I've written more glowing paeans to Rafael Nadal than I can count over the years. My first year writing this blog was in the fall of 2009, right after Nadal returned, in slightly hollow form, from his first significant knee injury - the one that kept him out of defending his 2009 Wimbledon crown. At the time, Nadal was the #2 (barely) player in the world, and 23 years of age, but with hurt knees, something many predicted would hamper him and ultimatley end his career early. In the first major since this blog started, the 2010 Australian Open, he was again just not the same, bowing out meekly to Andy Murray in the quarterfinals. Roger Federer won the event, his 16th - extending his lead to 10 over Nadal.
Ten years later, they are tied at 20. Nadal's knees did hamper him, at various times. First it was the second half of 2012, then it was the same in 2016. Nadal went through a rough period in 2015-2016. Somehow he came out of it, turning 30 in the interim, to win six more majors in his 30s, matching Federer at what would have seen an absurd number, and doing it by pummeling his now arguably largest rival, winning a French Open without dropping a set for a 4th time.
The lives and legacies of the Big-3 is such an incomparable story, one that is still very much being written, but let's pause for a second to laser focus on Nadal. On the same day the NBA crowned LeBron again, amplifying his GOAT claims even louder, another prodigy who exceeded everyone's highest expectations made his claim for GOAT as well. It truly is hard to believe that Rafael Nadal won a 20th major, won a 13th French Open, extended his career record to 100-2 at Roland Garros, and did it all in such a dominant way.
When Nadal got to 9 French Opens in 2014 (14 slams overall), I wrote a piece called "Rafael Nadal - Reaching the Highest of Expectations." I never would have imagined that he would win four more of those, including two more without dropping a set. Nadal on clay has so warped our perception of athletic dominance. His record at the French Open is so hilarious, it is hard to put into words. There's so many ways to say it. Last year I mentioned his run, which included just two dropped sets, was only his seventh best French Open run - well, now that's his eighth best. He has two separate four-year win streaks that started twelve years apart - oh and of course had a five-year win streak in the middle of it as well. When his career started, Pete Sampras was the record holder in slams at 14. Forget now that three people have all easily passed that, but Nadal is closing to matching the hold record JUST AT THE FRENCH OPEN.
It's hard to explain truly why Nadal is so indescribably good on clay, especially since he's a radically different player in 2020 - or even in this latest four-year run from 2017-2020 compared to his first four-year run in 2005-2008. Early Nadal was incredibly quick, could hit ridiculous defensive shots, passed with brilliant ease. He was the perfect clay court player - and it showed with what I still think was his most dominant run in 2008 (capped it off beating Federer 6-1 6-3 6-0 in the final). 2020 Nadal isn't as quick, is far more offensive than he used to be, has changed his game so much - yet he's as good on clay. It doesn't make sense, but nothing Nadal has done in his career on clay is the stuff of human comprehension.
In the larger sense, Nadal catching Federer could only happen at the French Open. He first flew on the scene in 2014, when he was 17 years old and beat Federer in Miami soon after Federer was crowned World #1 for the first time. That was on a hard court, mind you. His ridiculous clay court performances was the only thing keeping the sport from being so ultimately ended by Federer's dominance in 2005-2008. Little by little he improved and expanded his game to conquer grass and then hard court - culminating in his 2010 run winning the French (without dropping a set), Wimbledon and US Open (his first, completing a career grand slam) becoming the first, and so far only, player to win majors on three surfaces in one year.
He did all of that - Nadal's career even if he never set foot on clay makes him one of the 10-15 best players of all time (7 majors, 8 more times as a finalist, oodles of Masters wins). Add to that his clay career and you get basically the co-GOAT. Nadal's early career was defined as Federer's foil - hard-charging, muscular lefty vs a lithe, god-like righty. This crescendo'd in their 2008 Wimbledon - still called by many the Greatest Match ever. In that moment, who could have guessed twelve years later Federer would have won eight more majors, and somehow not be seen as the clear greatest ever.
Nadal reaching 20 is not the end of the story, but for one day, all seemed right in the sports world. In this craziest of crazy sports years, ultimately the closest thing to a lock - Nadal on Clay - held firm. It was never in doubt. Rafa has combined a perfectly enthralling, suspenseful career on non-clay with a mesmerizingly perfect one on clay, and left us all with 20 majors, scores of memories and highlights, and still with potentially more to come.
