Full name | Rafael Nadal |
---|---|
Country | Spain |
Calendar prize money | $6,066,446 (singles & doubles) |
Singles | |
Season record | 48–11 (81.4%) |
Calendar titles | 4 |
Year-end ranking | No. 3 |
Ranking change from previous year | 2 |
Grand Slam & significant results | |
Australian Open | F |
French Open | W |
Wimbledon | 4R |
US Open | A |
Doubles | |
Season record | 1–1 (50.0%) |
Calendar titles | 0 |
Current ranking | No. 306 |
Ranking change from previous year | 70 |
Injuries | |
Injuries | Back Injury (January) Wrist Injury (August) |
Last updated on: 17 March 2014. | |
← 2013 2015 → |
The 2014 Rafael Nadal tennis season officially began on 30 December 2013 with the start of the 2014 Qatar ExxonMobil Open. This season saw Nadal suffer from injuries that included a back injury, a wrist injury, and appendicitis. After losing in the final of the Australian Open where he suffered from a back injury, Nadal failed to defend his titles at Indian Wells, Barcelona, and Rome. He rebounded by claiming his 9th French Open. Prior to the North American hardcourt season, Nadal would experience another injury, this time a wrist injury which forced him to withdraw from the Rogers Cup, the Western & Southern Open and the US Open where he was the defending champion. Nadal announced on 24 October that he would not be competing for rest of the season due to appendicitis and eventually underwent surgery. [1] Despite an injury plagued season, Nadal still ended the year at No. 3 with four titles.
Rafael Nadal won the title at 2014 Qatar Open after defeating Gaël Monfils in the final on January 4. [2]
Nadal reached his third final Down Under by dispatching his old rival Roger Federer in the semi-finals with a straight set victory and by dropping only one set on the way, against Grigor Dimitrov in the quarter-finals. Victory in the final would have seen Nadal equal Pete Sampras's total of 14 major titles and also become only the third man to win all four grand slams at least twice, Roy Emerson and Rod Laver being the other two. In the final, though, he was unexpectedly beaten by Stanislas Wawrinka, who had previously never beaten Nadal or even won a set against him in 12 previous meetings. At a set and a break down, Nadal sustained a back injury that saw him swiftly lose the second set. He recovered enough to win the third and fought hard before Wawrinka prevailed in four sets. [3]
Nadal won the inaugural Rio Open after beating Alexandr Dolgopolov in the final on February 23. In the semifinal a day earlier, he had to save two match points in the 3rd set tie breaker to win against Pablo Andújar.
Nadal next competed in the Indian Wells Masters. He received a bye in the first round and fought back from a set down to overcome Radek Štěpánek in the second round. His tournament ended in the next round, though, as Alexandr Dolgopolov exacted a measure of revenge for his Rio Open final loss by dispatching Nadal in a third set tie break.
After not competing in 2013, Nadal returned to Key Biscane for a chance at his first Miami Masters title. He dominated his first three opponents, losing a total of nine games combined. He then fought back from a set down to overcome Milos Raonic in the quarter-finals. In an unprecedented event both Novak Djokovic and he received walkovers from their semi-final opponents to set up their 40th clash. It was Nadal's fourth Miami final, following runner-up finishes in 2005, 2008, and 2011. Nadal would once again fail to lift the trophy, though, as Djokovic displayed near perfect form and eased his way to a two-set victory.
After finally relinquishing his Monte-Carlo crown to Novak Djokovic in 2013, Nadal returned to the red clay in an attempt to reclaim the title that had been his from 2005 to 2012. As expected the King of Clay won his first two matches with ease. His victory against Andreas Seppi in the third round brought his career clay court wins to 300, a feat achieved by only ten other players. In the quarter-finals, though, Nadal would succumb to the relentless attack of David Ferrer. It was the first time Ferrer had beaten Nadal on clay in ten years and the first time Nadal failed to reach the Monte-Carlo final since his first stint in the tournament as a qualifier in 2003.
