaches, and pundits to be among the greatest rivalries in tennis history.
Nadal is an avid football fan and his favorite clubs are RCD Mallorca and Real Madrid CF, stating "when my uncle (Miguel Ángel) was playing for Barcelona, we wanted Barcelona to win. Before that, my whole family was for Real Madrid. After my uncle left the Barcelona team, then we’re all for the Real Madrid again. I have got nothing against Barcelona, but I prefer Real Madrid to win". According to his uncle Toni, Nadal is "a mad fan of Real Madrid", and regards French football player Zinedine Zidane as an athlete who is "as high as any man can get". In 2005, Nadal received the Coupe des Mousquetaires from the hands of Zidane, who called him "a phenomenon".
Nadal is currently working with two coaches, Moyá, his head coach, and Francisco Roig, who was hired by Nadal in 2005, and who sometimes acts as the alternate coach.
Nadal met his future wife, María Francisca (Mery) Perelló Pascual (often mistakenly referred to as Xisca in the press), through his younger sister, María Isabel, and began dating her in 2005, when he was 19 and she was 17; but they only formalized their relationship to the public in 2007. After dating for more than 14 years, their engagement was reported in January 2019. In October 2019, the couple was married at the La Fortaleza castle in Port de Pollença, Majorca, in a wedding ceremony that had 350 guests, including prominent personalities like Tom Hiddleston, Olivia Colman and Hugh Laurie. On 8 October 2022, they welcomed their first child, a son named Rafael. Unlike most of his contemporaries, Nadal decided to delay having children with his wife only towards the end of his sporting career because he would otherwise not be able to allocate his complete attention to his kids.
Nadal has won the second-most major men's singles titles in tennis history (22) and the second-most Big titles (59). He appeared in the Top 10 of the ATP rankings consecutively from April 2005 to March 2023 – a record spanning 912 weeks. He stands alone in the Open Era as the player with the most clay court titles (63), consisting of an all-time record 14 French Open titles, 12 Barcelona Open titles, 11 Monte-Carlo Masters titles, and 10 Italian Open titles. His 14 French Open titles are a record at any single tournament, and he holds the record for the longest single-surface win streak in matches (81 on clay) and in sets (50 on clay) in the history of the Open Era. Nadal holds the all-time records for the most majors won without losing a set (4), the most match wins at a single major (112 at the French Open), and the highest match-winning percentage at clay court majors (97.4%), among many others. Nadal's dominance on clay is reflected by his honorific title as the "King of Clay", and he is widely regarded as the greatest clay-court player in history. Nadal is considered by many to be the greatest player in tennis history because of his record and evolution into an all-court champion.
Nadal was the defending champion at the 2023 Australian Open, but lost in straight sets to Mackenzie McDonald in the second round. During the match, Nadal was severely hampered by a hip injury for which he received treatment. In late February, Nadal officially announced his withdrawal from the Indian Wells and Miami Masters to recuperate from the injury he sustained at the Australian Open. As a result, he exited the Top 10 for the first time since 25 April 2005 (after 18 years, 912 consecutive weeks) on 20 March 2023, ending the longest Top-10 streak in ATP rankings history. According to tournament organizers, Nadal was aiming to make a comeback despite the injury at the 2023 Monte-Carlo Masters but withdrew in April. He later declined to enter the French Open as well, meaning he missed the entire clay court season. Nadal's withdrawal from the French Open meant he dropped out of the top 100 for the first time since 2003. He did not return for the grass-court season, including Wimbledon, nor the American hard-court season, including the US Open. As a result he failed to qualify for the world tour finals. In September, he hinted he would like to return in 2024 and that next year might be his last year in professional tennis.
Nadal returned to the tour at the Rogers Cup in Montreal, where he lost in the quarterfinals to del Potro. With this loss, he relinquished the No. 2 spot to Andy Murray on 17 August 2009, ranking outside the top two for the first time since 25 July 2005. Nadal then reached the semifinals of the Cincinnati Open, which he lost to Djokovic in straight sets. At the US Open Nadal fell in the semifinals, losing to eventual champion Juan Martín del Potro. At the ATP Finals, Nadal lost all three of his matches against Robin Söderling, Nikolay Davydenko, and Djokovic respectively without winning a set. In December, Nadal participated in the second Davis Cup final of his career, defeating Tomáš Berdych in his first singles rubber to give the Spanish Davis Cup Team their first point in the tie. After Spain had secured its fourth Davis Cup victory, Nadal defeated Jan Hájek in the first Davis Cup dead rubber of his career.
Roger Federer and Nadal have been playing each other since 2004, and their rivalry is a significant part of both men's careers. They held the top two rankings on the ATP Tour from July 2005 to 14 August 2009, and again from 11 September 2017 to 15 October 2018. They are the only pair of men to be consistently ranked in the Top 2 for four years continuously (from July 2005 to August 2009). Nadal ascended to No. 2 in July 2005 and held this spot for a record 160 consecutive weeks before surpassing Federer in August 2008. Nadal and Federer are also the only pair of men to have ever finished six consecutive calendar years at the top 2 positions (from 2005 to 2010).
