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During his incredible career, Rafael Nadal has won 19 Grand Slam titles (second behind Roger Federer) out of 27 finals (1 Australian Open, 12 Roland Garros, 2 Wimbledon and 4 US Open), the Olympic gold medal in the 2008 singles and the Olympic gold medal in the 2016 double, 5 Davis Cups with the Spanish national team (2004, 2008, 2009, 2011 and 2019), 35 ATP Masters 1000 tournaments (absolute record), 21 ATP 500 tournaments and 9 ATP 250 tournaments.
In a recent interview, Paul Annacone, a respected coach and analyst for Tennis Channel, expressed in his admiration for the Spaniard: "It is the relentless ability to play every point like nothing else matters except that point," he said.
"Jimmy Connors was very close to that but I've never seen anyone do it better than Rafael Nadal. It is such a cliche but if you look at the way he plays and someone asked you 'who would you want to play one match for your life?' How do you not pick that guy? He is amazing.
It has been fun to watch and the era that he's in with the other all-time greats, I just continue to sit back and a lot of times my jaw just hits the table. I hope he stays healthy. I think he's got a lot more tennis ahead. He continues to love the game and as long as he does that and stays healthy, I don't see him losing at Roland Garros.
His records will continue to grow and we are going to have to invent new words in the dictionary to describe it." The 33-year-old has linked up with his friend and NBA All-Star Pau Gasol to urge Spanish sports stars to donate and raise €11 million.
“You have always been on our side during happy times and difficult times. You have always been understanding. We athletes are what we are largely thanks to your support. Now is the time that we cannot let you down,” the former World number 1 said.