Nadal hadn't lost a match at the Barcelona Open since 2003 and hadn't lost a set at the tournament since dropping one against David Ferrer in the 2008 final. These streaks seemed destined to continue and did against his first two opponents, both of whom he dispatched in straight sets. In the quarter-finals, Nadal's set streak ended at 44 when Nicolás Almagro took the second set of their match in a tight tiebreak. Almagro would also put an end to Nadal's win streak at 41 when he clinched the match by winning the third set as well. [4]
Nadal claimed his fourth Madrid Open crown (third on clay) by defeating Kei Nishikori in the final. Nadal was down a set and a break in the final when Nishikori began showing signs of injury. This injury aided Nadal as he fought back to win the second set and take a three-game lead in the third before Nishikori retired.
Nadal made his ninth final at the Italian Open and was vying for his eighth title, but was beaten in three sets by his rival Novak Djokovic in the final. In the second round, Nadal played the longest three set match of the year (thus far) by battling Gilles Simon for 199 minutes. In the third round and quarter-final, he was forced to rally from a set down to claim victory against Mikhail Youzhny and Andy Murray respectively. His loss marked the first time in ten years that he would enter into the French Open with fewer than two European clay court titles.
Despite a sub-par European clay court season, Nadal entered the second Major of the year with a 59–1 record at the event. By the end of the tournament Nadal would extend this record to 66–1 by claiming his record fifth consecutive and record ninth French Open title with a four set victory over Novak Djokovic. He won his first four rounds against Robby Ginepri, Dominic Thiem, Leonardo Mayer, and Dušan Lajović, respectively, without dropping a set. In the quarter-finals, he faced last year's finalist, David Ferrer. He dropped the opening set, his first of the tournament, but went on to win in four sets. In the semi-finals, he put on a devastating display and lost only six games as he dispatched Andy Murray in straight sets. The final was a rematch of last year's semifinal and the 2012 final as well as his 42nd match against Novak Djokovic. In winning his 9th Roland Garros title, Nadal became the only player to have won one Grand Slam for ten consecutive years. [5]
Nadal received a bye in the first round and then lost to Dustin Brown in the second round. The loss marked Nadal's third consecutive defeat on grass and dropped his record on the surface to 2–5 since he reached the 2011 Wimbledon final.
Having been bounced in the second round by Lukáš Rosol in 2012, the first round by Steve Darcis in 2013, and riding a three match grass losing streak, Nadal entered the 2014 edition of Wimbledon looking for redemption. His first match started off rocky as he dropped the opening set against Martin Kližan, but he recovered to win in four and snap his losing streak. Up next was his 2012 conqueror, Rosol. Rosol looked capable of pulling out the upset once again as he led by a set and a break, but Nadal righted the ship and got revenge for his 2012 defeat by pulling the match out in four. Nadal again recovered from a set down against Mikhail Kukushkin in the third round, marking the first time in his career that he won three consecutive matches after dropping the first set. Nadal went on to face 19-year-old wildcard Nick Kyrgios in the fourth round and once again dropped the opening set, but was unable to recover this time and succumbed to Kyrgios in four sets. It was Nadal's first defeat to a player born in the 1990s and the first time a teenager had beaten the World No. 1 at a Grand Slam since Nadal himself beat Roger Federer at the 2005 French Open.
Nadal was the defending champion of all three tournaments, but had to withdraw from each because he was unable to recover from a right wrist injury that he suffered while practicing on July 29.
Nadal returned to action from his wrist injury after three months away from the tour with a dominant two set victory over Richard Gasquet. He won the next round as well, but rust and lack of training became apparent as he fell to Martin Kližan in the quarters.
Before his opening match, Nadal announced that he had been receiving aggressive medical treatment for appendicitis in hopes of avoiding surgery until the end of the tennis season. The effects of this ailment, though, could be seen in his movement and play in his opening match as Feliciano López handed him a straight set defeat.
Nadal seemed to be back to his winning ways as he easily dispatched his first two opponents. In the quarter-finals, though, he ran into red hot 17-year-old Borna Ćorić and was beaten in straight sets.
After his defeat in Basel, Nadal announced that he was not in a condition to be able to compete at the level necessary to win and opted out of both the Paris Masters and the ATP World Tour Finals to have surgery for his appendicitis. It was the third time that Nadal was forced to withdraw from the ATP World Tour Finals after he had qualified.
