Look back over Rafael Nadal’s Grand Slam history after his 17th major win at the 2018 French Open at Roland Garros.
We delve into the archives to explain why Nadal is one of the greatest, following his latest triumph in Paris.
Teen sensation
In 2003, at the age of 16, Nadal became the youngest man to reach the third round of Wimbledon since Boris Becker in 1984.
First French Open title – 2005
In 2005, the Spaniard defeated the unheralded Mariano Puerta in the final to begin a winning monopoly at Roland Garros.
At the age of 19, he became the first teenager to win a major singles title since Pete Sampras at the US Open in 1990.
The Rafa-Fed dynasty – 2006
Nadal broke Argentinian Guillermo Vilas’s 29-year record of 53 consecutive clay-court match victories by winning his first-round match at the 2006 French Open.
He went on to reach his second consecutive final, where he became the first player to defeat Roger Federer in a Grand Slam final.
Hat-trick of titles – 2007
The 21-year-old became the first man since Bjorn Borg in 1980 to win three successive titles at Roland Garros.
He again also shattered Federer’s hopes of becoming only the third man in history to hold all four majors.
Simply Invincible – 2008
Nadal condemned his great rival to his worst ever loss in a Grand Slam event with a 6-1 6-3 6-0 victory over Federer.
The Spaniard also won the title without losing a set, becoming the third man to do so in the Open era after Ilie Nastase and Borg.
First Wimbledon crown – 2008
Federer was on the receiving end of another major defeat as Nadal landed his first Wimbledon title – 9-7 in the fifth set and in near-darkness.
Gold for Spain – 2008
A glorious year ended with a gold medal at the Beijing Olympics after beating Fernando Gonzalez in three sets.
Melbourne King – 2009
He became the first player to hold three major titles on three different surfaces at the same time when he won the Australian Open with a five-set success against Federer again.
Shock defeat – 2009
A dejected Nadal suffered a stunning loss against Robin Soderling at the French Open. It was his first defeat on the Parisian clay.
Sweet revenge – 2010
A year later he exacted his revenge over the Swede, but this time in the final for his fifth Roland Garros title.
He also regained the world No 1 ranking for the first time since July 2009.
Rafa rules on grass – 2010
He followed that up with his second title at Wimbledon with a straight-sets victory over Czech Tomas Berdych.
Career Slam – 2010
A remarkable year ended when the world No 1 completed a career Grand Slam by beating Novak Djokovic at Flushing Meadows.
More Fed punishment – 2011
Nadal won his sixth French Open title by defeating Federer once more in Paris. Federer had ended Djokovic’s 43-match undefeated run in the semi-finals.
Magnificent seven – 2012
And in 2012, he surpassed Borg’s record to become the most successful player in French Open history with his seventh crown.
He also ended Djokovic’s bid to be the first man since Rod Laver in 1969 to hold all four majors.
Great eight – 2013
The Coupe des Mousquetaires trophy was back in Nadal’s arms after his straight-sets victory over David Ferrer in 2013, but the hard yards were achieved in the semi-finals when he defeated Djokovic 6-4 3-6 6-1 6-7 9-7 in a four-hour, 37-minute epic.
Big in America – 2013
That September, he was crowned US Open champion for the second time in his career following a four-set win over Djokovic.
High nine in Paris – 2014
‘The King of Clay’ won French Open number nine and record a fifth successive victory by defeating rival Djokovic in four sets. He was presented with the Coupe de Mousquetaires by another legend of the sport, Bjorn Borg.
The win helped him extend his incredible run at Roland Garros to 66 wins and just one defeat over 10 years.
‘La Decima’ at Roland Garros – 2017
Nadal ended a three-year Grand Slam drought with a brilliant performance against Stan Wawrinka in the 2017 French Open final. Nadal’s ‘La Decima’ was his 10th French Open, and he managed it without dropping a set throughout the tournament.
It was his most one-sided final win since allowing Federer just four games in the 2008 final.
Sweet 16 in New York – 2017
Ruthless Nadal proved far too good for Kevin Anderson as he claimed a 16th Grand Slam title at the US Open. The world No 1 lived up to his billing as the heavy favourite with a 6-3 6-3 6-4 victory over surprise finalist Anderson.
Record-extending 11th in Paris – 2018
Imperious Nadal won a record-extending 11th French Open title with a 6-4 6-3 6-2 victory over young pretender Dominic Thiem.
He joined Australia’s Margaret Court as the only player to win 11 titles at the same major, while the victory also took his record at Roland Garros to 86 wins and just two losses.
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