Full name | Rafael Nadal Parera |
---|---|
Country | Spain |
Calendar prize money | $3,746,360 (Singles $3,732,760, Doubles $13,600) [1] [2] |
Singles | |
Season record | 59–12 (83.1%) |
Calendar titles | 5 |
Year-end ranking | No. 2 |
Ranking change from previous year | |
Grand Slam & significant results | |
Australian Open | DNS |
French Open | W |
Wimbledon | F |
US Open | QF |
Injuries | |
Injuries | Knee injury |
← 2005 2007 → |
The 2006 Rafael Nadal tennis season started in February as Nadal missed the Australian Open because of a foot injury. [3] Nadal won five singles titles in 2006.
In February, Nadal lost in the semifinals of the first tournament he played, the Open 13 tournament in Marseille, France. Two weeks later, he handed Roger Federer his first loss of the year in the final of the Dubai Duty Free Men's Open (in 2006, Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray were the only two men who defeated Federer). To complete the spring hard-court season, Nadal was upset in the semifinals of the Pacific Life Open in Indian Wells, California, by James Blake, and was upset in the second round of the 2006 Miami Masters.
On European clay, Nadal won all four tournaments he entered and 24 consecutive matches. He defeated Federer in the final of the Masters Series Monte Carlo in four sets. The following week, he defeated Tommy Robredo in the final of the Open Sabadell Atlántico tournament in Barcelona. After a one-week break, Nadal won the Masters Series Internazionali BNL d'Italia in Rome, defeating Federer in a fifth-set tiebreaker in the final, after saving two match points and equaling Björn Borg's tally of 16 ATP titles won as a teenager. Nadal broke Argentinian Guillermo Vilas's 29-year male record of 53 consecutive clay-court match victories by winning his first round match at the French Open. Vilas presented Nadal with a trophy, but commented later that Nadal's feat was less impressive than his own because Nadal's winning streak covered two years and was accomplished by adding easy tournaments to his schedule. [4]
Nadal went on to play Federer in the final of the French Open. The first two sets of the match were hardly competitive, as the rivals traded 6–1 sets. Nadal won the third set easily and served for the match in the fourth set before Federer broke him and forced a tiebreaker. Nadal won the tiebreaker and became the first player to defeat Federer in a Grand Slam tournament final. [5]
Nadal injured his shoulder while playing a quarterfinal match against Lleyton Hewitt at the Artois Championships, played on grass at the Queen's Club in London. [6] Nadal was unable to complete the match, which ended his 26-match winning streak.
Nadal was seeded second at Wimbledon, but was two points from defeat against American qualifier Robert Kendrick in the second round before coming back to win in five sets. In the third round, Nadal defeated world No. 20 Andre Agassi in straight sets in Agassi's last career match at Wimbledon. Nadal also won his next three matches in straight sets, which set up his first Wimbledon final, which was against Federer, who had won this tournament the three previous years. Nadal was the first Spanish man since Manuel Santana in 1966, to reach the Wimbledon final, but Federer won the match in four sets to win his fourth consecutive Wimbledon title.
During the lead up to the US Open, Nadal played the two Masters Series tournaments in North America. He was upset in the third round of the Rogers Cup in Toronto and the quarterfinals of the Western & Southern Financial Group Masters in Cincinnati. Nadal was seeded second at the US Open, but lost in the quarterfinals to world No. 54 Mikhail Youzhny of Russia in four sets.
Nadal played only three tournaments the remainder of the year. Joachim Johansson, ranked world No. 690, upset Nadal in the second round of the Stockholm Open. The following week, Nadal lost to Tomáš Berdych in the quarterfinals of the year's last Masters Series tournament, the Mutua Madrileña Masters in Madrid. During the round-robin stage of the year-ending Tennis Masters Cup, Nadal lost to James Blake but defeated Nikolay Davydenko and Robredo. Because of those two victories, Nadal qualified for the semifinals, where he lost to Federer. This was Nadal's third loss in nine career matches with Federer.