W | F | SF | QF | #R | RR | Q# | P# | DNQ | A | Z# | PO | G | S | B | NMS | NTI | P | NH |
Tournament | Match | Round | Opponent (seed or key) | Rank | Result | Score |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Qatar ExxonMobil Open Doha, Qatar ATP Tour 250 Hard, outdoor 30 December 2013 – 5 January 2014 | ||||||
1 / 788 | 1R | Lukáš Rosol | 47 | Win | 6–2, 7–6(9–7) | |
2 / 789 | 2R | Tobias Kamke | 74 | Win | 6–3, 6–7(3–7), 6–3 | |
3 / 790 | QF | Ernests Gulbis (7) | 27 | Win | 7–5, 6–4 | |
4 / 791 | SF | Peter Gojowczyk (Q) | 162 | Win | 4–6, 6–2, 6–3 | |
5 / 792 | W | Gaël Monfils | 31 | Win (1) | 6–1, 6–7(5–7), 6–2 | |
Australian Open Melbourne, Australia Grand Slam tournament Hard, outdoor 13–26 January 2014 | ||||||
6 / 793 | 1R | Bernard Tomic | 57 | Win | 6–4, ret. | |
7 / 794 | 2R | Thanasi Kokkinakis (WC) | 570 | Win | 6–2, 6–4, 6–2 | |
8 / 795 | 3R | Gaël Monfils (25) | 32 | Win | 6–1, 6–2, 6–3 | |
9 / 796 | 4R | Kei Nishikori (16) | 17 | Win | 7–6(7–3), 7–5, 7–6(7–3) | |
10 / 797 | QF | Grigor Dimitrov (22) | 22 | Win | 3–6, 7–6(7–3), 7–6(9–7), 6–2 | |
11 / 798 | SF | Roger Federer (6) | 6 | Win | 7–6(7–4), 6–3, 6–3 | |
12 / 799 | F | Stanislas Wawrinka (8) | 8 | Loss (1) | 3–6, 2–6, 6–3, 3–6 | |
Rio Open Rio de Janeiro, Brazil ATP Tour 500 Clay, outdoor 17–23 February 2014 | ||||||
13 / 800 | 1R | Daniel Gimeno Traver | 84 | Win | 6–3, 7–5 | |
14 / 801 | 2R | Albert Montañés | 72 | Win | 6–1, 6–2 | |
15 / 802 | QF | João Sousa | 48 | Win | 6–1, 6–0 | |
16 / 803 | SF | Pablo Andújar (8) | 40 | Win | 2–6, 6–3, 7–6(12–10) | |
17 / 804 | W | Alexandr Dolgopolov | 54 | Win (2) | 6–3, 7–6(7–3) | |
BNP Paribas Open Indian Wells, United States ATP Tour Masters 1000 Hard, outdoor 3–16 March 2014 | ||||||
– | 1R | Bye | ||||
18 / 805 | 2R | Radek Štěpánek | 50 | Win | 2–6, 6–4, 7–5 | |
19 / 806 | 3R | Alexandr Dolgopolov | 31 | Loss | 3–6, 6–3, 6–7(5–7) | |
Sony Open Tennis Miami, United States ATP Tour Masters 1000 Hard, outdoor 17–30 March 2014 | ||||||
– | 1R | Bye | ||||
20 / 807 | 2R | Lleyton Hewitt | 44 | Win | 6–1, 6–3 | |
21 / 808 | 3R | Denis Istomin | 57 | Win | 6–1, 6–0 | |
22 / 809 | 4R | Fabio Fognini (14) | 14 | Win | 6–2, 6–2 | |
23 / 810 | QF | Milos Raonic (12) | 12 | Win | 4–6, 6–2, 6–4 | |
– | SF | Tomáš Berdych (7) | 7 | W/O | N/A | |
24 / 811 | F | Novak Djokovic (2) | 2 | Loss (2) | 3–6, 3–6 | |
Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters Monte Carlo, Monaco ATP Tour Masters 1000 Clay, outdoor 12–20 April 2014 | ||||||
– | 1R | Bye | ||||
25 / 812 | 2R | Teymuraz Gabashvili | 58 | Win | 6–4, 6–1 | |
26 / 813 | 3R | Andreas Seppi | 35 | Win | 6–1, 6–3 | |
27 / 814 | QF | David Ferrer (6) | 6 | Loss | 6–7(1–7), 4–6 | |
Barcelona Open BancSabadell Barcelona, Spain ATP Tour 500 Clay, outdoor 21–27 April 2014 | ||||||
– | 1R | Bye | ||||
28 / 815 | 2R | Albert Ramos | 103 | Win | 7–6(7–2), 6–4 | |