Three days after his victory in Paris, Nadal's 24-match winning streak was snapped in the first round of the grass court Gerry Weber Open in Halle, Germany, where he lost to No. 147 Alexander Waske, the second lowest-ranked defeat of his career. He then lost in the second round of 2005 Wimbledon to No. 69 Gilles Müller of Luxembourg. Nadal then played at the Copa del Rey de Tenis in Huelva, the oldest tournament in Spain on clay, beating Carlos Moyá in the final. Following his Wimbledon loss, Nadal won 16 consecutive matches and three consecutive tournaments, the Swedish Open, Stuttgart Open, and the Canada Masters, defeating Agassi in the final of the latter to win the first hardcourt title of his career and to bring his ranking to No. 2 on 25 July 2005, where he remained for the next three years behind Roger Federer. His winning streak ended in the first round of the Cincinnati Open at the hands of Tomáš Berdych. Nadal was seeded second at the 2005 US Open, but was upset in the third round by No. 49 James Blake in four sets.
Nadal missed the Australian Open because of a foot injury. In February, he lost in the semifinals of the first tournament he played, the Open 13 tournament in Marseille. Two weeks later, he handed Roger Federer his first loss of the year in the final of the Dubai Open (in 2006, Nadal and Andy Murray were the only two men who defeated Federer), thus ending Federer’s 56-match winning streak on hard courts. Nadal was then upset in both the semifinals of the Indian Wells Open by James Blake, and in the second round of the Miami Masters by Carlos Moyá, who thus ended Nadal's 22-match win streak over fellow Spaniard players.
Despite his success, his uncle Toni ensured that Nadal remained as normal, modest, and down to earth as possible, as he believed these qualities to have a tremendous impact on results and motivation. He rarely if ever touts his achievements, refuses to put down his rivals, travels in public without a large entourage, and lingers after matches and practices to sign autographs. For instance, in 2007, Nadal would often interrupt his training sessions on the public courts of Manacor, just to hit a few balls with fans and foreign tourists that had asked him to, even though they were not very good, and even against his uncle Toni’s wishes, who had to tell him that he "cannot do this all the time". Former world No. 6 Gilles Simon has stressed that more than being grounded and simple off the court, what separates Nadal from the rest in contemporary tennis is his on-court humility, stating "Do not tell me that Rafael Nadal is not humble because he said in a press conference that he is not favorite in the first round of Roland-Garros".
— Nadal, on his love for fishing in his leisure time to the Daily Mail in 2007.
After countless philanthropic efforts in the early part of his career, he launched the nonprofit Fundación Rafa Nadal in November 2007, and its official presentation was in February 2008, at the Manacor Tennis Club in Mallorca, created to help disadvantaged children and teenagers, offering them opportunities through the practice of sports. Two months earlier, in December 2007, Nadal and Real Madrid goalkeeper Iker Casillas teamed up to stage a charity sports event in Madrid, aptly named "Friends of Iker v Friends of Rafa", to raise money to buy vaccines for children infected by Malaria as a means to help the Red Cross in its fight against the disease. This charity event was a huge success overnight, raising well over £100,000, which inspired Nadal to set up his own foundation, stating, "We raised an amount of money that we would never have imagined. [...] That is why the time has come to set up my own foundation and determine the destination of the money".
In December 2007, in the "Friends of Iker v Friends of Rafa" charity sports event, the two teams contested a tennis match and a football match, in which Nadal showed his football skills by scoring six goals against Casillas. With the teams tied at 14–14, the combined scores from the football and tennis matches, the event had to be decided in a penalty shoot-out, which was won by Nadal's squad. In December 2008, Nadal and Casillas staged a similar event, this time including an indoor football match, a tennis match, and a go-kart race. Casillas’ team won the kart race, mainly thanks to the experienced driving abilities of Spanish former Formula One world champion Fernando Alonso, while Nadal’s squad, which included Barcelona football star Samuel Eto'o and Novak Djokovic, then hit back to win the tennis event. The deciding football match ended in defeat for Nadal by a score of 9–12 loss.
For over a decade, Nadal has led men's tennis along with Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic as the Big Three. At the start of his professional career, Nadal became one of the most successful teenagers in ATP Tour history, reaching the world No. 2 ranking and winning 16 titles before turning 20, including his first French Open and six Masters events. Nadal became the world No. 1 for the first time in 2008 after defeating Federer in a historic Wimbledon final, his first major victory off clay. He followed up his win with an Olympic singles gold at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. After defeating Djokovic in the 2010 US Open final, then-24-year-old Nadal became the youngest man in the Open Era to achieve the Career Grand Slam, and the first man to win majors on three different surfaces (hard, grass, and clay) in the same year (Surface Slam).
Nadal won his 13th French Open title, beating Novak Djokovic in straight sets in the tournament's final, only losing seven games. In doing so, he won his 20th Grand Slam title, equalling Roger Federer's record as the man with the most Grand Slam titles. It also marked his 100th win at the tournament, losing only twice in 16 years. His straight-sets victory over Djokovic marked also the 4th time that he won a Grand Slam without losing a set, all at the French Open, doing it also in 2008, 2010 and 2017.
