Rafael Nadal is widely recognized as one of the most successful and celebrated professional tennis players in history. He joins Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic in the prestigious “Big Three,” who collectively dominated men’s tennis for nearly two decades.
Born in Manacor, Mallorca, Spain, on June 3, 1986, Nadal started his tennis journey at the age of 4, under the guidance of his uncle, Toni Nadal. Despite briefly pursuing football, inspired by another uncle, former international and Barcelona footballer Miquel Àngel Nadal, he eventually dedicated himself entirely to tennis.
His tennis talent quickly became evident and a teenage Nadal turned professional in 2001 at just 15. The following year, he became the youngest tennis player to win a match on the professional circuit and later at just 18, he reached the semifinals of the 2002 Wimbledon tournament.
In 2004, he won his first ATP Tour championship and played an important role in Spain’s Davis Cup triumph against the United States. The following year, he won his first French Open title, upsetting then-World No. 1 Roger Federer in the quarterfinals and rising to the world No. 2 ranking.
