5 milestones Rafael Nadal could achieve at 2022 Wimbledon
Rafael Nadal is all set to play Wimbledon for the first time in three years. Seeded second at this year's Championships, the 22-time Major winner is arriving at SW19 on the back of a record-extending 14th title at Roland Garros.
Nadal, 36, is now preparing to make his 15th appearance in the main draw, almost two decades after his competition debut in 2003, when he made the third round. Despite being plagued by injuries to his ribs and foot, the Spaniard has lost just three times in 33 matches this year, winning four titles.
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🌱 Gentlemen’s singles
#Wimbledon https://t.co/JwDWfypDMu
On that note, here's a look at five milestones Nadal could achieve at Wimbledon in the next fortnight:
#1 Rafael Nadal could become third male player to reach 31 Major singles finals
Rafael Nadal is widely regarded as one of the best players in the game's history. The legendary left-hander reached his 30th Grand Slam final earlier this year, where he beat first-time Major finalist Casper Ruud to win a record-extending 14th French Open title.
Nadal will now look to continue his winning run on the grasscourts of Wimbledon, where he triumphed in 2008 and 2010. He has reached the last four on his last two visits to SW19, losing to Novak Djokovic in 2018 and to Roger Federer a year later.
King of Clay x 14 👑
@RafaelNadal remains undefeated in Paris finals, conquering Casper Ruud 6-3, 6-3, 6-0 for a 14th title
#RolandGarros https://t.co/GctcC17Ah8
The 36-year-old will look to reach his first Wimbledon final in 11 years, and sixth overall, in the next fortnight. Doing so will make him only the third male player in the Open Era to reach 31 Grand Slam finals.
Nadal's Big Three peers - Roger Federer (20-11) and Novak Djokovic (20-11) - are the two players in the exclusive club.
#2 Become third male player in Open Era to win Australian Open-Roland Garros-Wimbledon treble
In the Open Era, only Rod Laver (1969) and Novak Djokovic (2021) have won the Australian Open, Roland Garros and Wimbledon titles in the same year.
Nadal will join the legendary duo if he scripts his third SW19 success next fortnight. For the first time in his career, the Spaniard has won the Australian Open and Roland Garros in the same year.
Legendary status 💪
#AusOpen • #AO2022 https://t.co/7uDDds3x7z
In 2009, Nadal had won his first Australian Open title but lost to Robin Soderling in the fourth round at Roland Garros.
If the Spaniard scripts an unlikely triumph at Wimbledon this year, he'll also be three-fourths of his way towards accomplishing the rare 'Calendar Grand Slam'. Laver (1969) remains the only male player in the Open Era to have accomplished the feat.
#3 Become second oldest Wimbledon men's singles champion in Open Era
Rafael Nadal made his first Wimbledon final as a 21-year-old in 2006 but lost in four sets to Roger Federer. The pair met again in the final the following year. Although the Spaniard pushed the match to five sets, Federer managed to come through to win his fifth straight Wimbledon title.
In 2008, Federer-Nadal became the first pair since Boris Becker-Stefan Edberg (1988-1990) to contest three successive SW19 finals. In a match for the ages, Nadal took an unthinkable two-set lead over the five-time reigning champion.
Federer responded by taking the third set. He then saved multiple championship points in the fourth to force a decider. However, Nadal won 9-7 in near darkness to breach the Swiss' Wimbledon bastion, becoming the first Spaniard in the Open Era to win the grasscourt Major.
2008 Wimbledon Men's Singles Final: Rafael Nadal vs Roger Federer: youtu.be/IfBX0IkcqLg?a via @YouTube
Two years later, Nadal beat Tomas Berdych in straight sets to win his second SW19 title. Although he returned to the final the following year, the Spaniard lost to Djokovic in four sets.
More than a decade later, if Nadal scripts his third Wimbledon success, he'll become the second-oldest player in the Open Era to win the prestigious competition. Federer was weeks shy of his 37th birthday when he won his eighth Wimbledon title in 2017; Nadal turned 36 earlier this month.
#4 Become third male player to win 60 matches at all four Majors
Rafael Nadal has won at least 50 matches in all four Grand Slams. That includes a staggering 112 at Roland Garros, 76 at the Australian Open and 61 at the US Open.
Nadal has 53 wins at Wimbledon. If he wins the tournament for the third time in the next fortnight, the Spaniard will move to 60 wins at SW19. That would move him to an exclusive club of two other players to have won 60 matches at all four Majors.
50 #Wimbledon wins and counting for @RafaelNadal… https://t.co/8Q3zg2KnKu
Federer and Djokovic, in fact, have won 75 matches at all four Grand Slams. If he wins his first-round match next week, the Serb will become the first player to register 80 wins in all four Majors.
#5 Move to second in all-time Grand Slam leaderboard - male or female
Rafael Nadal won the Australian Open and Roland Garros this year to move to 22 Grand Slam titles. He's now level with Steffi Graf, who won as many Grand Slam singles titles during her illustrious career in the 80s and 90s.
If the Spaniard wins Wimbledon in the next fortnight, he'll move level with Serena Williams for the most Grand Slam singles titles in the Open Era by any player - male or female. That'll also put him only one shy of the all-time record of Australian legend Margaret Court.