When Nadal was aged 10 to 21, the entire extended Nadal family shared a five-storey, family-owned apartment building in their hometown of Manacor, proving just how close-knit a group they are. For instance, in 2008, the 21-year-old Nadal was still living with his parents despite already being a superstar with a prize money close to $16 million and off-court endorsements beyond that. Later in his career, when Nadal won a Mercedes at a tournament, Toni insisted that he put the car in the garage, and drive around in a cheaper sponsor car so that he would remain humble, and with his feet planted firmly on the ground.
Nadal has been sponsored by Kia Motors since 2006. He has appeared in advertising campaigns for Kia as a global ambassador for the company. In May 2008, Kia released a claymation viral ad featuring Nadal in a tennis match with an alien. In May 2015, Nadal extended his partnership with Kia for another five years. He became the face of Lanvin's L'Homme Sport cologne in April 2009.
Nadal and Andy Murray have met on 24 occasions since 2007, with Nadal leading 17–7. Nadal leads 7–2 on clay, 3–0 on grass, and 7–5 on hard courts (including 4–4 on outdoor courts, but Nadal leads 3–1 on indoor hard courts), but trails 1–3 in finals. The pair once met regularly at Grand Slam level, with nine out of their 23 meetings coming in Grand Slams, with Nadal leading 7–2. Seven of these nine appearances have been in quarterfinals and semifinals, making the rivalry an important part of both men's careers. Nadal defeated Murray in three consecutive Grand Slam semifinals in 2011 from the French Open to the US Open. They have never met in a Grand Slam final, but Murray leads 3–1 in ATP finals, with Nadal winning at Indian Wells in 2009 and Murray winning in Rotterdam the same year, Tokyo in 2011, and Madrid in 2015.
Nadal lost to eventual runner-up Djokovic in the quarterfinals of the French Open, ending his winning streak of 39 consecutive victories in Paris since his defeat by Robin Söderling in 2009. Nadal went on to win the 2015 Mercedes Cup against Serbian Viktor Troicki, his first grass court title since he won at Wimbledon in 2010. He was unable to continue his good form on grass as he lost in the first round of the Aegon Championships to Alexandr Dolgopolov in three sets. Nadal's struggles continued when he lost in the second round of Wimbledon to Dustin Brown.
Novak Djokovic and Nadal have met 59 times (more than any other pair in the Open Era). Nadal leads 11–7 at Grand Slam events but trails 29–30 overall. They have played a record 18 Grand Slam matches and a joint-record nine Grand Slam tournament finals (tied with Nadal–Federer). Nadal leads on clay 20–8, while Djokovic leads on hard courts 20–7, and they are tied on grass 2–2. In 2009, this rivalry was listed as the third greatest of the previous 10 years by ATPworldtour.com. Djokovic is one of only two players to have at least ten match wins against Nadal (the other being Federer) and the only person to defeat Nadal seven consecutive times, doing so twice. They have also played in a record 14 ATP Masters finals.
By beating Marcos Daniel in the first round of the French Open, Nadal broke Björn Borg's 28-year male record of 28 consecutive victories at the French Open, and he then broke Chris Evert's overall record of 29 by beating Teymuraz Gabashvili in the second round. This run came to an end on 31 May 2009, when Nadal was upset by the eventual runner-up, Robin Söderling in the 4th round. This was Nadal's first and, until 2015, only loss at the French Open. The former three-time French Open champion Mats Wilander stated after the match that "Everybody's in a state of shock, I would think. At some point, Nadal was going to lose. But nobody expected it to happen today, and maybe not this year." Nadal then withdrew from the AEGON Championships. It was then confirmed that he was suffering from tendinitis in both of his knees. On 19 June, Nadal withdrew from Wimbledon, citing his recurring knee injury. Roger Federer went on to win the title, and Nadal consequently dropped back to No. 2 on 6 July 2009.
In June 2009, the Spanish newspaper La Vanguardia, and then The New York Times, reported that his parents, Ana María and Sebastián, had separated. This news came after weeks of speculation in Internet posts and message boards over Nadal's personal issues as the cause of his setback. Nadal later stated "My parents' divorce made an important change in my life. It affected me. After that, I couldn't play Wimbledon, it was tough. For one month I was outside the world."
Among his numerous career accolades, Nadal was named the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year in 2011 and 2021, and for winning three majors in 2010 he was named that year's BBC Overseas Sports Personality of the Year. He is an honorary recipient of the Grand Cross of Royal Order of Sports Merit, Grand Cross of Order of the Second of May, the Grand Cross of Naval Merit, the Princess of Asturias Award, and the Medal of the City of Paris. He was ranked as one of the world's highest-paid athletes by Forbes magazine in 2014. He was also named among the 100 most influential people in the world by Time magazine in 2022.
