Rafael Nadal started his professional career in 2001. Throughout his career, he pursued someone – first Roger Federer, then Novak Djokovic, who pulled ahead. And now he is the leader, the first in the history of men’s tennis, taking 21 Grand Slams. Here is his journey from phenomenal teenager to phenomenal man.

Who is Rafael Nadal?

Rafael Parera was born on June 3, 1986, in the Spanish city of Manacor, on the island of Mallorca, to a wealthy family. Father Sebastian was a private entrepreneur, the owner of an insurance company and a tourist restaurant, mother Anna-Maria first sold perfumes, and later took up raising children.

Rafael’s relatives also had their celebrities, both of his uncles were associated with the world of sports: Miguel Angel was a football player who played in the Mallorca and Barcelona clubs, and Antonio Nadal, Rafael’s father’s brother, worked as a tennis coach.

As a child, he was seriously interested in football, which has always been a popular sport among children and young people in Spain. His uncle became his idol, and his favorite clubs were his native Mallorca and Real Madrid. No one doubted that he would make a career as an athlete.

A life-changing present

At the age of 4, Uncle Antonio, better known as Tony, gave his nephew his firs racket. The new sport fascinated the boy so much that he began to combine football and tennis. His uncle Tony, who then worked in a children’s tennis club, became his coach.

As a child, Rafael did not have an athletic physique. 20 minutes of intensive training with a racket was enough for him to fall from fatigue. To put his body in order, the boy had to run 500 meters (and later 5 km) daily barefoot on a sandy beach. Tony did not spare the young ward, thanks to which he soon acquired a taut form and easily began to run around the court.

Despite his passion for sports, Rafael’s parents did not see him as a future pro-player. They did not buy rackets and balls for the boy, and when he lost a friendly match to a peer, they offered their son to go fishing. But the lack of support from relatives did not stop the guy from persistently pursuing his dream.

Numerous workouts and classes in two sports took up all his time of a young boy, which negatively affected his grades at school. Then Sebastian set a condition for his son: he had to choose between football and tennis to have time to finish his education. He chose the second one and never regretted this decision.

First steps in a pro career

Future Clay Prince began his professional career as a pro-player in 2001. The very next year, he won six ITF Futures tournaments in Spain (the junior series of the International Tennis Federation) and won his first match in the ATP series.

In the same 2002, he took part in the junior Wimbledon, where he reached the semi-finals. In March 2003, he won the Challenger series tournament in Barletta. In April of the same year, he made his debut at the Masters series tournaments, reaching the third round at the Monte Carlo tournament, after which he entered the top 100 players in the ATP rankings. In the summer of 2003, he spoke at the adult Wimbledon and became the youngest participant to make it to the third round of the tournament since Boris Becker.

Since his debut, he took part in more than 1000 matches and won 92 titles.

Greatest achievements in career

Let`s take a look at the greatest records which now belong to Clay Prince and compare him not only with colleagues from the Big 3 but also with players from previous generations:

• Rafa now has 21 Grand Slam titles – and he is the sole leader in this indicator;
• He repeated the achievement of Djokovic, becoming the second in the history of professional men’s tennis who won all the Slams twice: he now has two titles at the Australian Open, 13 at Roland Garros, two at Wimbledon, and four at the US Open;
• Has the greatest single-surface dominance. On clay, he won 91.5% of his matches and 62 titles. He won four clay tournaments 10+ times: Rome (10), Monte Carlo (11), Barcelona (12), and Roland Garros (13);
• Only he has won a single Grand Slam double-digit number of times. Djokovic has nine wins at the Australian Open, while Federer has won eight Wimbledon titles;
• Clay’s dominance is seen by some as a counterargument in the fight for the title of the greatest. But you need to take into account, that at the US Open he has more titles than Djokovic (four against three), and in general, on hard, he won six Slams – the most in history, except for Agassi (6), Sampras (7), Federer (11) and Djokovic (12);
• In addition, Rafa is one of the two holders of the career Golden Slam – in men, only he and Andre Agassi took TBSh and Olympic gold;
• And was the fastest to collect a career Grand Slam. He won all four titles when he was 24!

Private Life of Clay Prince

He never talks about his personal life and always emphasizes his mediocrity. The members of his family do the same – about his sister Maria Isabel (Maribel), it is known that at her university they learned that her older brother was Nadal, only a few courses later, when the lecturer saw her in the Rafina box on television.

Therefore, little is known about his wife, Maria Francisca, with whom they are expecting their first child. We know that they have been together since 2005 (maybe briefly broke up in 2010), that Maria Francisca, whom Rafa calls Mary, is two years younger than him and also from Manacor, and introduced them to Maribel, with whom they are school friends.

