2021 Rafael Nadal tennis season

Last updated
2021 Rafael Nadal tennis season
Nadal RG21 (22) (51377101885).jpg
Full nameRafael Nadal Parera
CountryFlag of Spain.svg  Spain
Calendar prize money$1,478,832
Singles
Season record24–5
Calendar titles2
Current rankingNo. 6
Ranking change from previous yearDecrease2.svg 4
Grand Slam & significant results
Australian Open QF
French Open SF
Wimbledon A
US Open A
Doubles
Season record0–0
Current rankingNo. 511
Ranking change from previous yearDecrease2.svg 36
2020
2022

The 2021 Rafael Nadal tennis season officially began on 9 February 2021, with the start of the Australian Open.

Contents

Yearly summary

Early hard court season

ATP Cup

Rafael Nadal was scheduled to begin his season at the ATP Cup. However, despite being on the Spanish team, he did not play any matches due to minor back issues. [1] [2]

Australian Open

At the 2021 Australian Open, Nadal lost in the quarterfinals to Stefanos Tsitsipas, despite being two sets to love up. This marked only the second time Nadal has lost a grand slam match after being two sets up. [3] It was overall the third time he lost from 2 sets up, the others happened at the US Open 2015 to Fabio Fognini, and Miami 2005 to Roger Federer in the final when Masters finals were best of 5.

Indian Wells Masters

Indian Wells Masters was scheduled to take place in March 2021 but was postponed due to coronavirus concerns. [4]

Miami Open

Nadal withdrew from the Miami Open. [5]

Spring clay court season

Monte-Carlo Masters

Nadal won his first two matches losing a total of just 5 games in both combined, but then lost to Andrey Rublev in the quarterfinals in three sets.

Barcelona Open

Nadal saved a match point to defeat Stefanos Tsitsipas, in 3 hours and 38 minutes, the longest final since 1991 (when records began). This was his record-extending 12th title at the event. [6] [7]

Madrid Open

Nadal lost to Alexander Zverev in the quarterfinals.

Italian Open

Nadal saved two match points to defeat Denis Shapovalov. He then beat Alexander Zverev and Reilly Opelka to reach the final, where he defeated longtime rival Novak Djokovic in three sets.

French Open

At the French Open, Nadal entered as the heavy favorite seeking to become the first man to win 21 majors. He reached the semifinals after wins over Jannik Sinner and Diego Schwartzman, where he encountered Novak Djokovic in a rematch of the previous year's final. There, Nadal was upset by eventual champion Djokovic in four sets, in only his third-ever loss at the French Open.

Grass court season

Wimbledon

Nadal withdrew from both Wimbledon and the Olympics, citing schedule reasons.

North American hard court season

Washington (Citi Open)

Nadal made his Washington debut in 2021. He faced Jack Sock in his opener, his first match since losing to Novak Djokovic at the French Open. Nadal recovered from a break down in the third set, prevailing in a final set tiebreak. He lost in the round of 16 to Lloyd Harris (tennis) in three sets.

Following more injury problems, Nadal withdrew from Toronto and Cincinnati, and, on August 20, ended his season, citing his ongoing foot injury as the main issue.

All matches

This table chronicles all the matches of Rafael Nadal in 2021.

Key
W F SFQF#RRRQ#P#DNQAZ#POGSBNMSNTIPNH
(W) winner; (F) finalist; (SF) semifinalist; (QF) quarterfinalist; (#R) rounds 4, 3, 2, 1; (RR) round-robin stage; (Q#) qualification round; (P#) preliminary round; (DNQ) did not qualify; (A) absent; (Z#) Davis/Fed Cup Zonal Group (with number indication) or (PO) play-off; (G) gold, (S) silver or (B) bronze Olympic/Paralympic medal; (NMS) not a Masters tournament; (NTI) not a Tier I tournament; (P) postponed; (NH) not held; (SR) strike rate (events won / competed); (W–L) win–loss record.
To avoid confusion and double counting, these charts are updated at the conclusion of a tournament or when the player's participation has ended.