In 2010, luxury watchmaker Richard Mille announced that he had developed an ultra-light wristwatch in collaboration with Nadal called the Richard Mille RM027 Tourbillon watch. The watch is made of titanium and lithium and is valued at US$525,000; Nadal was involved in the design and testing of the watch on the tennis court. During the 2010 French Open, Men's Fitness reported that Nadal wore the Richard Mille watch on the court as part of a sponsorship deal with the Swiss watchmaker.
In 2014, former tennis player and eight-time Grand Slam champion Andre Agassi picked Nadal as the greatest of all time because of the way the Spaniard "had to deal with Federer, Djokovic, and Murray in a golden age of tennis". In 2019, former world No. 1 and 1995 French Open champion Thomas Muster stated: “Rafael Nadal is the best clay-court player ever”. Former world No. 1 Carlos Moyá stated in 2010 that Nadal was "one of the greatest ever. But he is on his way to become, who knows, maybe the greatest". Former world No. 1 Juan Carlos Ferrero: "Rafa is the king of knowing how to adapt to any situation in the match". Former world No. 1 and career rival Novak Djokovic: "Our encounters have made me the player I am today". Former world No. 1 and career rival Roger Federer: "I have always had the utmost respect for my friend Rafa as a person and as a champion. I believe we have pushed each other to become better players".
Nadal was raised a Catholic, but now identifies himself as an agnostic atheist. In a Sports Illustrated interview in 2010, Nadal was asked whether he believed in God or not, to which he replied that it was "a very difficult thing for me to believe". In an interview for the Spanish newspaper Información, Nadal stated on the context of his view on wars that "You can be religious, or atheist, Christian, Muslim... whatever, but I think the atrocities that people committed in the name of religion are too much. For me, religion is the main cause of mortality in history".
In February 2010, Rafael Nadal was featured in the music video of Shakira's "Gypsy", filmed in Barcelona. The chemistry between them was such that denials were released by both parties to quash rumors of a possible romantic relationship. In explaining why she chose Nadal for the video, Shakira was quoted as saying in an interview with the Latin American Herald Tribune: "I thought that maybe I needed someone I could in some way identify with. And Rafael Nadal is a person who has been totally committed to his career since he was very young. Since he was 17, I believe." In 2016, Nadal made a five-second cameo in the music video of RedOne's "Don't You Need Somebody", which featured many other sporting stars, such as Cristiano Ronaldo and James Rodriguez.
On 8 July 2010, it was reported that he had become a shareholder of RCD Mallorca, his local club by birth, in an attempt to assist the club from debt. Nadal reportedly owns 10 percent and was offered the role of vice president, which he rejected. His uncle Miguel Ángel Nadal became assistant coach under Michael Laudrup. Shortly after acquiring his interest in Mallorca, Nadal called out UEFA for apparent hypocrisy in ejecting the club from the 2010–11 UEFA Europa League for excessive debts, saying through a club spokesperson, "Well, if those are the criteria upon which UEFA is operating, then European competition will only comprise two or three clubs because all the rest are in debt, too."
On 16 October 2010, Nadal traveled to India for the first time to visit his tennis academy for underprivileged children at Anantapur Sports Village, in the Anantapur City, Andhra Pradesh. His foundation has also worked in the Anantapur Educational Center project, in collaboration with the Vicente Ferrer Foundation.
Nadal began his Asian tour at the 2010 PTT Thailand Open in Bangkok where he was upset by compatriot Guillermo García-López in the semifinals despite creating 26 break points. Nadal then won the Japan Open in Tokyo after surviving two match points against Viktor Troicki in the semifinals and then defeating Gaël Monfils in the final for his seventh title of the season. Nadal next played in the Shanghai Masters, where he lost to Jürgen Melzer in the third round. On 5 November, Nadal announced that he was pulling out of the Paris Masters owing to tendinitis in his left shoulder. On 21 November 2010, in London, Nadal won the Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship Award for the first time. At the 2010 ATP Finals in London, Nadal won all of his round-robin matches for the first time in his career. In the semifinals, he defeated Murray in three sets, before losing to Roger Federer in the final.
As a left-handed player, one of Nadal's main strengths is his forehand, which he hits with a high degree of topspin. He also regularly places among the Tour leaders in percentage of return games, return points, and break points won. Nadal has won the Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship Award five times and was the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year in 2011 and 2021. Time named Nadal one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2022. He is a recipient of the Grand Cross of Royal Order of Sports Merit, Grand Cross of Order of the Second of May, the Grand Cross of Naval Merit, and the Medal of the City of Paris. Representing Spain, he has won two Olympic gold medals, and led the nation to four Davis Cup titles. Nadal has also opened a tennis academy in Mallorca, and is an active philanthropist.
In their first ever meeting in a Grand Slam final at the 2010 US Open Nadal prevailed over Djokovic in four sets. Nadal achieved a Career Grand Slam with this victory. In 2011–12, they played four consecutive major finals against each other, with Djokovic winning the first three, Wimbledon, US Open, and the Australian Open, the latter being the longest Grand Slam final in history at 5 hours and 53 minutes. It remains the longest match of both Nadal and Djokovic's careers, and it also remains the only time that Nadal has lost a major final after winning the first set. In 2013, Djokovic defeated Nadal in straight sets in the final at Monte Carlo, ending Nadal's record eight consecutive titles there, but Nadal got revenge at the French Open semifinals in an epic five-setter. In August 2013, Nadal defeated Djokovic in the 2013 US Open Final to complete the Summer Slam.
