Nadal, Rafael (1986– )

Spanish tennis player, who won four consecutive French Open titles 2005–08. Although naturally right-handed, he plays left-handed and is known for his powerful forehand and aggressive style. A clay-court specialist, he won a record 81 consecutive matches on clay April 2005–May 2007, before losing the Hamburg Masters final to Roger Federer. He became only the second person to win the French Open at the first attempt, when, aged 19, he beat Mariano Puerta in the 2005 final in four sets despite losing the first set in a tiebreak. By the end of the 2008 championships, he remained undefeated at Roland Garros, having beaten world number one Roger Federer in three straight finals 2006–08. In July 2008 he became the first man since Bjorn Borg in 1980 to win the French Open and Wimbledon in the same year, when he beat Federer in five sets, after losing to the Swiss in the previous two Wimbledon finals.

Career highlights

French Open 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008

Wimbledon 2008

Tournament wins 33

In 2002, he won his first ATP Tour match at the age of 15, and by August 2003 had broken into the world's top 50. He has been the world's number two player, behind Federer, since July 2005. When he won the 2005 French Open, he was the first teenager to win a Grand Slam singles title since Pete Sampras won the 1990 US Open. His 6–4, 6–4, 6–7, 6–7, 9–7 win over Federer in the 2008 Wimbledon final was the longest Wimbledon final in history, lasting 4 hours and 48 minutes.