5 unique records held by Rafael Nadal

Rafael Nadal became the first man in tennis history to win 21 Grand Slams earlier this year, defeating Daniil Medvedev in the final of the Australian Open. In doing so, the Spaniard also became the second man to complete the Double Career Slam in the 21st century -- a feat only Novak Djokovic had achieved before him.

Those two records are part of a much longer list in the Mallorcan's career. Having made his debut on the ATP tour in 2001 as a teenager, Nadal has accumulated some of the most unique and interesting records possible in the sport over an illustrious career.

Without further ado, here's a list of five of them:

#1 10 titles at four different tournaments

Rafael Nadal has won four separate tournaments at least 10 times till date

Rafael Nadal's dominance on clay is well-documented, but the degree of his control is something that cannot be fully comprehended without the sheer numbers behind it.

2005 🏆
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@RafaelNadal & @rolandgarros are inseparable ❤️

https://t.co/wSy9IfDW4M

The 21-time Grand Slam champion has won Roland Garros 13 times till date, making him the only player in ATP history to win a Grand Slam more than 10 times. The 35-year-old has also won the Monte-Carlo Masters 11 times, the Barcelona Open 12 times and the Rome Masters 10 times till date.

No one has ever won so many times in Rome... Except for RAFA! 🤯
2005🏆
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2021🏆
#IBI21 #Nadal @atptour https://t.co/IB9qgaYnrP

This makes him the only player to have won four separate tournaments at least 10 times. The closest anyone has gotten to the World No. 4 is Roger Federer, who has 10 titles at two events (Halle and Swiss Indoors).

#2 Completing the 'Clay Slam'

A lot is said about the Sunshine Double being the hardest achievement to complete on the ATP calendar, but on paper the 'Clay Slam' is much harder. It consists of winning the Monte-Carlo Masters, Madrid Masters, Rome Masters and the French Open in the same year -- a feat only Rafael Nadal has accomplished.

The former World No. 1 did the unthinkable in 2010, defeating Fernando Verdasco and David Ferrer in the final in Monte-Carlo and Rome respectively. In Madrid, he quelled Roger Federer in the final and followed it up by dismantling Robin Soderling in the Paris final to win four "big" titles in two months.

Rafael Nadal 2010 Clay Court Season:

- 22-0 Record

- Won All 3 Masters 1000 Events

- Won the French Open in Straight Sets

- Won 51 of 53 Sets

- 8-0 against Top 20 players

Interestingly, the Spaniard went on to win Wimbledon that year too.

#3 Simultaneously holding the Olympic Gold and Slams on all three surfaces

Rafael Nadal raced to the Olympic gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, besting Novak Djokovic in the semifinals and Fernando Gonzalez in the final.

The Olympics took place in August, before which the Spaniard won both the French Open and Wimbledon. The three-time defending champion vanquished Roger Federer in the final at Roland Garros to notch up his fourth Major title. Wimbledon witnessed the same result, with the Mallorcan beating five-time defending champion Federer to win his first Slam on grass.

#OnThisDay in #Beijing2008 men´s singles 🎾final @RafaelNadal 🇪🇸 beat @FerGonzalezEl 🇨🇱6–3, 7–6 & 6–3 to win his 1st #Gold 🥇at the #Olympics https://t.co/qgBqhpGb4q

Following his Olympic success, the 21-time Grand Slam champion lost in the semifinals of the US Open but went on to win the Australian Open the following year with another victory over the Swiss maestro in the final. This made him the defending champion at the Olympics as well as Majors on all three surfaces simultaneously, a record that is unmatched to this day.

#4 Most consecutive weeks in the ATP top-10

Rafael Nadal has been ranked in the top 10 for 864 consecutive weeks

Rafael Nadal first ascended to the top 10 of the ATP rankings in April 2005, moving from World No. 11 to World No. 7. Since then, the 35-year-old has never left the top-10 (864 weeks in total).

The lowest he has ever reached has been the World No. 10 spot, which he occupied for a total of just eight weeks. The Spaniard has been ranked World No. 1 and World No. 2 for 209 and 370 weeks respectively, also making him the player with the most time spent in the top two.

8⃣0⃣0⃣ consecutive weeks in the top 10 of the @FedEx ATP Rankings.

👏 @RafaelNadal https://t.co/dGIE8lcKgt

After Nadal, Jimmy Connors has spent the most consecutive weeks in the top- 10 (788 weeks), followed by Roger Federer (734 weeks) and Ivan Lendl (619 weeks).

#5 Winning a US Open final without facing a break point

Rafael Nadal won the 2017 US Open without facing a break on his serve

The US Open is not normally the Grand Slam most fans would associate with Rafael Nadal, but the former World No. 1 is among the most successful players in New York in the Open Era.

While Roger Federer, Jimmy Connors and Pete Sampras have won a record five titles each, the Mallorcan has four titles to his name -- tied with John McEnroe.

In the 2017 edition, the 21-time Grand Slam champion dwarfed Juan Martin del Potro in the semifinals and took on first-time Major finalist Kevin Anderson in the final. It was a fairly subdued affair, with the 35-year-old triumphing over Anderson 6-3, 6-3, 6-4.

"Nadal reached his third Grand Slam final of 2017, while Anderson made his first ever"

US Open Day 12 Recap: bit.ly/2jdMsDM https://t.co/Y0LuNCGVan

Over the course of the match, Nadal did not face a single break point on serve, putting him in a category of his own.