Throughout his career, Nadal expressed a lot of concern over his knee injuries, which were long-lasting and chronic, sidelining him for years. In late 2012, Nadal received over six months of physical therapy, along with Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy, an innovative non-surgical treatment option for people with sprained knees and chronic tendon injuries that had been legalized in 2011. The PRP therapy proved to be successful as 2013 was one of Nadal's best years and he has since had much fewer knee injuries.
Nadal's autobiography, Rafa (Hyperion, 2012, .mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit;word-wrap:break-word}.mw-parser-output .citation q{quotes:"\"""\"""'""'"}.mw-parser-output .citation:target{background-color:rgba(0,127,255,0.133)}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-free.id-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/65/Lock-green.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-free a{background-size:contain}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-limited.id-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .id-lock-registration.id-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-limited a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-registration a{background-size:contain}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-subscription.id-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-subscription a{background-size:contain}.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg")right 0.1em center/12px no-repeat}body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background-size:contain}.mw-parser-output .cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:none;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;color:#d33}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{color:#d33}.mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{display:none;color:#2C882D;margin-left:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right{padding-right:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .citation .mw-selflink{font-weight:inherit}html.skin-theme-clientpref-night .mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{color:#18911F}html.skin-theme-clientpref-night .mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error,html.skin-theme-clientpref-night .mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{color:#f8a397}@media(prefers-color-scheme:dark){html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error,html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{color:#f8a397}html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{color:#18911F}}ISBN 1-4013-1092-3), written with assistance from John Carlin, was published in August 2011.
At both the London and Rio Olympic Games, Nadal was chosen as the country's flag bearer, and although he had to give up carrying Spain's red and yellow banner in 2012 due to his ongoing injuries, Nadal was the flagbearer for Spain in the opening ceremony of the 2016 edition; Nadal later described this experience as an "unforgettable moment".
In 2012, Nadal purchased a house in Porto Cristo for about 4 million euros, with his family home being right around the corner. Around the time he won the 2012 French Open, Nadal acquired a vacation home, a two-story villa in Playa Nueva Romana, in the Dominican Republic, for about 2 million euros.
Nadal has made several honorary kick-offs, such as in the Parc des Princes between PSG and Stade de Reims for a Ligue 1 match in 2012, swapping his racket for the shirt of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, and in Rio's local football derby between CR Vasco da Gama and CR Flamengo at the Maracanã Stadium in 2014. In 2022, Nadal was invited to take the symbolic kick-off between Real Madrid and RCD Espanyol for a La Liga match at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium and was greeted by a heartfelt standing ovation from Real Madrid supporters and from Carlos Alcaraz, who was also present in the stands. In 2023, Nadal kicked-off a Copa del Rey match between his hometown club CE Manacor and UD Las Palmas. Manacor's vice-president, Joan Gonzalez, then presented Nadal with a Manacor team’s red and white-striped T-shirt for his baby son, who had just turned a year old.
Nadal then reached the semifinals of both the Indian Wells Open, where he was beaten by Federer, and the Miami Masters, where he withdrew because of knee problems in order to risk no further injury given the Olympic-tightened 2012 schedule and the upcoming clay swing. At the Monte-Carlo Masters, Nadal did not lose a single set en route to the title to become the first man in the Open Era to win the same tournament eight consecutive times. In the final, he defeated No. 1 Novak Djokovic to end a streak of seven straight final losses to him, but unexpectedly, this was the most lopsided of all their matches, as Nadal only lost four games in a 6–3, 6–1 win. Nadal then beat compatriot David Ferrer in a three-set final to clinch his seventh title in eight years at the Barcelona Open. At the Madrid Open, Nadal surprisingly lost to Fernando Verdasco, whom he held a 13–0 record against. He heavily criticized the new blue-colored clay and threatened not to attend in the future if the surface was not changed back to red clay. Several other players such as Novak Djokovic voiced similar criticism. His tremendous record on clay continued as he defeated Djokovic in a tight straight-set final at the Italian Open. This was his second victory over Novak Djokovic in 2012 and his third title of the season, as well as his 6th Rome title overall.
In June 2012, Nadal joined the group of sports endorsers of the PokerStars online poker cardroom. Nadal won a charity poker tournament against retired Brazilian football player Ronaldo in 2014.
In July 2012, Nadal withdrew from the 2012 Olympics owing to tendinitis in his knee, which subsequently led to him pulling out of both the Canadian Masters and the Cincinnati Open. He later withdrew from the rest of the 2012 season, as he felt he still was not healthy enough to compete. Nadal ended 2012 ranked No. 4 in the world, the first time in eight years that he has not been ranked 1st or 2nd at the end of the year.