29 / 816 | 3R | Ivan Dodig | 37 | Win | 6–3, 6–3 | |
30 / 817 | QF | Nicolás Almagro (6) | 20 | Loss | 6–2, 6–7(5–7), 4–6 | |
Madrid Open Madrid, Spain ATP Tour Masters 1000 Clay, outdoor 5–11 May 2014 | ||||||
– | 1R | Bye | ||||
31 / 818 | 2R | Juan Mónaco | 56 | Win | 6–1, 6–0 | |
32 / 819 | 3R | Jarkko Nieminen | 57 | Win | 6–1, 6–4 | |
33 / 820 | QF | Tomáš Berdych (6) | 6 | Win | 6–4, 6–2 | |
34 / 821 | SF | Roberto Bautista Agut | 45 | Win | 6–4, 6–3 | |
35 / 822 | W | Kei Nishikori (10) | 12 | Win (3) | 2–6, 6–4, 3–0 ret. | |
Italian Open Rome, Italy ATP Tour Masters 1000 Clay, outdoor 12–18 May 2014 | ||||||
– | 1R | Bye | ||||
36 / 823 | 2R | Gilles Simon | 30 | Win | 7–6(7–1), 6–7(4–7), 6–2 | |
37 / 824 | 3R | Mikhail Youzhny (14) | 16 | Win | 6–7(4–7), 6–2, 6–1 | |
38 / 825 | QF | Andy Murray (7) | 8 | Win | 1–6, 6–3, 7–5 | |
39 / 826 | SF | Grigor Dimitrov (12) | 14 | Win | 6–2, 6–2 | |
40 / 827 | F | Novak Djokovic (2) | 2 | Loss (3) | 6–4, 3–6, 3–6 | |
French Open Paris, France Grand Slam tournament Clay, outdoor 25 May – 08 June 2014 | ||||||
41 / 828 | 1R | Robby Ginepri (WC) | 279 | Win | 6–0, 6–3, 6–0 | |
42 / 829 | 2R | Dominic Thiem | 57 | Win | 6–2, 6–2, 6–3 | |
43 / 830 | 3R | Leonardo Mayer | 65 | Win | 6–2, 7–5, 6–2 | |
44 / 831 | 4R | Dušan Lajović | 83 | Win | 6–1, 6–2, 6–1 | |
45 / 832 | QF | David Ferrer (5) | 5 | Win | 4–6, 6–4, 6–0, 6–1 | |
46 / 833 | SF | Andy Murray (7) | 8 | Win | 6–3, 6–2, 6–1 | |
47 / 834 | W | Novak Djokovic (2) | 2 | Win (4) | 3–6, 7–5, 6–2, 6–4 | |
Gerry Weber Open Halle, Germany ATP Tour 250 Grass, outdoor 9–15 June 2014 | ||||||
– | 1R | Bye | ||||
48 / 835 | 2R | Dustin Brown (WC) | 85 | Loss | 4–6, 1–6 | |
Wimbledon London, United Kingdom Grand Slam tournament Grass, outdoor 23 June – 6 July 2014 | ||||||
49 / 836 | 1R | Martin Kližan | 51 | Win | 4–6, 6–3, 6–3, 6–3 | |
50 / 837 | 2R | Lukáš Rosol | 52 | Win | 4–6, 7–6(8–6), 6–4, 6–4 | |
51 / 838 | 3R | Mikhail Kukushkin | 65 | Win | 6–7(4–7),6–1, 6–1, 6–1 | |
52 / 839 | 4R | Nick Kyrgios | 144 | Loss | 6–7(5–7), 7–5, 6–7(5–7), 3–6 | |
China Open Beijing, China ATP Tour 500 Hard, outdoor 29 September – 5 October 2014 | ||||||
53 / 840 | 1R | Richard Gasquet | 22 | Win | 6–4, 6–0 | |
54 / 841 | 2R | Peter Gojowczyk | 122 | Win | 6–3, 6–4 | |
55 / 842 | QF | Martin Kližan | 56 | Loss | 7–6(9–7), 4–6, 3–6 | |
Shanghai Masters Shanghai, China ATP Tour Masters 1000 Hard, outdoor 5–14 October 2014 | ||||||
– | 1R | Bye | ||||
56 / 843 | 2R | Feliciano López | 21 | Loss | 3–6, 6–7(6–8) | |
Swiss Indoors Basel, Switzerland ATP Tour 500 Hard, indoor 18–26 October 2014 | ||||||
57 / 844 | 1R | Simone Bolelli | 77 | Win | 6–2, 6–2 | |
58 / 845 | 2R | Pierre-Hugues Herbert | 120 | Win | 6–1, 6–1 | |
59 / 846 | QF | Borna Ćorić | 124 | Loss | 2–6, 6–7(4–7) | |