Tournament | Match | Round | Opponent | Rank | Result | Score |
Open 13 Marseille, France ATP World Tour 250 Hard, indoor 13–19 February 2006 | 1 / 164 | 1R | Olivier Rochus | 30 | Win | 4–6, 6–2, 7–5 |
2 / 165 | 2R | Gilles Simon | 80 | Win | 7–5, 6–4 | |
3 / 166 | QF | Paul-Henri Mathieu | 35 | Win | 7–5, 6–4 | |
4 / 167 | SF | Arnaud Clément | 65 | Loss | 6–2, 3–6, 5–7 | |
Dubai Tennis Championships Dubai, U. A. E. ATP World Tour 500 Hard, outdoor 27 February – 5 March 2006 | 5 / 168 | 1R | Paul-Henri Mathieu | 34 | Win | 6–7(5–7), 6–1, 6–2 |
– | 2R | Younes El Aynaoui | 211 | Win | (W/O) | |
6 / 169 | QF | Tim Henman | 49 | Win | 7–6(7–1), 6–1 | |
7 / 170 | SF | Rainer Schüttler | 98 | Win | 6–4, 6–2 | |
8 / 171 | W | Roger Federer | 1 | Win (1) | 2–6, 6–4, 6–4 | |
Pacific Life Open Indian Wells, United States ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Hard, outdoor 6–19 March 2006 | – | 1R | Bye | |||
9 / 172 | 2R | Jan Hernych | 87 | Win | 6–4, 6–4 | |
10 / 173 | 3R | Mardy Fish | 294 | Win | 6–1, 6–4 | |
11 / 174 | 4R | Sébastien Grosjean | 22 | Win | 6–4, 6–2 | |
12 / 175 | QF | Marcos Baghdatis | 27 | Win | 7–5, 6–0 | |
13 / 176 | SF | James Blake | 14 | Loss | 5–7, 3–6 | |
Sony Ericsson Open Miami, United States ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Hard, outdoor 20 March – 2 April 2006 | – | 1R | Bye | |||
14 / 177 | 2R | Carlos Moyá | 35 | Loss | 6–2, 1–6, 1–6 | |
Monte Carlo Masters Monte Carlo, Monaco ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Clay, outdoor 15–23 April 2006 | 15 / 178 | 1R | Arnaud Clément | 56 | Win | 6–4, 6–4 |
16 / 179 | 2R | Jean-Rene Lisnard | 154 | Win | 6–4, 6–1 | |
17 / 180 | 3R | Kristof Vliegen | 57 | Win | 6–3, 6–3 | |
18 / 181 | QF | Guillermo Coria | 9 | Win | 6–2, 6–1 | |
19 / 182 | SF | Gastón Gaudio | 8 | Win | 5–7, 6–1, 6–1 | |
20 / 183 | W | Roger Federer | 1 | Win (2) | 6–2, 6–7(2–7), 6–3, 7–6(7–5) | |
Torneo Godo Barcelona, Spain ATP World Tour 500 Clay, outdoor 24–30 April 2006 | – | 1R | Bye | |||
21 / 184 | 2R | Feliciano López | 38 | Win | 6–4, 6–2 | |
22 / 185 | 3R | Iván Navarro | 164 | Win | 6–4, 6–2 | |
23 / 186 | QF | Jarkko Nieminen | 16 | Win | 4–6, 6–4, 6–3 | |
24 / 187 | SF | Nicolás Almagro | 57 | Win | 7–6(7–2), 6–3 | |
25 / 188 | W | Tommy Robredo | 15 | Win (3) | 6–4, 6–4, 6–0 | |
Internazionali BNL d'Italia Rome, Italy ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Clay, outdoor 8–14 May 2006 | 28 / 189 | 1R | Carlos Moyá | 33 | Win | 6–1, 2–6, 6–2 |
27 / 190 | 2R | Filippo Volandri | 46 | Win | 6–1, 6–2 | |
28 / 191 | 3R | Tim Henman | 70 | Win | 6–2, 6–2 | |
29 / 192 | QF | Fernando González | 9 | Win | 6–4, 6–3 | |
