Rafael Nadal's track record on grass is often not mentioned enough. Despite being considered a clay court specialist, since his debut at
Wimbledon 2003, Nadal participated in 15 editions of the British tournament, achieving an impressive record of 58 wins and 12 losses. Below we review in detail what Rafa has done on the most traditional surface in tennis.
Rafael Nadal's career has been so magnificent and so laureate that one can often get lost among so many achievements. On this occasion we will be reviewing how the former world number 1 has fared playing on grass, a surface to which the Spaniard knew how to adapt his game and began to have very good results from a very early age.
Nadal has won the prestigious Wimbledon title twice: in 2008, beating Roger Federer in an epic final that many consider the best in history, and again in 2010, beating Tomas Berdych.
In total, he has reached three finals and two semifinals in this Grand Slam, with defeats in memorable matches against Federer and Novak Djokovic;
The 2008 final was especially memorable, as Nadal broke Federer's streak of five consecutive titles, winning after a marathon match that lasted nearly five hours and was decided in a fifth set as night fell in the UK.
Rafa's numbers at the All England
- Titles: Nadal has won Wimbledon twice (2008 and 2010).
- Finals and Semifinals: He has reached three finals and has reached the semifinals twice. His lost finals were against Federer (2006 and 2007) and Djokovic (2011).
- Total Wins: With a record 58 wins, Nadal is among the most successful players in the history of the tournament, ranking 7th behind Andy Murray.
Despite Federer and Djokovic being the tournament's top winners, Nadal remains one of the few players to have beaten both players in this Major, underlining his competitive ability on grass;
In the case of the smaller tournaments usually played on that surface, Nadal was able to win in the traditional tournament at Queen's 2008, in the prelude to what would be his first triumph at Wimbledon.