Happy Birthday Rafael Nadal: A look at the tennis legend’s best Grand Slam triumphs-Sports News , Firstpost

Rafael Nadal came through in four sets to beat Novak Djokovic and move into the 2022 French Open semi-final. AP

Rafael Nadal is considered the King of Clay. He is the current record holder for most Grand Slam men’s singles titles in the Open Era. The left-handed genius has 21 Grand Slams to his name ahead of Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic who have won 20 majors apiece. Nadal also holds the record for winning 13 French Open titles. He has finished the year as the World No 1 player five times during his career.

Today, on his 36th birthday, let’s take a look at some of his best Grand Slam performances:

2005 French Open

Rafael Nadal stepped on to the clay court with a 17-match undefeated streak to face the world no 1 Roger Federer. Many people thought Nadal had the ability to win the match. Though the match saw signs of mental stress from both players, Nadal kept his cool and won the match 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3. Thus he recorded his maiden Grand Slam title of his career at the age of 19.

2008 Wimbledon Open

The final day of the 2008 Wimbledon Open witnessed a fascinating battle between Nadal and the defending champion Federer. After 4 hours and 48 minutes of the rain-interrupted fight, Nadal finally won the match 6-4, 6-4, 6-7 (3-7), 6-7 (8-10), and 9-7. After Borg in 1980, he became the first player to win both the French Open and the Wimbledon in the same year.

2010 US Open

The year 2010 will always remain special for Rafael Nadal as he won three Grand Slams on three different surfaces- clay, grass and hard courts in the same year. In the US Open Final, he defeated Novak Djokovic to bring his first US Open title and joined the league of having all four Grand Slams.

2017 French Open

Despite the rainy conditions, and rescheduled event, Rafael Nadal again proved to be the best at Roland Garros. He defeated Djokovic in straight sets (6-0, 6-2, 7-5) and became the oldest player to win 15 Grand Slams.

2019 US Open

In his sixth US Open Final, Nadal fought for almost 5 hours to beat Novak Djokovic and became the second oldest professional player (33 years) to clinch the title after Australia’s Ken Rosewall who did it in 1970 at the age of 35.

Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.