After two injury-plagued seasons, Nadal returned to the Tour in 2013, reaching 14 finals, winning two majors and five Masters events including the US Open Series sweep (Summer Slam). He continued his dominance at the French Open, securing six titles, two US Open titles, an Australian Open title, and an Olympic doubles gold at the 2016 Rio Olympics with Marc López. Nadal surpassed his joint-record with Djokovic and Federer for the most Grand Slam men's singles titles at the 2022 Australian Open, and became one of four men in history to complete the double Career Grand Slam in singles.
Nadal and Juan Martin del Potro met 17 times, with Nadal leading 11–6 (64.7%). Outside the Big Four, no active player has more wins against Nadal than del Potro. The two met in many prestigious tournaments, including at three of the four majors and the Olympics. Nadal won their first four meetings between 2007 and 2009, before del Potro went on to win the next three, including a straight-sets victory at the 2009 US Open semifinals. Their next significant meeting came during the 2011 Davis Cup final. Nadal beat del Potro in four sets to claim the Davis Cup for Spain. In 2013, Nadal denied del Potro his first Masters title, with a victory in the final of the Indian Wells Open. However, del Potro sought revenge in the semifinals of the 2016 Rio Olympics, narrowly beating Nadal via a third-set tiebreak. They then played a further four matches, all of which in majors, first at the 2017 US Open, which Nadal won in four sets, and then they met in three of the four majors in 2018, including a memorable match in the Wimbledon quarterfinals that lasted nearly five hours, with Nadal winning. The pair met for the last time at the 2018 US Open, where Nadal retired against del Potro in the semifinals.
Nadal and Stan Wawrinka have met 20 times, with Nadal leading 17–3 (85.0%). Although this rivalry has less significance than rivalries with the other members of the Big Four, the pair have met in several prestigious tournaments. The rivalry saw Nadal winning the first 12 encounters, all in straight sets, including 2 finals, one of which was a Masters final in Madrid in 2013. However, since Wawrinka's breakthrough season in 2013 the pair has won an almost equal number of matches against each other (3–4) from 2014 onward. Wawrinka scored his first win against Nadal in their most important encounter, the 2014 Australian Open final in 4 sets, denying Nadal's double career slam. It was also the only match between them that did end in a straight-set win for either player. Nadal then won their second Grand Slam final, at the 2017 French Open.
Nadal won the French Open after beating Novak Djokovic in the semifinal and David Ferrer in the final, breaking the record for the most match wins in the tournament in the process with his 59th match victory, surpassing the previous record held by Guillermo Vilas and Roger Federer (who equaled Vilas' record with his fourth round win but lost in the quarterfinals). Nadal also became the first man in history to win any major eight times, and tied Roy Emerson for the third-most major titles in history. He also equaled Max Decugis, who won eight titles at this event when it was only open to French club members. His semifinal match with Djokovic is widely considered one of the greatest clay court matches ever played, as Nadal came back from down a break in the fifth set to take out a hard-fought 4-hour, 37-minute victory. This was only the second time Nadal had been pushed to five sets at the French Open (the first being against John Isner in the first round of the 2011 French Open). This victory meant that since returning from seven months out due to a left knee injury, Nadal had reached eight consecutive finals, won 7 titles, and compiled a 43–2 record in 2013. However, Nadal then lost his first-round match at Wimbledon in straight sets to unseeded Belgian Steve Darcis (ranked No. 135), the first time he had ever lost in the first round of a major. At the time, he was the lowest-ranked player ever to beat Nadal in a Grand Slam tournament.
In addition to tennis and football, Nadal enjoys playing golf and poker. In April 2014, he played the world's No. 1 female poker player, Vanessa Selbst, in a poker game in Monaco. In October 2020, Nadal competed in the professional-level Balearic Golf Championship, obtaining a World Amateur Golf Ranking in the process. Nadal plays golf even more determinedly than tennis, stating "I am decidedly unfriendly during a golf game, from the first hole to the last".
Nadal began his clay court season with a quarterfinal loss to David Ferrer in the Monte-Carlo Masters. He was stunned by Nicolas Almagro in the quarterfinals of the Barcelona Open. Nadal then won his 27th masters title at the Madrid Open after Kei Nishikori retired in the third set of the final. On 8 June 2014, Nadal defeated Novak Djokovic in the Men's Singles French Open final to win his 9th French Open title and a 5th straight win. Nadal equaled Pete Sampras' total of 14 Grand Slam wins. Nadal then lost in the second round of the Halle Open to Dustin Brown the following week.
After signing his new coach Carlos Moyá in December 2016, Nadal's game style acquired a more offensive approach. Under Moyá's direction, Nadal improved his serve, and incorporated serve-and-volley as a surprise tactic in some of his matches. Moyá, who has known Nadal since he was 12, has always been more a friend than a coach for his pupil, and when he realizes that Nadal is going through a bad time, he leaves his duty as a coach and acts like a friend with whom Nadal can speak to.