Tournament | Match | Round | Opponents (seed or key) | Ranks | Result | Score |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Qatar Open Doha, Qatar ATP Tour 250 Hard, outdoor 30 December 2013 – 4 January 2014 Partner: Francisco Roig | ||||||
1 / 165 | 1R | Pablo Andújar / Lukáš Rosol | #170 / #72 | Win | 6–3, 2–6, 6–4 | |
2 / 166 | QF | Ivan Dodig / Marcelo Melo (3) | #7 / #6 | Loss | 4–6, 6–7 (1–7) | |
China Open Beijing, China ATP Tour 500 Hard, outdoor 29 September – 5 October 2014 Partner: Pablo Andújar | ||||||
3 / 167 | 1R | Tomáš Berdych / John Isner (3) | #190 / #143 | Loss | 5–7, 6–4, [4–10] | |
Tournament | Match | Round | Opponent (seed or key) | Rank | Result | Score |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Mubadala World Tennis Championship Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates Exhibition Hard, outdoor 26–28 December 2013 | ||||||
– | QF | Bye | ||||
1 | SF | David Ferrer (3) | 3 | Loss | 4–6, 4–6 | |
2 | SF-B | Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (6) | 10 | Win | 7–6(7–5), 6–3 |
Nadal's 2014 singles tournament schedule is as follows:
Date | Tournament | Location | Category | Surface1 | Outcome 2013 | Outcome 2014 | Prev. Pts | New Pts2 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
30 Dec 2013–05 Jan 2014 | Qatar Open | Doha, Qatar | ATP World Tour 250 | Hard | DNS | W | 0 | 250 |
13 Jan 2014–26 Jan 2014 | Australian Open | Melbourne, Australia | Grand Slam | Hard | DNS | F | 0 | 1200 |
17 Feb 2014–23 Feb 2014 | Rio Open | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | ATP World Tour 500 | Clay | - | W | 0 | 500 |
06 Mar 2014–16 Mar 2014 | Indian Wells Masters | Indian Wells, United States | ATP World Tour Masters 1000 | Hard | W | 3R | 1000 | 45 |
19 Mar 2014–30 Mar 2014 | Miami Masters | Miami, United States | ATP World Tour Masters 1000 | Hard | DNS | F | 0 | 600 |
13 Apr 2014–20 Apr 2014 | Monte-Carlo Masters | Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, France | ATP World Tour Masters 1000 | Clay | F | QF | 600 | 180 |
21 Apr 2014–27 Apr 2014 | Barcelona Open | Barcelona, Spain | ATP World Tour 500 | Clay | W | QF | 500 | 90 |
4 May 2014 – 11 May 2014 | Madrid Open | Madrid, Spain | ATP World Tour Masters 1000 | Clay | W | W | 1000 | 1000 |
11 May 2014 – 18 May 2014 | Italian Open | Rome, Italy | ATP World Tour Masters 1000 | Clay | W | F | 1000 | 600 |
25 May 2014–08 Jun 2014 | French Open | Paris, France | Grand Slam | Clay | W | W | 2000 | 2000 |
09 Jun 2014–15 Jun 2014 | Halle Open | Halle, Germany | ATP World Tour 250 | Grass | DNS | 2R | 0 | 0 |
23 Jun 2014–06 Jul 2014 | Wimbledon Championships | London, United Kingdom | Grand Slam | Grass | 1R | 4R | 10 | 180 |
04 Aug 2014–10 Aug 2014 | Canadian Open | Toronto, Canada | ATP World Tour Masters 1000 | Hard | W | DNS | 1000 | 0 |
10 Aug 2014–17 Aug 2014 | Cincinnati Masters | Cincinnati, United States | ATP World Tour Masters 1000 | Hard | W | DNS | 1000 | 0 |
