Rafael Nadal Parera is a Spanish professional tennis player.
He is ranked World No. 2, a three-time French Open
singles titlist (2005-07), and a two-time singles
runner-up at Wimbledon (2006-07). Nadal is
undefeated at the French Open, having won all 21
matches played at that tournament. Nadal is well
known for defeating current World No. 1 and 12-time
Grand Slam singles titlist Roger Federer at the
French Open in 2005, 2006, and 2007, so far denying
Federer a career Grand Slam. From April 2005 to May
2007, Nadal won a record 81 consecutive clay court
matches before being defeated by Federer in the 2007
Hamburg Masters final. This is the longest winning
streak among male players on a single surface in the
open era.
Nadal was born to Sebastián
Nadal and Ana María Parera; he also has a younger
sister named María Isabel Nadal Parera. His uncle,
Miguel Ángel Nadal, is a retired professional soccer
player, having played for RCD Mallorca, FC
Barcelona, and the Spanish national team. Nadal
remains an avid supporter of RCD Mallorca, as well
as Real Madrid. His other uncle, Toni Nadal,
introduced him to tennis at a young age and has been
coaching him ever since.