30 / 193 | SF | Gaël Monfils | 35 | Win | 6–2, 6–2 | |
31 / 194 | W | Roger Federer | 1 | Win (4) | 6–7(0–7), 7–6(7–5), 6–4, 2–6, 7–6(7–5) | |
French Open Paris, France Grand Slam Clay, outdoor 29 May – 11 June 2006 | 32 / 195 | 1R | Robin Söderling | 50 | Win | 6–2, 7–5, 6–1 |
33 / 196 | 2R | Kevin Kim | 116 | Win | 6–2, 6–1, 6–4 | |
34 / 197 | 3R | Paul-Henri Mathieu | 32 | Win | 5–7, 6–4, 6–4, 6–4 | |
35 / 198 | 4R | Lleyton Hewitt | 14 | Win | 6–2, 5–7, 6–4, 6–2 | |
36 / 199 | QF | Novak Djokovic | 63 | Win | 6–4, 6–4 RET | |
37 / 200 | SF | Ivan Ljubičić | 4 | Win | 6–4, 6–2, 7–6(9–7) | |
38 / 201 | W | Roger Federer | 1 | Win (5) | 1–6, 6–1, 6–4, 7–6(7–4) | |
Stella Artois Championships London, United Kingdom ATP World Tour 250 Grass, outdoor 12–18 June 2006 | – | 1R | Bye | |||
39 / 202 | 2R | Mardy Fish | 86 | Win | 7–6(7–1), 6–1 | |
40 / 203 | 3R | Fernando Verdasco | 30 | Win | 2–6, 7–6(7–3), 7–6(7–3) | |
41 / 204 | QF | Lleyton Hewitt | 13 | Loss | 6–3, 3–6 RET | |
The Championships, Wimbledon Wimbledon, United Kingdom Grand Slam Grass, outdoor 26 June – 9 July 2006 | 42 / 205 | 1R | Alex Bogdanovic | 135 | Win | 6–4, 7–6(7–3), 6–4 |
43 / 206 | 2R | Robert Kendrick | 237 | Win | 6–7(4–7), 3–6, 7–6(7–2), 7–5, 6–4 | |
44 / 207 | 3R | Andre Agassi | 20 | Win | 7–6(7–5), 6–2, 6–4 | |
45 / 208 | 4R | Irakli Labadze | 166 | Win | 6–3, 7–6(7–4), 6–3 | |
46 / 209 | QF | Jarkko Nieminen | 18 | Win | 6–3, 6–4, 6–4 | |
47 / 210 | SF | Marcos Baghdatis | 16 | Win | 6–1, 7–5, 6–3 | |
48 / 211 | F | Roger Federer | 1 | Loss (1) | 0–6, 6–7(5–7), 7–6(7–2), 3–6 | |
Rogers Cup Montreal, Canada ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Hard, outdoor 7–13 August 2006 | 49 / 212 | 1R | Nicolás Massú | 38 | Win | 6–3, 6–2 |
50 / 213 | 2R | Hyung-Taik Lee | 85 | Win | 6–4, 6–3 | |
51 / 214 | 3R | Tomáš Berdych | 14 | Loss | 1–6, 6–3, 2–6 | |
Western & Southern Financial Group Masters Cincinnati, United States ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Hard, outdoor 14–20 August 2006 | 52 / 215 | 1R | Sam Querrey | 178 | Win | 6–7(5–7), 6–2, 6–3 |
53 / 216 | 2R | Hyung-Taik Lee | 73 | Win | 6–4, 6–3 | |
54 / 217 | 3R | Tommy Haas | 17 | Win | 7–6(7–5), 6–3 | |
55 / 218 | QF | Juan Carlos Ferrero | 31 | Loss | 6–7(2–7), 6–7(3–7) | |
US Open New York, USA Grand Slam Hard, outdoor 28 August – 10 September 2006 | 56 / 219 | 1R | Mark Phillipoussis | 113 | Win | 6–4, 6–4, 6–4 |
57 / 220 | 2R | Luis Horna | 61 | Win | 6–4, 4–6, 6–4, 6–2 | |
58 / 221 | 3R | Wesley Moodie | 82 | Win | 6–4, 7–6(7–4), 7–6(7–5) | |
59 / 222 | 4R | Jiří Novák | 179 | Win | 6–1, 7–6(7–3), 6–4 | |
60 / 223 | QF | Mikhail Youzhny | 54 | Loss | 3–6, 7–5, 6–7(5–7), 1–6 | |
