Rafael Nadal: From 1st Grand Slam win in 2005 to 21st in 2022, a look at his career

Rafael Nadal created history on Sunday (January 30) when he won his second Australian Open title after victory over Russia's Daniil Medvedev in the summit clash at the Rod Laver arena.

It was a hard-fought win for Nadal, who was thinking a few months earlier whether he would be able to make it to Australia or not as he battled his body and its injuries. Stuck at 20 career Grand Slam titles with Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic, Nadal finally managed to make the first move and reach the 21 mark. 

He will look to extend it to 22 when he plays French Open, which he has won a record number of time (13). 

Champion in Melbourne once again _#AO2022 _ #AusOpen pic.twitter.com/NLyuXwUwdt — #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 30, 2022

Here's a quick look at Nadal's life and career

Nadal was born in Manacor, Spain to Sebastian Nadal and Ana Maria Parera. His uncle Miguel Angel Nadal was a former soccer player who represented Barcelona, RCD Mallorca and the Spain national team. He was introduced to tennis by another uncle, Toni, who encouraged his naturally right-handed nephew to play left-handed as it would give him an advantage. He turned professional in 2001 and won the junior Davis Cup with Spain in 2002. Won the ATP newcomer of the year in 2003.

Nadal has now won all the four Grand Slams at least twice after his win over Medvedev on Sunday. 

Here's a quick look at all his Grand Slam title wins: 

A picture says a million Vamos#AusOpen _ #AO2022 _ @RafaelNadal pic.twitter.com/l7gcpWj5of — #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 30, 2022

Total (21):

Australian Open (2009, 2022)

French Open (2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020)

Wimbledon (2008, 2010)

US Open (2010, 2013, 2017, 2019)

Career to date

- Won his first ATP singles title in Poland in 2004.

- Defeated world number two Andy Roddick to guide Spain to the Davis Cup title in 2004. He won the tournament again in 2008, 2009, 2011 and 2019.

- Won the French Open on debut in 2005 and a year later beat Roger Federer in the final.

- In 2007, he became the first man since Bjorn Borg in 1980 to win a hat-trick of Roland Garros titles.

All of us after that match _

You've earned it, @RafaelNadal #AusOpen _ #AO2022 pic.twitter.com/0od3OtT0nV — #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 30, 2022

- Won his first Wimbledon title in 2008 with a five-set victory over Federer, a match dubbed the `the greatest tennis match in history`.

- Won a gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics for Spain in singles. Clinched the doubles gold with Marc Lopez at the 2016 Rio Games.

- Suffered his first French Open loss in 2009 to Sweden`s Robin Soderling in the fourth round.

- Regained the title the following year, beating Soderling in the final. He also won Wimbledon for a second time in 2010 before claiming his first U.S. Open title, becoming the seventh man to win all four Grand Slams.

- Matched Borg`s record of six French Open titles with his 2011 victory and overtook the Swede in 2012.

- Became the first man with eight titles at the same Grand Slam when he beat fellow Spaniard David Ferrer in the 2013 final at Roland Garros. He also won the U.S. Open that year.

- Became the first man to win five successive French Open titles in 2014.

- Won his second Grand Slam of 2017 at Flushing Meadows after a 10th French Open title in June.

- Claimed an 11th French Open title and his 17th major with victory over Dominic Thiem in 2018.

- Defeated Thiem again in 2019 final to seal his 12th Roland Garros title. He also won a fourth U.S. Open crown by defeating Russian Daniil Medvedev in the final.

- Matched Federer`s record of 20 Grand Slam titles by defeating Djokovic in the French Open final in 2020.

- Got his 1,000th victory on the ATP Tour at the 2020 Paris Masters, becoming the fourth man in the professional era to achieve it.

- Suffered only his third-ever loss at Roland Garros in 2021 when he was beaten by Djokovic in the semi-finals.

- Missed chunks of the 2021 season, including Wimbledon, the Olympics and the U.S. Open, due to a long-standing foot injury.

- Defeated Medvedev in the 2022 Australian Open final to win a men`s record 21st Grand Slam title.

With Reuters inputs