25 Aug 2014–07 Sep 2014 | US Open | New York City, United States | Grand Slam | Hard | W | DNS | 2000 | 0 |
29 Sep 2014–04 Oct 2014 | China Open | Beijing, China | ATP World Tour 500 | Hard | F | QF | 300 | 90 |
05 Oct 2014–12 Oct 2014 | Shanghai Masters | Shanghai, China | ATP World Tour Masters 1000 | Hard | SF | 2R | 360 | 10 |
18 Oct 2014–26 Oct 2014 | Swiss Indoors | Basel, Switzerland | ATP World Tour 500 | Hard (i) | DNS | 0 | ||
Total | 13030 | 6745 (8105) | ||||||
1 The symbol (i) = indoors means that the respective tournament will be held indoors.
2 The ATP numbers between brackets = non-countable tournaments.
Ordered by number of wins, then ranking at the time of the most recent match.
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|
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Outcome | No. | Date | Championship | Surface | Opponent in the final | Score in the final |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Winner | 61 | January 5, 2014 | Qatar Open, Doha, Qatar | Hard | Gaël Monfils | 6–1, 6–7(5–7), 6–2 |
Runner-up | 26 | January 26, 2014 | Australian Open, Melbourne, Australia (2) | Hard | Stanislas Wawrinka | 3–6, 2–6, 6–3, 3–6 |
Winner | 62 | February 23, 2014 | Rio Open, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | Clay | Alexandr Dolgopolov | 6–3, 7–6(7–3) |
Runner-up | 27 | March 30, 2014 | Miami Masters, Miami, United States (4) | Hard | Novak Djokovic | 3–6, 3–6 |
Winner | 63 | May 11, 2014 | Madrid Open, Madrid, Spain (4) | Clay | Kei Nishikori | 2–6, 6–4, 3–0 ret. |
Runner-up | 28 | May 18, 2014 | Italian Open, Rome, Italy (2) | Clay | Novak Djokovic | 6–4, 3–6, 3–6 |
Winner | 64 | June 8, 2014 | French Open, Paris, France (9) | Clay | Novak Djokovic | 3–6, 7–5, 6–2, 6–4 |
# | Venue | Singles prize money | Year-to-date | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1. | Qatar Open | $188,600 | $188,600 | |||||
2. | Australian Open | $1,191,572 | $1,380,172 | |||||
3. | Rio Open | $316,400 | $1,696,572 | |||||
4. | Indian Wells Masters | $28,000 | $1,697,572 | |||||
5. | Miami Masters | $384,065 | $2,081,637 | |||||
6. | Monte-Carlo Masters | €68,890 | $2,199,357 | |||||
7. | Barcelona Open | €38,960 | $2,263,337 | |||||
8. | Madrid Open | €698,720 | $3,227,472 | |||||
9. | Italian Open | €269,150 | $3,597,742 | |||||
10. | French Open | €1,650,000 | $5,845,702 | |||||
11. | Halle Open | €12,340 | $5,862,532 | |||||
12. | Wimbledon | £117,000 | $6,061,526 | |||||
As of July 7,2014 [update] |
Tomáš Berdych is a Czech former professional tennis player. His most notable achievement was reaching the final of the 2010 Wimbledon Championships, completing consecutive upsets in the defeat of top seed and six-time champion Roger Federer in the quarterfinals, and of 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.
David Ferrer Ern is a Spanish former professional tennis player. A three-time Davis Cup champion with Spain, Ferrer has won tournaments at all levels on the ATP Tour except at a major, and currently has the eighth highest career prize money earnings of all time among male tennis players. Ferrer also holds the distinction of winning the most matches on the ATP Tour without having won a major, passing Brian Gottfried who held this record for 32 years.