Davis Cup, ITA v/s ESP World Group Play Offs Spain Davis Cup Clay, outdoor 18–24 September 2006 | 61 / 224 | RR | Andreas Seppi | 69 | Win | 6–0, 6–4, 6–3 |
62 / 225 | RR | Filippo Volandri | 38 | Win | 3–6, 7–5, 6–3, 6–3 | |
If Stockholm Open Stockholm, Sweden ATP World Tour 250 Hard, indoor 9–15 October 2006 | 63 / 226 | 1R | Raemon Sluiter | 90 | Win | 6–4, 6–2 |
64 / 227 | 2R | Joachim Johansson | 690 | Loss | 4–6, 6–7(4–7) | |
Mutua Madrileña Masters Madrid Madrid, Spain ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Hard, indoor 16–22 October 2006 | – | 1R | Bye | |||
65 / 228 | 2R | Mardy Fish | 54 | Win | 6–4, 6–2 | |
66 / 229 | 3R | Tommy Haas | 13 | Win | 6–4, 6–3 | |
67 / 230 | QF | Tomáš Berdych | 11 | Loss | 3–6, 6–7(6–8) | |
Tennis Masters Cup Shanghai, China Year-end Championships Hard, indoor 13–19 November 2006 | 68 / 231 | RR | James Blake | 8 | Loss | 4–6, 6–7(0–7) |
69 / 232 | RR | Tommy Robredo | 6 | Win | 7–6(7–2), 6–2 | |
70 / 233 | RR | Nikolay Davydenko | 3 | Win | 5–7, 6–4, 6–4 | |
71 / 234 | SF | Roger Federer | 1 | Loss | 4–6, 5–7 | |
Nadal went on to become the first player since Andre Agassi in 1994–95 to finish the year as the world No. 2 in consecutive years.
Roger Federer is a Swiss former professional tennis player. He was ranked world No. 1 by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) for 310 weeks, including a record 237 consecutive weeks, and finished as the year-end No. 1 five times. He won 103 singles titles on the ATP Tour, the second most of all time, including 20 major men's singles titles, a record eight men's singles Wimbledon titles, an Open Era joint-record five men's singles US Open titles, and a joint-record six year-end championships. In his home country, he is regarded as "the greatest and most successful" Swiss sportsperson in history.
Rafael Nadal Parera is a Spanish professional tennis player. He is currently ranked world No. 14 in singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP). He has been ranked world No. 1 for 209 weeks, and has finished as the year-end No. 1 five times with a record 13 times in the top 2 of the year end rankings. He also holds the record for most consecutive weeks in the Top 10 of the ATP Rankings, having never left the Top 10 from April 2005 to March 2023, a total of 912 weeks. Nadal has won a joint-record 22 Grand Slam men's singles titles, including a record 14 French Open titles. He has won 92 ATP singles titles, including 36 Masters titles, with 63 of these on clay courts. Nadal is one of only two men to complete the Career Golden Slam in singles. His 81 consecutive wins on clay is the longest single-surface win streak in the Open Era.