Maria Francisca studied management and economics and then worked for the insurer Mapfre.

Maria Francisca has always been so private that around the sixth year of her relationship with him, one commentator remarked that no one outside her circle had ever heard her speak. In the ten-plus years since then, she has responded to every request for an interview with the same answer: “Thank you, I have nothing to say.”

Rafael Nadal’s performance in 2022

This season is quite successful, but with its difficulties. On the one hand, he won his 21st Grand Slam this season, and on the other hand, a large number of old injuries prevent him from fighting for titles at other tournaments.

In some tournaments, such as Wimbledon, he had to play through his pain, but in the end, he had to withdraw from the tournament because the injuries did not allow him to play to his full potential. Let`s look at his performance on different tournaments this year.

Rafael Nadal’s in the 2022-2023 season

So far, there are no exact data, however, on which tournaments Rafael plans to play next year. Back in the summer, he claimed that he plans to play at Roland Garros in 2023. “I am sure, I believe that I can return. I accept things as they are. I don’t have any plans for this to look like goodbye.

We continue to work to find a solution for my leg injury. I intend to return to Roland Garros next year.” – he said.

However, after a quick exit from the US Open, he talked about a possible end to his career. “My preparation was not perfect. Although I trained well last week. But when the tournament started, my level went down. You have to be very, very fast. And very young. I no longer have either one or the other, ”Nadal explained his failure.

For most of the press conference, journalists asked about the future of the athlete: will the imminent appearance of a newborn by him and his wife Hiskey affect the career and goals of the athlete? There were already rumors on Twitter that the chosen one would give birth in the fall, around October-November, and maybe even earlier, knowing how difficult the pregnancy is.

On the calendar, Nadal has an epic Laver Cup, and a little later – the Masters in Paris and the Final Tournament, where, by the way, he was selected first. But I think he will finish the season ahead of schedule.

“I need to fix everything, but I don’t know when I’ll be back. Probably when I feel mentally ready to compete again. Then I’ll do it. I haven’t thought about graphics yet. Now at home, there are more important things related to my personal life. My personal life is always much more important than my work. It’s time to reboot. These were difficult months.

What are the strengths of weaknesses of Rafael Nadal?

Having collected all the records of world sports, including the Golden Career Slam (all four Grand Slam tournaments and a victory at the Olympic Games), the Spaniard in every match shows his strengths, which consist not only of vigor and accuracy. Also do not forget about his weaknesses, he is still human.

Physical power

Nadal looks athletic. The open sleeveless shirts, which he periodically chooses to enter the court, perfectly demonstrate the relief of the arms and once again emphasize the Spaniard’s excellent form. Thanks to his physical data, he not only makes the right impression but can fearlessly get involved in the longest pranks.

Smart tennis

Toni Nadal explained to his nephew one more very important thing – tennis more than any other sport depends on the mind, and each opponent must be studied in advance. The main thing is to find weaknesses in his game and make him make mistakes.

Psychological resilience

Federer is usually said to have been born to play tennis. Nadal won that right. Each of his victories – with character. And he owes his character to his uncle and long-term coach – Tony, who from childhood taught the boy to cope with any difficulties and control emotions. “Tony was strict with me from the very beginning, stricter than with any other child.

Long-term injuries

Every year one of the best players of our time, Rafael, suffers more and more from countless and often prolonged injuries. The Spaniard is becoming more and more difficult to recover from huge loads. However, excellent physical preparation does not save from injuries, which for the most part have become chronic.

How to bet on Rafael Nadal?

The popularity of tennis predictions among bettors is also explained by the fact that sensational results are not uncommon here. The tennis world constantly discusses the incredible plums of the leaders or the victories of dark horses, and sensations are an opportunity to break the bank.

The stages of the Grand Slam (there are only four of them – the French Roland Garros, the British Wimbledon, the US Open, and the Australian Open) are considered the most suitable to bet on.

A bet on the leader would be the most suitable type of bet on Clay Prince. This strategy requires a matchup where the clear leader is pitted against an underdog. For the leader, bookmakers offer quotations no more than 1.45-1.65.

Where to bet?

Almost every major bookmaker has all the major tournaments on their betting lines. Before choosing where to place a bet, carefully research this market and find out what each bookmaker offers. We suggest you look at the following bookmakers: Parimatch, Excitewin, Betfair, Rabona, and Casumo.

Is it worth betting on tennis?

Players who are just starting their journey in the world of betting are not always able to independently navigate sports situations and take into account all the subtleties of this activity.

Therefore, beginners should try their hand first at pre-match betting, as live is very dynamic and requires some skill. You can also use expert advice.