Rafael Nadal is the only active male player to win 20 or more titles on two different surfaces
Rafael Nadal has in his possession some of the most prolific records in tennis history. For starters, no other male player has won more Grand Slam titles (21) than him. The Spaniard is also the only player to have won a single Major 13 times (Roland Garros) as well as the only man to have won four Grand Slams without dropping a set.
Interestingly, the 21-time Grand Slam champion is also the only active player right now to have at least 20 titles to his name on two different surfaces. Nadal is one of only four active players to have won 20 titles on hardcourts, alongside Roger Federer (71), djokovic" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-is-sponsored="false">Novak Djokovic (62) and Andy Murray (34).
DID YOU KNOW❓
@RafaelNadal is the only active male player to win 20 or more titles on two different surfaces—he has 62 on clay and 25 on hard courts.
Nadal won his 23rd, 24th and 25th hard-court titles this year at the Melbourne Summer Set, the Australian Open and Acapulco.
The Mallorcan won the 20-title on hardcourts by defeating Daniil Medvedev in the 2019 Canadian Masters. His most recent triumphs - the 2022 Melbourne Summer Set, Australian Open and Mexican Open - marked his 23rd, 24th and 25th respective titles on the surface.
On claycourts, the World No. 4 is the only active player to have 20+ titles to his name - an understatement considering that he has a mind-boggling 62 titles on clay. To put that into perspective, Djokovic holds the second-most number of titles and has only 17 under his belt -- less than one-third of what the former World No. 1 has managed to win.
Grass-court tournament titles 🏆
Federer – 19
Tilden – 10
Sampras – 10
Connors – 9
McEnroe – 8
Murray – 8
Hewitt – 8
Rosewall – 8
Perry – 7
Borg – 7
@rogerfederer stretches his lead….
#NoventiOpen https://t.co/m5chyHslxb
On grass, no player has won 20 titles yet. Federer is the closest, with his all-time record haul of 19 titles. Among players who are still active, the 35-year-old is fourth with his tally of four grass court titles.
In the Open Era, only Ivan Lendl (33 on carpet, 28 on clay, 31 on hard), Bjorn Borg (23 on carpet, 32 on clay), Rod Laver (24 on carpet, 26 on hard), John McEnroe (43 on carpet, 22 on hard) and Jimmy Connors (43 on carpet, 45 on hard) have achieved the same in men's tennis.
Rafael Nadal begins his quest for a fourth title at the Indian Wells Masters
Unbeaten so far in 2022, Rafael Nadal will look to win his fourth consecutive title of the year at the Indian Wells Masters. Having already won the tournament thrice (2007, 2009 and 2013), the 21-time Grand Slam champion stands a chance to win his fourth title.
Rios (1998)
Nadal (2007/2009/2013)
Norrie (2021)
Left-handed champions at @BNPPARIBASOPEN:
🇨🇱 Rios (1998)
🇪🇸 Nadal (2007/2009/2013)
🇬🇧 Norrie (2021)
@cam_norrie keeping good company at Indian Wells! 👏 https://t.co/UJMqFyZYU3
If he does so, the Spaniard will move one step closer to Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic's record of five titles in the desert. The World No. 4 last played the 2019 edition, where he reached the semifinals before withdrawing with an injury prior to the match against Federer.
This time around, Nadal is expected to be the third seed in the ATP 1000 event, which kicks off on March 10. A title run in Indian Wells will also make the 35-year-old the oldest male player to win the tournament.