• Rafael Nadal is a professional tennis player from Spain. He is currently ranked number two in the world, and is the reigning Australian Open champion, as well as being a former Wimbledon and French Open champion.http://www.atpworldtour.com/Rankings/Singles.aspx

  After missing the 2009 Wimbledon tournament, citing tendinitis in his knees, Nadal returned to professional tennis at the Rogers Cup in Montreal and went on reach the semi-final of the US Open where he was beaten by the eventual winner Juan Martin Del Potro. His performance in that match was hampered by an abdominal muscle injury.http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/tennis/news/story?id=4272537http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/10/sports/tennis/10nadal.htmlhttp://www.usatoday.com/sports/tennis/open/2009-09-13-nadal-injuries_N.htm

  Nadal has said of his injuries : "This year not very lucky for me... A lot of bad things."http://www.usatoday.com/sports/tennis/open/2009-09-13-nadal-injuries_N.htm

• 1. Born: June 3, 1986
  2. Birthplace: Manacor, Mallorca, Spain
  3. Plays left-handed
  4. Turned pro in 2001
  5. Nickname: Rafa
  6. Won the 2008 Wimbledon tournament
  7. Four-time French Open champion (2005, 2006, 2007, 2008)
  8. First man since Bjorn Borg in 1980 to win four-consecutive French Opens and to win French Open and Wimbledon in the same year
  9. Record 81-match clay court winning streak
  10. He has been ranked #2 on the ATP Tour for a record 160 weeks and became #1 on August 18, 2008
  11. He has a 22-1 record in the finals of clay-court tournaments and is undefeated in over 40 best-of-five-set matches on clay
  12. Has 31 career titles
  13. Coach: Toni Nadel
  14. Racquet of choice: Babolat
  15. Considered one of the best clay court playersESPN: Is Rafael Nadal the Best Clay Court Player Ever?

• 2008 Olympics

  Nadal represented Spain at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China. He won the gold medal in the men's singles event, defeating Fernando Gonzalez of Chile in the final match.NBC Olympics: Men's Singles Gold-Medal Match Shortly after the Olympics, Nadal overtook Federer as number one in the Association of Tennis Professionals rankings. Federer has previously held the top spot for a record 237 consecutive weeks.CBC.ca: It's Official: Nadal Is No. 1 (August 18, 2008)

• Early Career

  Known for his heavy topspin, Rafael Nadal was introduced to tennis at the age of three by his uncle and now coach, Toni Nadel. Rather than train at the Spanish tennis federation, Nadal decided to remain at home and train with his uncle and attend regular school. At the age of eight, Nadal won the Under-12 Title of Majorca, but it wasn't until Nadal turned twelve that he decided to pursue tennis as a career. In 2003, Nadal became the youngest player to win two rounds at Wimbledon since Boris Becker.The U.S. Times: Rafael Nadal

• 2008 Injury

  Nadal announced on November 10, 2008, that he would miss the finals of the Davis Cup with tendinitis in his right knee.ESPN.com: Rafael Nadal Will Miss Davis Cup Final with Tendinitis

• Rafael Nadal Quote

  "The only way of finding a solution is to fight back, to move, to run, and to control that pressure."The U.S. Times: Rafael Nadal

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