Rafael Nadal writes history with 800 consecutive top-10 weeks

The 20-time Major champion Rafael Nadal earned a massive ranking record on Monday, becoming the only player with 800 consecutive weeks in the elite top-10 group.

Starting the 2003 season ranked around the 20tth position, the 16-year-old Spaniard made stellar progress through the ATP ranking list to find himself in the top-50 next year. Rafa won the Davis Cup title at the end of 2004 and gathered momentum ahead of 2005 when he became the second strongest player on the Tour behind Roger Federer.

Nadal cracked the top-10 in April following titles in Monte Carlo and Barcelona, entering the elite company as the eighth-youngest player since 1973 and staying there ever since to achieve this incredible record.

Completing one notable season after another, Nadal's top 10 position was in jeopardy in 2015 and at the end of 2016, struggling with injuries but doing enough to stay in the exclusive group. From 2017, the Spaniard was back at his best, winning six Major titles in the previous four seasons and settling into the top-2 alongside Novak Djokovic.