At the ATP Finals, Nadal defeated Tsitsipas and Medvedev in the round-robin stage, but failed to progress to the semifinals. Despite his elimination, Nadal secured the year-end No. 1 ranking when Djokovic was also eliminated in the round-robin stage. This was Nadal's fifth time as the year-end No. 1 player, drawing level with Jimmy Connors, Federer and Djokovic behind Pete Sampras (six), and in doing so, he surpassed a number of the records he set in 2017, becoming (at the time) the oldest person to finish as the year-end No. 1 player, and creating a record eleven-year gap between his first and last year-end No. 1 seasons (2008 and 2019, respectively).
Nadal owns and trains at the Rafa Nadal Sports Centre (40,000 m , 430,000 sq ft) in his hometown of Manacor, Mallorca. The centre houses the Rafa Nadal Academy, where the American International School of Mallorca is located, making it easier for the players to handle school and tennis while still getting a good education. Also located in the centre is a sports residence, a Rafael Nadal museum, a health clinic, a fitness centre with spa and a café. The facility has 26 tennis courts among its sporting areas, as well as padel and squash courts, football fields, swimming pools, and multi-sports areas. The academy is not only used by a lot of young talented Spanish tennis players, but also from across the world. For instance, in 2017, the Australian tennis federation even agreed on a partnership with Nadal's Academy to let their players use it as their European training base. Coach and uncle Toni Nadal is the Head of the academy, his agent Carlos Costa is the Head of business development, and his childhood idol and fellow Majorcan Carlos Moyá is also involved as a technical director.
In April 2017, the centre court of the Barcelona Open was named Pista Rafa Nadal. In 2021, prior to the start of the tournament, the French Open paid tribute to Nadal with the installation of a 3-meters tall steel statue at Stade Roland Garros. It was created by Jordi Díez Fernández, one of Spain's most renowned sculptors.
By 21 August, he retook the ATP No. 1 ranking from Andy Murray. Nadal earned his third US Open title against first-time Grand Slam finalist Kevin Anderson, winning the final in straight sets. This marked the first time that Nadal had captured two Grand Slam tournaments in a year since 2013, and the second time since 2010. Nadal extended his winning streak by winning the China Open, winning the final against Nick Kyrgios in straight sets. On 11 September 2017, Nadal and Garbiñe Muguruza made Spain the first country since the United States 14 years ago to simultaneously top both the ATP and the WTA rankings, with Muguruza making her debut in the No. 1 spot.
In 2018, Nadal was featured in a new ad for the 2018 tennis game Mario Tennis Aces, the latest entry in the Mario Tennis series. In the ad, Nadal is serving for the win against a stubborn Mario before finally overcoming him in a climatic final shot.
His foundation and academy have frequently come to the aid of those in need, especially in Spain. During the Majorca flood in October 2018, Nadal, who was recovering at home in Majorca after having to leave the US Open due to injury, opened his tennis academy centre to the victims. One day after the flood he worked personally with some friends to help the victims, being photographed lending his hand in the cleaning up process once the flood waters had receded. Later, Nadal donated €1 million for rebuilding Sant Llorenç des Cardassar, the most affected town by the floods in the island. Nadal also organized other charitable activities to help repair the damage of the disaster, such as the Olazábal & Nadal charity golf tournament and a charity tennis match in which he was going to participate and that had to be suspended because he had to have an operation on an ankle injury, later identified as Mueller-Weiss Syndrome.
After defeating Hyeon Chung in the second round of the Paris Masters Nadal secured the year-end No. 1. He became year-end No. 1 for the fourth time in his career, tying him for fourth all-time with Novak Djokovic, Ivan Lendl and John McEnroe, behind Pete Sampras (6), and Roger Federer and Jimmy Connors (5). By securing the year-end no. 1 ranking, Nadal became the first player aged over 30 to finish as year-end No. 1 and the first to finish in the top spot four years since he last achieved the feat; he also broke a number of other historical records, all of which he broke again in 2019.
Nadal also owns and operates three other similar Rafa Nadal Academy/Centre facilities in Al Zahra, Kuwait (called the Rafa Nadal Academy Kuwait), Cancún, Mexico (called the Rafa Nadal Tennis Centre Mexico), and Chalkidiki, Greece (called the Rafa Nadal Tennis Centre Greece). The Mexico and Greece Centres started operations in 2019 while the Kuwait Academy opened in 2020.
In 2020, Nelson Monfort, one of the most renowned and well-respected French sports journalists in the world, claimed that Nadal was the most charitable athlete he had come across during his career. Monfort, who has interviewed Nadal for well over a decade, further stated that he had never declined to help for any charitable cause, and that he always responded to his requests promptly.
In 2020, his foundation joined hands with Endesa, the largest electrical utility company in Spain and one of the most recognizable brands for Spanish citizens. Endesa donated €400,000, which was used to help people who survived the pandemic, but also to add personnel and increase the capabilities of different services offered by the centers, with special focus on setting up a psychotherapy sector in Valencia.
