MANILA, Philippines – As "King of Clay" Rafael Nadal is set to debut at the International Premier Tennis League today, we list here some of the astounding achievements from the Spaniard:
- With nine French Open championship (2005-2008; 2010-2014), Nadal became the only male player to win nine titles at a grand slam event. He equaled Martina Navatilova's record of nine Wimbledon titles.
- He is also the only player ever to win at least one Grand Slam for 10 consecutive years.
- Nadal is the youngest player in the Open era to win all Grand Slams at the age of 24 when he won the US Open in 2010.
- Besides winning all the slams, Nadal could also boast of being an Olympic gold medalist, getting the top prize in the men's singles in the Beijing Olympics in 2008.
- When Nadal won the Australian Open in 2009, he became the first Spaniard to do so.
- In 2008, he became the only second Spanish man to win the Wimbledon.
- That win also made him the only third male player in the open era to have won both the French Open and Wimbledon in the same year.
- In 2010, by winning the French Open (clay); Wimbledon, (grass); and US Open (hard), he is the first and so far the only male player to win thee consecutive grand slams on three different surfaces.
- Nadal also joined the Spanish tram that won the Davis Cup in 2004, 2008, 2009, and 2011.
- He has also appeared in the finals of each grand slam event at least three times.