Per Biography, Nadal reached the quarterfinals of Wimbledon’s Boys’ Singles competition at 16. At the age of 17, he became the youngest male for Boris Becker to reach the third round at Wimbledon.

Nadal won the French Open for the first time in 2005 when he was only 19 years old, and his global ranking rocketed to No. 3. That year, Nadal won 11 singles titles, eight of which were on clay, earning him the moniker King of Clay.

Why is Rafael Nadal so good on clay?

Nadal is known for his devastating topspin, lefty forehand, and economical net game. All of these tools are characteristics of outstanding clay-court players.

Because clay slows down the ball, Nadal’s strokes kick up, causing his opponents to withdraw to the baseline and return to defense.

Stefanos Tsitsipas defeated Rafael Nadal in five sets in the quarterfinals of the 2021 Australian Open, halting his attempt for a record 21st Grand Slam men’s single title.

In January 2022, Nadal won his 21st singles title in Melbourne, Australia, breaking a tie with Djokovic and Federer for the most singles titles.

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