Tomáš Berdych is a Czech former professional tennis player. His most notable achievement was reaching the final of the 2010 Wimbledon Championships, causing consecutive upsets by defeating top seed and six-time champion Roger Federer in the quarterfinals, and No. 3 Novak Djokovic in the semifinals. In the final, he lost to Rafael Nadal in straight sets. Berdych's biggest career title was the Paris Masters in 2005 as an unseeded player, defeating Ivan Ljubičić in the final.
Tomás Robredo Garcés, known as Tommy Robredo, is a Spanish former professional tennis player. His career-high singles ranking was world No. 5, which he reached in August 2006 as a result of winning the Hamburg Masters earlier in the year. Robredo reached the quarterfinals at seven singles major tournaments. He was also a three-time semifinalist at the US Open men's doubles tournament, and a semifinalist at the Australian Open in mixed doubles.
Jarkko Kalervo Nieminen is a Finnish former professional tennis player. His highest ranking of world No. 13, achieved in July 2006, is a Finnish record. He has won two ATP singles titles and five doubles titles in his career. His best performances in Grand Slam tournaments have been reaching the quarterfinals of the 2005 US Open, the 2006 Wimbledon Championships, and the 2008 Australian Open.
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Jürgen Melzer is an Austrian former professional tennis player. Melzer reached a career-high singles ranking of world No. 8 in April 2011, and a doubles ranking of world No. 6 in September 2010. He has a younger brother, Gerald Melzer, with whom he played doubles in several tournaments.
The tennis rivalry between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal is considered among the greatest in the history of the sport. Federer and Nadal played each other 40 times, with Nadal leading 24–16 overall, including 14–10 in finals.
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Roger Federer contested two major finals in 2005, winning both at Wimbledon over Andy Roddick, 6–2, 7–6(2), 6–4, and the US Open over Andre Agassi, 6–3, 2–6, 7–6(1), 6–1. However, Federer failed to make the final at the other two majors, losing in the semifinals of the Australian Open to Marat Safin and the French Open to Rafael Nadal. Nevertheless, Federer won four Masters titles at Indian Wells, Miami, and Cincinnati on hard courts and one clay court title at Hamburg. Furthermore, Federer won two ATP 500 series events at Rotterdam and Dubai. Federer lost the year-end championships to David Nalbandian in the final.
Roger Federer’s 2006 season was dominant, finishing the year with a 92–5 record. The world No. 1 maintained his ranking for the full calendar year and reached all four major finals in 2006, winning three of them. His only loss at the majors came against Rafael Nadal in the French Open final in four sets, 6–1, 1–6, 4–6, 6–7(4–7). This was the first time they had met in a major final. In the other three majors of the season, Federer defeated Nadal in the final of Wimbledon, 6–0, 7–6(7–5), 6–7(2–7), 6–3. He defeated Marcos Baghdatis, 5–7, 7–5, 6–0, 6–2, at the Australian Open and Andy Roddick, 6–2, 4–6, 7–5, 6–1, at the US Open.
Roger Federer made all four Major finals in 2007, winning three of them. He defeated Fernando González, 7–6(2), 6–4, 6–4, at the Australian Open, Rafael Nadal, 7–6(7), 4–6, 7–6(3), 2–6, 6–2, at Wimbledon, and Novak Djokovic, 7–6(4), 7–6(2), 6–4, at the US Open. However, Federer lost the 2007 French Open final to Nadal, 3–6, 6–4, 3–6, 4–6. Federer made five ATP Masters Series 1000 Finals in 2007, but only won two of those, in Hamburg and Cincinnati. Federer won 1 ATP 500 series event in Dubai. He ended the year by winning the year-end championships for the fourth time. In 2011 Stephen Tignor, chief editorial writer for Tennis.com, ranked Federer's 2007 season as the sixth greatest season of all-time during the Open Era.
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