To combat the ill-effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, Nadal joined hands with Pau Gasol in June to help raise upwards of 14 million euros. The proceeds in their entirety were directed towards the people suffering from the effects of the deadly virus. In 2020, the Fundación Rafa Nadal pledged to support the Food Bank of Mallorca, announcing that it would aim to collect 3,000 kg of food to support 25,000 individuals in Mallorca.
On 9 November 2020, Nadal reached his 790th back to back week as one of the ten highest placed players on the ATP rankings and surpassed the record held by Jimmy Connors.
In 2021, Nadal announced that he had a rare chronic disorder of his left ankle, Mueller-Weiss syndrome. He was diagnosed at the age of 19 and held off surgery as long as he could. After surgery in 2021, he returned to tennis in early 2022, winning the Australian Open. He later received two numbing injections and anti-inflammatories before each of his seven matches en route to winning the 2022 French Open. Nadal stated that he was not willing to do this again. In an open statement regarding his injury, he said, "I am not injured, I am a player living with an injury."
In 2021, a four-episode series about the Rafa Nadal Academy was aired on both Amazon Prime and Movistar and broadcast in 244 countries around the world. The docuseries features several young tennis talents who tell their stories, testimonies, and experiences at the academy.
On 20 August 2021, just 10 days out from the US Open, Nadal announced that would be ending his 2021 season due to the left foot issue that had been troubling him for most of the year. Therefore, his ranking fell to No.6, due to his injury.
Nadal returned to the court on 17 December 2021, in an exhibition match at the Mubadala World Tennis Championship in Abu Dhabi. Receiving a bye in the quarterfinals, Nadal lost to Andy Murray in the semifinals in straight sets. In the third place play-off, he lost to Denis Shapovalov in three sets.
After a six-week layoff following Wimbledon, Nadal lost in the opening round at the Cincinnati Open to eventual champion Borna Ćorić. Despite this setback, Nadal was the first to qualify for the 2022 Nitto ATP Finals. Nadal returned to the US Open after three years, where he won the tournament the last time he competed. He defeated Rinky Hijikata, Fabio Fognini and Richard Gasquet, before losing to American Frances Tiafoe. His fourth round loss to Tiafoe became his first and only loss at a major in 2022, and also resulted in his earliest major defeat since the 2017 Wimbledon Championships.
Nadal began his European clay court season at the Monte Carlo Masters, where he defeated Djokovic in the final to win a record fifth consecutive singles title there. He then won back to back titles in Barcelona and Italian Open, defeating Ferrer and Djokovic respectively. In the semifinals of the Madrid Open, Nadal saved three match points to defeat Djokovic in a deciding set tiebreaker to take his career record over Djokovic to 14–4 as well as his clay record since 2005 to an impresive 150–4. The match, at 4 hours and 3 minutes, was at the time the longest three-set singles match on the ATP Tour in the Open Era, and was voted as the best match in the history of the Madrid Open in 2022. Despite this, his exhaustion from his clash with Djokovic led Nadal to then surprisingly lose the final to Roger Federer. This was Nadal's first defeat on clay in 33 matches and ended his hopes of being the first man to take all three clay Masters events in the same season. This was also the first time that Nadal had lost to Federer since the semifinals of the 2007 Tennis Masters Cup.
— Felipe VI, on Nadal's legacy after he won his 22nd Grand Slam at the French Open in 2022.
–Nadal, on his rivalry with Roger Federer following his retirement in November 2022.
In 2023, on the occasion of the International Day of Sport on 6 April, the Fundación Rafa Nadal announced that they had decided to partner with UNESCO through its Fit for Life project, a sport-based flagship program designed to tackle physical inactivity, such as accelerating the recovery from Covid-19, mental health issues, and inequality.
In August 2023, Nadal signed up as the brand ambassador for the Indian IT major Infosys. Rafael said: "I’m very happy to work closely with Infosys, as they work to not only evolve the experience of tennis to the times, but also empower people in our communities to be part of a brighter future."
Nadal began his season at the 2024 Brisbane International, after defeating former 2020 US Open champion Dominic Thiem 7–5, 6–1. He went on to defeat reigning 2023 Australian Open doubles champion Jason Kubler 6–1, 6–2. His run would be cut short in the quarterfinals after being defeated by Australian Jordan Thompson, who saved three match points against Nadal. During the match, he sustained a muscle injury, which forced him to miss the Australian Open. Nadal played Carlos Alcaraz in the Netflix Slam, a televised exhibition match on March 3, 2024, in Las Vegas.
In response to the 2010 Haiti earthquake, Nadal played in a special charity event alongside fellow top tennis players during the 2010 Australian Open called 'Hit for Haiti', whose proceeds went to Haiti earthquake victims. He participated in a follow-up charity exhibition during the 2010 Indian Wells Open, pairing with Andre Agassi in an eventual loss to Roger Federer and Pete Sampras; it raised $1 million. In late 2010, Nadal played his perceived career rival Roger Federer in the two-match exhibition Match for Africa for the Roger Federer Foundation and the Rafa Nadal Foundation. The first match took place in Zürich on 21 December, and was won by Federer, while the following match was played in Madrid, and it was won by Nadal.