Rafael Nadal playing a backhand against Alexander Zverev during their French Open semifinal on Friday.
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After Friday’s French Open semifinal, Spanish newspaper Marca reported that Rafael Nadal would miss Wimbledon later this month as he continues to recover from rib and foot injuries. Nadal himself acknowledged the pain he was feeling, telling reporters: “I would be happy with my life with a new foot. Win is beautiful, but life is much more important than any title.”
It might have been a surprise, then, that it was his opponent—third-seeded Alexander Zverev—who retired from the match with an injury, and that Nadal emerged with a victory. But nothing the 36-year-old Spaniard does at Roland Garros should come as a shock anymore. Not after 18 years of dominance in Paris.
With a victory Sunday over Casper Ruud, Nadal will capture his 14th French Open singles title and his 22nd Grand Slam singles title overall, extending his records in each category and advancing his claim to being men’s tennis’ greatest of all time.
Here’s a look at some of the other significant numbers behind Nadal’s incredible career.
0: The number of times Nadal has lost in a French Open final. He won his first title in 2005, two days after turning 19, and he has failed to win the tournament just four times since, losing in the fourth round in 2009, the quarterfinals in 2015 and the semifinals in 2021 and withdrawing before the third round in 2016.
2: The number of Olympic gold medals won by Nadal—one in singles in 2008 and one in doubles in 2016.
5: Nadal’s current world ranking. He hasn’t been ranked outside the top ten since 2005.
7: The number of events Nadal has played in 2022, already matching his totals from 2020 and 2021. In 2019, he played in 13 ATP Tour events, as well as the Davis Cup and the Laver Cup.
8: The number of times Nadal has played on his birthday at Roland Garros, including Friday, when he turned 36. In 2015, he lost in the quarterfinals to Novak Djokovic; he won the other seven matches.
8: Nadal’s number of major sponsors, including Nike, Kia and Babolat rackets. The latest addition is Amstel Ultra beer, a deal announced in April 2021.
Rafael Nadal, at age 19, celebrated a point during the 2005 French Open final against Mariano Puerta.
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13: Nadal’s number of singles titles at the French Open heading into Sunday, a men’s record for an individual Grand Slam tournament. The next-best total is Djokovic’s nine at the Australian Open.
15: Nadal’s age when he turned pro in 2001.
21: The number of Grand Slam singles titles Nadal has won entering Sunday’s final, putting him one ahead of Roger Federer and Djokovic for the men’s record. (On the women’s side, Margaret Court won 24 in the 1960s and ’70s, and Serena Williams has won 23.) Nadal won at least one major in ten straight years from 2005 to 2014—a men’s record—and he and Djokovic are the only two men’s singles players in tennis’ open era to have won every Grand Slam at least twice.
24: The number of matches Nadal has won over Federer in his career, against 16 losses. He is 29-30 against Djokovic after beating him in the quarterfinals at this year’s French Open. Nadal has never faced the 23-year-old Ruud, his opponent Sunday.
61: The combined number of Grand Slam singles titles won by Nadal, Federer and Djokovic heading into Sunday, out of a possible 74 dating to Federer’s maiden win at Wimbledon in 2003.
83.3%: Nadal’s career match winning percentage heading into Sunday. That is the best mark ever, just ahead of Djokovic’s 83.1%. Nadal’s 1,057 ATP Tour match victories leave him fourth on the career list, behind Jimmy Connors (1,274), Federer (1,251) and Ivan Lendl (1,068).
Rafael Nadal held the French Open championship trophy after defeating Roger Federer in the 2006 final at Roland Garros.
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91: The number of ATP Tour singles titles Nadal has captured in his career heading into Sunday. A win would bump him into a tie with Lendl for third on the career list with 92, behind just Connors (109) and Federer (103).
160: The number of consecutive weeks Nadal spent ranked No. 2 behind Federer, from July 2005 to August 2008.
209: The number of weeks Nadal has spent as the ATP Tour’s top-ranked singles player, the sixth-best figure ever. (Djokovic holds the record at 371.) He has finished as the ATP’s year-end No. 1 five times (2008, 2010, 2013, 2017 and 2019), surpassed only by Djokovic (seven) and Pete Sampras (six).
$700: The amount a bettor would have to wager on Nadal for Sunday’s final against Ruud to win back $100 in the odds set by DraftKings’ sportsbook on Friday afternoon. That makes Nadal the heavy favorite.
$1.05 million: The retail price for Nadal’s signature watch with Richard Mille when it was first introduced in 2020. Nadal, who has endorsed the brand for over a decade, wears the watch while competing. Only 50 of the model were produced, and Chrono24.com had one listed for sale for $2.52 million as of Friday evening.
$2.4 million: The amount Nadal will earn in prize money if he wins Sunday. If he loses, he’ll still take home $1.2 million before taxes for making the final.
$23 million: Nadal’s annual earnings off the court from endorsements, appearances, memorabilia and licensing fees, according to Forbes estimates. Combined with his prize money, that made him the world’s fifth-highest-paid tennis player last year. He’s far behind Federer, who earned an estimated $90 million off the court before taxes and agents’ fees over the last 12 months and has been the highest-earning tennis player for 16 straight years.
44.5 million: Nadal’s follower count across Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, the best figure in tennis, ahead of Federer (40.1 million), Williams (32.9 million) and Djokovic (29.8 million).
$128 million: Nadal’s career prize money entering the French Open. That’s the third-best mark ever, behind Djokovic ($156 million) and Federer ($130 million).
$500 million: Nadal’s career earnings before taxes and agents’ fees, including both prize money and his off-court endeavors, according to Forbes estimates. That puts him ahead of Djokovic (roughly $470 million) but well behind Federer ($1.09 billion).
