Rafael Nadal is widely acclaimed as one of the greatest tennis players in history. In contrast, he’s also one of the biggest ‘what ifs’ in the game. The Spanish tennis star missed numerous tournaments due to injuries, including 18 Grand Slams. Nadal was ready to make his Roland-Garros debut in 2003, but due to an elbow and ankle injury, he had to miss the clay court major until 2005.
In the last two decades, the Spaniard underwent several surgeries, but always managed to bounce back after his body recovered fully. His last Grand Slam title was the 2022 French Open, which he won by defeating Casper Ruud in the summit clash.
With impeccable success as a 22-time Grand Slam champion, the “King of Clay” has garnered the status of the idol and role-model of several tennis stars. In this article, we will take a look at the top five tennis players who admire Rafael Nadal as the greatest tennis player:
Spanish tennis star and former WTA World No. 2 Paula Badosa is a huge fan of 22-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal. She has not shied away from showing her admiration for the 14-time Roland-Garros champion in public. During an interview in 2023, Badosa heaped praise on Nadal by stating that the Spaniard has been an example for her.
She said, “Rafael Nadal is the reference point for me. He is a worker, a fighter and has a great mentality. I admire him more and more. It seems to me that he is not from this planet mentally and that is even more inspirational. He has always been an example that I have looked at when I have faced difficult moments and if I want to emulate someone, it is him.”
At the 2023 US Open semi-finals, Ben Shelton admitted that he was a huge Nadal fan. Additionally, the young American has applied Nadal’s traits in his game. After his 2023 US Open campaign concluded, Shelton revealed that he had been watching the “King of Clay” play for several years while growing up.
Shelton said, “I think at times on the court, you know, the way that I love to fight, that I don’t give up, could be some traits that I saw or learned from Rafa growing up. You know, he was one of those guys who replicated it every match, every tournament. You could only hope to have a fighting spirit like him.”
Casper Ruud, who also played doubles tennis with Rafael Nadal at the 2024 Bastad Open, has always been an ardent supporter of the Spaniard. He’s a Rafa Nadal Academy graduate and the two have also faced each other twice on the tour. They played against each other, famously, in the final at the 2022 Roland-Garros, where Nadal won his last Grand Slam title.
Lauding Nadal, Ruud said in 2021, “Rafael Nadal is one of the best of all-time. I’ve been a fan of him ever since I started watching tennis. He’s my biggest idol and the one I admire the most among all the players. Training with him was a great motivation. Even [when] he’s won almost everything, he is extremely humble and works hard today as he did 15 years ago.”
Also Read: Rafael Nadal’s Career in Numbers: Records, Stats and Titles
Four-time French Open champion Iga Swiatek is one of the biggest Rafael Nadal fans. She has never missed an opportunity to heap praise on the 38-year-old. Swiatek once also revealed that she was on the verge of crying when Nadal lost to Novak Djokovic at the 2021 French Open. She also watched the Spaniard from the stands during his first round match against Alexander Zverev at the 2024 French Open.
She said, “Rafael Nadal has always been my idol. I have pretty sad memories of Roland-Garros last year because I was crying when Rafa lost against Novak [Djokovic]. But two years ago, I was watching the final. I had the trophy photoshoot [after I won the women’s title]. I was wearing this really nice long dress and went to see the final like this.”
For some, Carlos Alcaraz and Rafael Nadal have a similar style of play. However, Nadal has always been Alcaraz’s idol. The two have faced each other three times on the tour, with Nadal leading the head-to-head record 2-1. Alcaraz and Nadal also teamed up to represent Spain at the Paris Olympics in men’s doubles.
Alcaraz said, ‘It’s amazing to play against Rafa. He’s my idol since I was a kid, so it’s never easy to play against him. I think it’s a great experience for me to meet him in Masters 1000 semi-final. Everybody knows how Rafa’s game is and he has a thousand lives in the match. Even when he’s down, he can turn the game around.’
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