Rafael Nadal Wins the US Open

Spain's Rafael Nadal beat Novak Djokovic in the finals of the last Grand Slam of the year. The 27-year old won in four sets, 6-2, 3-6, 6-4, 6-1. This is his second US Open singles titles and 13th Grand Slam overall. He also won another Grand Slam in 2013, in Roland Garros. With 13 GS titles, Nadal moves up behind Federer (17) and Sampras (14) on the all-time Grand Slam singles title list.

So far the 2013 season is superb for Nadal, having reached the finals of 12 events, winning 10, including consecutive hard court titles in Montreal and Cincinnati. 

Amazing Rafa

Rafael Nadal made history today by willing his eighth Roland Garros trophy, beating David Ferrer, 6-3, 6-2, 6-3. It is the first time that one man has won a Grand Slam event eight times. Nadal now owns an astounding 59-1 record in 9 tournaments of the French Open, his only loss coming from Robin Soderling in 2009.

Nadal defeated rival Novak Djokovic in the semifinals, winning in five sets, while Ferrer reached his first Grand Slam final by defeating Jo-Wilfred Tsonga. 

In the men's doubles, the Bob and Mike Bryan won their second Roland Garros trophy, defeating the French duo Nicolas Mahut and Michael Llora. It is the Bryan brothers' 14 Grand Slam crown.

[pic]

King of Clay Wins Roland Garros

Rafael Nadal bested Novak Djokovic in four sets, to win his record-breaking 7th French Open title, one more than Bjorn Borg's.



The victory is Nadal's 11th Grand Slam title, and he is now tied with Bjorn Borg and Rod Laver for fourth with the most number of Grand Slams. Only Roger Federer (16), Pete Sampras (13), and Roy Emerson (12) has more.


Nadal also improved his record in Roland Garros to 52-1, with the only loss coming from Robin Sodering in the 2009 French Open 4th round. This is also his 35th title on clay, cementing his moniker as "The King of Clay."

Two in a Row

Rafael Nadal again defeated world No. 1 Novak Djokovic, 7-5, 6-3, for the second time in a row to win the 2012 Internazionali BNL d'Italia. The victory is Nadal's sixth title in Rome. He also avenged his loss to Djokovic in the final last year. The title in Foro Italico is also Nadal's 49th overall ATP titles, and his 35th on clay. He will also ascend to number 2 ranking, which he lost to Roger Federer last week.

Djokovic defeated Federer in the semifinals, while Nadal defeated fellow Spaniard David Ferrer in straight sets to reach his 70th final. Nadal now holds a record 21 Masters titles.


The total prize money is € 2,427,975. 

Feat of Clay

Rafael Nadal set another record when he won the 2012 Barcelona Open last weekend. By beating David Ferrer 7-6, 7-5 in the finals, Nadal now has won the tournament seven times. The victory came at the heels of his record eighth title in Monte Carlo two weeks ago. 


Nadal defeated Fernando Verdasco in the semis, while Ferrer defeated Milos Raonic to book a place in the finals. 

Nadal debuted in professional tennis in the same tournament in 2002, as a 15-year old. Nadal He now has 48 ATP singles titles, 34 of which are in clay. He also became the first tennis player in the open era to win seven straight titles in two tournaments. 

King of Monte Carlo

Rafael Nadal won his eighth consecutive title in Monte Carlo Rolex Masters 2012, drubbing nemesis Novak Djokovic in straight sets 6-1, 6-3. Nadal also broke his Djokovic jinx, where he lost 7 consecutive finals against the Serbian. 


Nadal defeated Giles Simon of France in the semi-finals, Stanislas Wawrinka in the quarters,  Mikhail Kukuskin in the 3rd round and Jarko Nieminem in the 2nd round on his way to the finals. Monte Carlo gave Nadal his 47th ATP singles title.

The Bryan brothers also won in the Monte Carlo doubles events, beating the team of Max Mirnyi and Daniel Nestor 6-2, 6-3. The win gave the twins their 78th doubles title. 

Cristiano Ronaldo vs Rafael Nadal

Two of the world's biggest athletes go head-to-head in a battle of explosive speed. On-court, Rafael Nadal's supremacy is almost unrivalled. But against Cristiano Ronaldo and the new Mercurial Vapor VIII, he faces a challenge like never before. 

[An ad for the Nike Mercurial Vapor VIII]

The interview and making-of video: 

Rafael Nadal

Rafael Nadal is a Spanish tennis player. He is currently ranked No. 2 in the world, having been No. 1 for weeks 102 weeks. He is regarded as the greatest clay court player of all time. He won 10 Grand Slam titles and a total of 46 singles titles (as of Feb 2012).

Nadal is one of the only two players to achieve a career golden Slam: an Olympic gold medal in singles tennis event, and winning the four major tennis tournaments, namely the Australian Open, Roland Garros, Wimbledon and the US Open. 

Born: June 3, 1986 in Manacor, Mallorca, Spain

Height: 6'1"

Weight: 188 lbs

Nadal is coached by his uncle, Tony Nadal.

 Achievements/Career Highlights:

• won his first Gland Slam singles title in Roland Garros in 2005; he won a total of 6 French Open titles 
• won his first Wimbledon title in 2008; won it again in 2010
• won his first Australian Open in 2009
• won his first US Open title in 2010
• won 19 Masters events, a record
• career prize money: $46.3 million (as of Feb 2012)
• career Win-Loss record: 550-118 (as of Feb 2012)

Dominance

Novak Djokovic defeated Rafael Nadal at the finals of the 2012 Australian Open, winning 5-7, 6-4, 6-2, 6-7, 7-5. The match is the longest finals of a grand slam ever, taking 5 hours and 53 minutes to complete. 

Djokovic has now defeated Nadal in eight straight finals, including the last 3 grand slam events. He also became the fifth man to win 3 consecutive grand slams, a record shared with Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Pete Sampras and Rod Laver. 

Nadal, on the other hand, is the first player to lose three consecutive grand slam finals. 

[pic source]

Nadal vs. Djokovic

World no.1 Novak Djokovic and world no. 2 Rafael Nadal will meet in the men's finals of the 2012 Australian Open on Sunday. This is the third consecutive time that the top 2 players in the world will meet in a Grand Slam final, which is unprecedented.

Djokovic defeated no. 4 Andy Murray, 6-3, 3-6, 6-7, 6-1, 7-5, while Nadal defeated world no. 3 Roger Federer  6-7, 6-2, 7-6, 6-4 at the semi-finals of the first Grand Slam event of the year.

Sportsmanship

Rafael Nadal - comforting Juan Martin del Potro right after winning his match and clinching Spain its fifth Davis Cup title - epitomizes sportsmanship. Nadal won the 4-hour match 1-6, 6-4, 6-1, 7-6 against the Argentine to put Spain ahead 3-1 in best of five singles and doubles matches.  

[pic source]