Rafael Nadal retirement: 5 tournaments the Spaniard will end up never winning in his career
With Rafael Nadal announcing his retirement, the 'Big Three' has been limited to just Novak Djokovic being the only active player left. The 38-year-old announced that the 2024 Davis Cup finals will be his last professional outing. Ranking fifth in the Open Era with 92 titles, the Spaniard also claimed a record 14 Roland Garros titles.
On Thursday, Nadal announced his retirement from the sport in a video on his social media. He said how the last two years have primarily been more difficult due to injuries, surgeries, and recovery taking a toll on his body due to his age.
Turning pro at the age of 15, in a career spanning over 23 years, Nadal also won all the Grand Slams as well as the Monte-Carlo Masters 11 times and the Barcelona Open 12 times, and there are only a few venues where he has never triumphed. Let's look at the five tournaments where the 22-time Grand Slam winner has never tasted victory.
#5) Paris Masters
While Rafael Nadal has been a household name through his French Open performances, the Paris Masters is an event where he has never lifted the trophy. The Paris Masters is one of the most prestigious tournaments outside the Slams and is played at an indoor hard-court venue at the end of the year.
Held just before the ATP Tour Finals, the Paris Masters often tests players' fitness, and only Djokovic has been able to defend his title at the tournament. Nadal reached the finals of the Paris Masters in 2007, when David Nalbandian defeated him in straight sets.
In his nine appearances at the tournament, Nadal withdrew twice due to injuries in 2017 and 2019. He made it to the semifinals four times in 2009, 2013, 2019, and 2020, and quarterfinals thrice in 2008, 2015, and 2017.
#4) Miami Masters
Held annually in Florida in March, the Miami Open is another prestigious ATP 1000 Masters event where the slow courts should have favored Nadal's playstyle, but surprisingly, he never won at the venue.
The Miami Masters will be a tournament that Rafael Nadal could have won on multiple occasions but often lost by close margins. He reached the final on five occasions - in 2005, 2008, 2011, 2014, and 2017 - but never managed to get his hands on the trophy.
After being defeated in the third round by 18-year-old Nadal, Roger Federer avenged himself the following year in one of the earliest and most iconic Federer-Nadal rivalry matches in 2005. Nadal displayed immense mental strength, pushing the then World No.1 in the five-set (2–6, 6–7(4), 7–6(5), 6–3, 6–1) defeat. Federer's second victory over Nadal at the tournament came in 2017 during the resurgence of his career, when he comfortably defeated the Spaniard in straight sets.
In 2011, Novak Djokovic's rise to the top stage halted Nadal's chances in Miami with a three-set defeat. He won over Nadal again in 2014 in straight sets. In 2008, Nikolay Davydenko outplayed him in straight sets.
#3) Swiss Indoors
Another prestigious ATP 500 event, the Swiss Indoors, is where Nadal came close to glory. His best performance came in 2015 when he was the runner-up to Roger Federer. Indoor courts are not among Nadal's top choices regarding venues, as he has struggled to perform on the surfaces.
Rafael Nadal made four appearances in Basel, where he crashed out in the second round as a teenager in 2003. He improved in 2004, reaching the first quarterfinals of his ATP career, but losing to Rainer Schuettler. In 2014, while dealing with appendicitis, he played through pain, losing to Borna Coric in the quarterfinals.
#2) Shanghai Masters
The Shanghai Masters in China has some of the fastest courts on the circuit. It is another ATP 1000 Masters event that Nadal has never won.
Rafael Nadal's notable performances at the tournament include two final appearances where he was defeated by Nikolay Davydenko in 2009 and in 2017 by Roger Federer, both in straight sets. He also reached the semifinals in 2015, where he could not counter Jo-Wilfried Tsonga's aggressiveness and quick court covering.
#1) ATP Tour Finals
The ATP Tour Finals remains one of the biggest trophies missing from Rafael Nadal's prestigious cabinet, as he has never won the tournament despite qualifying for 17 times in his career. He reached the semifinals in 2006, 2007, 2015, and 2020. Federer defeated Nadal in two consecutive semifinals in 2006 and 2007, while Novak Djokovic beat him in 2015 and Daniil Medvedev in 2020.
In the two finals he featured in, Federer defeated him in 2010 and Djokovic in 2013. Another reason why he struggled at the tournament was due to injuries catching up to him at the end of the season, as he withdrew five times as well in 2005, 2008, 2012, 2014, and 2017.