Rafael Nadal celebrates this week two milestones in the ranking. Rafa became the second player with 900 consecutive weeks in the top-50, joining Roger Federer on the exclusive list. In addition, the Spaniard added his 960th week in the top-50, matching Andre Agassi and closing in on Federer, who is still far ahead.
Nadal found himself in the top-50 in August 2003, two months after his 17th birthday! Nadal lost a bit of ground in 2004 after a nasty injury, losing the opportunity to spend the whole year in the aforementioned group and starting again in 2005.
Since January 31, 2005, Nadal has been among the top 50 in the ranking, improving his position after solid results and becoming number 2 in the world thanks to a Major and four Masters 1000 titles under his belt. Furthermore, Nadal has never left the top 10 since April 2005, setting valuable ranking records and finishing as No.
1 five years, the last time in 2019. After 20 years on the Tour, Nadal is still among the best players in the world at 36 years old, despite all the injuries and setbacks. After 19 years of breaking into the top-50, Rafa is still among the best players in the world, coming in second in the ATP Race and missing out on the chance to become No.
1 in the world after the US Open.
Rafa talks about King Roger
Rafael Nadal recalled his rivalry with Roger Federer in a recent interview with Spanish radio station Onda Cero. “It has always been a very healthy rivalry in every way since the beginning of everything, since the first match we played in 2004, if I am not mistaken, in Miami, where I was not yet a rival for him at all, but well, from that moment we had a good feeling.
We first met in 2002 in Wimbledon, at Nike’s house,” Nadal said, in comments translated from Spanish into English by Twitter user Genny SS. “And from there, we already know the whole story. In that sense, for me he is someone who, apart from being a very important part of my professional life for everything he has meant in my career, is someone I’ve always admired, someone from whom I have also somehow learned things that have helped me progress in my sporting life without a doubt and also it’s leaving someone with whom, especially in these last, I’d say, 10-12 years, a strong bond has been created,” Nadal said.