Rafael Nadal’s Hard-Court Dominance Bodes Extremely Well for 2014 and Beyond

By
at Internationaled.org

Published: September 11, 2013

commentComment        

Believe it or not, there was once a time when Rafael Nadal wasn't considered among tennis' all-time greats, rather seen as an athletic stud who was unbeatable on clay. 

Now, having won 13 Grand Slam titles, including two on the hard courts at the U.S. Open, Nadal has maximized on his potential. No longer seen as only the King of Clay, Rafa has conquered every surface and won all there is to win, including an Olympic gold medal.

And more importantly for tennis fans, his flawless 22-0 hard-court record in 2013 suggests that he'll be competing at the sport's highest level and winning majors for several more years to come.

While a year ago Nadal's future appeared to be in serious jeopardy because of nagging knee issues, he's returned with tremendous purpose in 2013, winning a career-best nine titles, including two majors at the French Open and most recently the U.S. Open.



Although Nadal was nearly untouchable in 2010, winning three of the season's four majors, 2013 has been an unforgettable season for the 27-year-old Spaniard and his fans given what he's had to battle back from.

Nadal is 59-3 on the year and has racked up more than $8.1 million in prize money. On top of that, he's now 3-1 against Novak Djokovic, who has held down the No. 1 ranking since the year began, and 3-0 against Roger Federer, his long-time rival who is also widely regarded as the greatest player of all time.

But that's certainly up for debate considering that Nadal has beaten Federer 21 times in 31 career meetings.

Rafa has yet to face Andy Murray in 2013, but leads the overall head-to-head with the two-time major winner 13-5.



More importantly, though, following his four-set win in the 2013 U.S. Open final, Nadal is now 22-15 against his most challenging rival in Djokovic, having won six of their last seven matchups.



Nadal's recent success against...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Tennis

Latest News


Comments

Comments are closed.

Sponsors

Bruins Tickets The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League.

Red Wings Tickets The Detroit Red Wings are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League.

Penguins Tickets The Pittsburgh Penguins are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League.

New York Rangers Tickets play their home games at Madison Square Garden, they are one of the oldest teams in the NHL, having joined in 1926 as an expansion franchise, and are part of the group of teams referred to as the Original Six.

San Jose Sharks Tickets The San Jose Sharks are a professional ice hockey team based in San Jose, California, United States.

Toronto Maple Leafs Tickets The Toronto Maple Leafs are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League.

New Jersey Devils Tickets The New Jersey Devils are a professional ice hockey team based in Newark, New Jersey. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League.

Washington Capitals Tickets The Washington Capitals are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C.

Buffalo Sabres Tickets The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League. Get the Sabres and all of your NHL Tickets here.

NASCAR season is on of the most attended sports in the world. NASCAR Tickets to the best tracks is a must every year. Some of these tracks are: Talladega Tickets, Lowes Motor Speedway Tickets, Pocono Raceway Tickets, located in Ridgeway Virginia you have Martinsville Speedway Tickets and southern US you have two of the most popular Atlanta Motor Speedway Tickets and Texas Motor Speedway Tickets. Don't miss all the racing events this year!

Boston Red Sox Tickets The Boston Red Sox are a member of the Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Since 1912, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park. This is one of the hottest MLB Tickets sales of any team in the major league.

New York Yankees Tickets The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the borough of the Bronx, in New York City, New York and are a member of Major League Baseball's American League East Division. Get tickets to one of the hottest games of the season Yankees Red Sox Tickets.

Chicago Cubs Tickets The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League.

Phillies Tickets The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883.

Orioles Tickets The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland.

Do you love wrestling? Get your WWE Tickets and WWE Survivor Series Tickets today!