Stanislas Wawrinka is a Swiss professional tennis player. He reached a career-high Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) singles ranking of world No. 3 for the first time on 27 January 2014. His career highlights include three Grand Slam titles, those being the 2014 Australian Open, 2015 French Open and 2016 US Open, where he defeated the world No. 1 player in the final on all three occasions. Other achievements include reaching the final of the 2017 French Open, winning an ATP Tour Masters 1000 title at the 2014 Monte-Carlo Masters, and reaching three other Masters finals. Representing Switzerland, Wawrinka won gold in doubles at the 2008 Beijing Olympics with teammate Roger Federer, and was also pivotal in the Swiss team's victory at the 2014 Davis Cup.
Kei Nishikori is a Japanese professional tennis player. He is the second male Japanese player to have been ranked in the top 5 in singles, and the only one to do so in the Open Era. Nishikori first reached his career-high singles ranking of world No. 4 in March 2015. Nishikori has won 12 singles titles and was runner-up at the 2014 US Open, making him the first man representing an Asian country to reach a major singles final. He also became the first man from Asia to qualify for the ATP Finals, and reached the semifinals in 2014 and 2016. In addition, Nishikori defeated Rafael Nadal to win the bronze medal at the 2016 Summer Olympics, bringing Japan its first Olympic tennis medal in 96 years. He holds the record for the highest win percentage in matches extending to five sets, with a record of 27–7 and a win percentage of 79.4%.
The 2012 Rafael Nadal tennis season officially began on 2 January with the start of the 2012 ATP World Tour.
The 2013 Novak Djokovic tennis season officially commenced on 31 December 2012 with the start of the 2013 ATP World Tour.
The 2013 Andy Murray tennis season officially began at the Brisbane International where he was the defending champion. He successfully defended that title, defeating Grigor Dimitrov in straight sets in the final. After a quarterfinal showing at Indian Wells, where he lost to Juan Martín del Potro in 3 sets, Murray recovered to win the Miami Masters for the second time, defeating David Ferrer in the final. Winning in Miami meant that Murray overtook Roger Federer as World No. 2, the first time Murray had held the ranking since September 2009, meaning that neither Federer nor Rafael Nadal were ranked in the top 2 for the first time since the end of 2003. During the summer Murray won his first Wimbledon title, defeating Novak Djokovic in the final in straight sets to end Britain's 77-year wait for a home grown men's champion. It was Murray's second major title, and third consecutive title on grass, after winning at the Olympics the previous year, meaning he extended his winning streak on grass to 18 matches. In the summer hard court season, Murray failed to defend his US Open title, losing to Stanislas Wawrinka in the quarterfinals. Following the Davis Cup World Group play-offs, during which Murray won both his singles and the doubles rubber, he ended his season prematurely in order to undergo surgery on a long-standing back problem that had caused him trouble for over a year and a half. He ended the season ranked number 4 in the world, behind Nadal, Djokovic and Ferrer.
Three-time defending champion Rafael Nadal defeated David Ferrer in the final, 6–3, 6–2, 6–3 to win the men's singles tennis title at the 2013 French Open. It was his record-extending eighth French Open title and his twelfth major title overall. With the win, Nadal recorded his 59th French Open match win, surpassing the previous record held by Guillermo Vilas and Roger Federer. Nadal also became the first man in history to win any major eight times and tied Roy Emerson for the third-most major titles of all time. He also tied with Max Decugis, who won eight titles at this event when it was only open to French club members.
The 2013 Rafael Nadal tennis season is regarded as one of the greatest comeback seasons of all time. After not playing since June of the previous year, his season began on February 5 with the Chile Open, where he finished as the runner-up. Nadal rebounded with title victories at São Paulo and Acapulco. He then won the first Masters event of the year at Indian Wells. Nadal next finished runner-up to Novak Djokovic at Monte-Carlo, breaking his consecutive win streak for the first time in nine years. He followed that with victories at Barcelona, Madrid, and Rome. At the French Open, he defeated Djokovic in an epic semifinal, before defeating David Ferrer to win his eighth French Open crown. He was then stunned by Steve Darcis in the first round of Wimbledon, in what would be his only defeat prior to the semifinals of a tournament all season. Limping in the final set of the match, many thought his season was over. However, a strong hardcourt summer saw Nadal sweep Montreal, Cincinnati, and then the US Open, thus achieving the Summer Slam and clinching the US Open Series. He became the third player in history, after Patrick Rafter and Andy Roddick, to win all three events in succession. This granted him US$3.6 million in prize money, the most money earned by a male tennis player at a single tournament. A few days after the US Open final, he flew to Madrid to help the Spanish Davis Cup team secure their World Group Playoff spot for 2014, with a singles victory against Sergiy Stakhovsky and a doubles victory with Marc López.
The 2013 ATP World Tour Finals, also known as the 2013 Barclays ATP World Tour Finals for sponsorship reasons, was a men's tennis tournament that was played on indoor hard courts at the O2 Arena in London, United Kingdom, between 4 and 11 November 2013. It was the season-ending event for the best singles players and doubles teams of the 2013 ATP World Tour.
The 2014 ATP World Tour Finals (also known as the 2014 Barclays ATP World Tour Finals for sponsorship reasons) was a men's tennis tournament played at the O2 Arena in London, United Kingdom, between 9 and 16 November 2014. It was the season-ending event for the best singles players and doubles teams on the 2014 ATP World Tour. The Bryan Brothers won the title at the doubles tournament, while Novak Djokovic successfully defended his single title for the second time after Roger Federer withdrew from the final, the first walkover in a final in the tournament's 45-year history.
Roger Federer's 2014 tennis season officially began on 30 December 2013 with the start of the 2014 Brisbane International. This season was a resurgent season for Federer after a poor 2013 season. Before the start of the season Federer appointed Stefan Edberg as his coach and he also changed racquets for the first time, moving on from his longtime frame of 90 square inches to a 97 square inch frame. Federer reached a total of 11 finals, the most since his 2007 season. One of those finals included the Wimbledon final, his first major final since he won Wimbledon in 2012. After winning Shanghai, Federer returned to No. 2 in the world for the first time since May 2013. He also won the Davis Cup for the first time. Federer ended the year at No. 2 with 5 titles and with the most match wins since 2006.
Novak Djokovic defeated Andy Murray in the final, 7–6(7–5), 6–7(4–7), 6–3, 6–0 to win the men's singles tennis title at the 2015 Australian Open. It was his fifth Australian Open title and his eighth major title overall. It was also Murray's fourth runner-up finish at the event, the most in the Open Era.
The 2015 Rafael Nadal tennis season officially began on 5 January 2015 with the start of the 2015 Qatar Open.
The 2015 Andy Murray tennis season began at the Australian Open. Murray was the defending champion at the Shenzhen, Vienna and Valencia Opens, but chose not to defend these titles. His season saw him reach seven singles finals, winning titles at Munich, Madrid, Queen's and Montreal, while he won eight singles and three doubles rubbers to help lead Great Britain to the Davis Cup title for the first time in 79 years.
The 2015 ATP World Tour Finals (also known as the 2015 Barclays ATP World Tour Finals for sponsorship reasons) was a men's tennis tournament that was played at the O2 Arena in London, United Kingdom, between 15 and 22 November 2015. It was the season-ending event for the best singles players and doubles teams on the 2015 ATP World Tour.
The 2015 Stan Wawrinka tennis season began at the Chennai Open, where he won the title for the third time in his career. This was followed by an unsuccessful defense of his title at the Australian Open, where he lost in the semi-finals to eventual champion Novak Djokovic in five sets. A few months later, after a relatively unsuccessful clay season, Stan won his second major title at the French Open, defeating Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic in the process.
The 2016 ATP World Tour Finals (also known as the 2016 Barclays ATP World Tour Finals for sponsorship reasons) was a men's tennis tournament that was played at the O2 Arena in London, United Kingdom, from 13 to 20 November 2016. It was the season-ending event for the best singles players and doubles teams on the 2016 ATP World Tour.
The 2016 Rafael Nadal tennis season officially began on 4 January 2016 with the start of the 2016 Qatar Open.
Andy Murray's 2016 tennis season began at the Australian Open. The 2016 season was Murray's greatest season, as he finished the season as the year-end world No. 1 player and clinched the year-end prize money title. Andy and Jamie Murray, also became the first brothers to finish as year-end No. 1 ranked players in singles and doubles team, respectively. He won an ATP-best and career-high nine Tour titles from 13 finals, including his second Wimbledon crown and second successive Olympic gold medal in singles, thus becoming the first person, man or woman, to defend the Olympic singles title. In the 2016 season, Murray became the first male player to win singles titles at a Grand Slam, the Olympics, a Masters 1000 event, and the ATP Finals in the same calendar year.