Singles matches

TournamentMatchRoundOpponent (seed or key)RankResultScore
ATP Cup
Melbourne, Australia
ATP Cup
Hard, outdoor
2 – 7 February 2021
Withdrew
Australian Open
Melbourne, Australia
Grand Slam tournament
Hard, outdoor
8 – 21 February 2021
1 / 12091R Flag of Serbia.svg Laslo Đere 56Win6–3, 6–4, 6–1
2 / 12102R Flag of the United States.svg Michael Mmoh (Q)177Win6–1, 6–4, 6–2
3 / 12113R Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Cameron Norrie 69Win7–5, 6–2, 7–5
4 / 12124R Flag of Italy.svg Fabio Fognini (16)17Win6–3, 6–4, 6–2
5 / 1213QF Flag of Greece.svg Stefanos Tsitsipas (5)6Loss6–3, 6–2, 6–7(4–7), 4–6, 5–7
Monte-Carlo Masters
Monte Carlo, Monaco
ATP Tour Masters 1000
Clay, outdoor
12 – 18 April 2021
1RBye
6 / 12142R Flag of Argentina.svg Federico Delbonis (Q)87Win6–1, 6–2
7 / 12153R Flag of Bulgaria.svg Grigor Dimitrov (14)17Win6–1, 6–1
8 / 1216QF Flag of Russia.svg Andrey Rublev (6)8Loss2–6, 6–4, 2–6
Barcelona Open
Barcelona, Spain
ATP Tour 500
Clay, outdoor
19 – 25 April 2021
1RBye
9 / 12172R Flag of Belarus.svg Ilya Ivashka (Q)111Win3–6, 6–2, 6–4
10 / 12183R Flag of Japan.svg Kei Nishikori 39Win6–0, 2–6, 6–2
11 / 1219QF Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Cameron Norrie 58Win6–1, 6–4
12 / 1220SF Flag of Spain.svg Pablo Carreño Busta (6)13Win6–3, 6–2
13 / 1221W Flag of Greece.svg Stefanos Tsitsipas (2)5Win (1)6–4, 6–7(6–8), 7–5
Madrid Open
Madrid, Spain
ATP Tour Masters 1000
Clay, outdoor
2 – 9 May 2021
1RBye
14 / 12222R Flag of Spain.svg Carlos Alcaraz (WC)120Win6–1, 6–2
15 / 12233R Flag of Australia (converted).svg Alexei Popyrin (Q)76Win6–3, 6–3
16 / 1224QF Flag of Germany.svg Alexander Zverev (5)6Loss4–6, 4–6
Italian Open
Rome, Italy
ATP Tour Masters 1000
Clay, outdoor
9 – 16 May 2021
1RBye
17 / 12252R Flag of Italy.svg Jannik Sinner 18Win7–5, 6–4
18 / 12263R Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Denis Shapovalov (13)14Win3–6, 6–4, 7–6(7–3)
19 / 1227QF Flag of Germany.svg Alexander Zverev (6)6Win6–3, 6–4
20 / 1228SF Flag of the United States.svg Reilly Opelka 47Win6–4, 6–4
21 / 1229W Flag of Serbia.svg Novak Djokovic (1)1Win (2)7–5, 1–6, 6–3
French Open
Paris, France
Grand Slam tournament
Clay, outdoor
30 May – 13 June 2021
22 / 12301R Flag of Australia (converted).svg Alexei Popyrin 63Win6–3, 6–2, 7–6(7–3)
23 / 12312R Flag of France.svg Richard Gasquet 53Win6–0, 7–5, 6–2
24 / 12323R Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Cameron Norrie 45Win6–3, 6–3, 6–3
25 / 12334R Flag of Italy.svg Jannik Sinner (18)19Win7–5, 6–3, 6–0
26 / 1234QF Flag of Argentina.svg Diego Schwartzman (10)10Win6–3, 4–6, 6–4, 6–0
27 / 1235SF Flag of Serbia.svg Novak Djokovic (1)1Loss6–3, 3–6, 6–7(4–7), 2–6
Citi Open
Washington, United States
ATP Tour 500
Hard, outdoor
31 July – 8 August 2021
1RBye
28 / 12362R Flag of the United States.svg Jack Sock (WC)192Win6–2, 4–6, 7–6(7–1)
29 / 12373R Flag of South Africa.svg Lloyd Harris (14)50Loss4–6, 6–1, 4–6
Canadian Open
Toronto, Canada
ATP Tour Masters 1000
Hard, outdoor
6 – 15 August 2021
Withdrew


Exhibition matches

Singles

TournamentMatchRoundOpponent (seed or key)RankResultScore
A Day at the Drive
Adelaide, Australia

Hard, outdoor
29 January 2021

[8]

1 Flag of Austria.svg Dominic Thiem 3Win7–5, 6–4

Schedule

Per Rafael Nadal, this is his current 2021 schedule (subject to change). [9] The ATP rankings are currently affected by the COVID-19 pandemic; they are on a Best of 24-month basis through the week of 15 March 2021. Until then, all the events are non-mandatory and players can use the best result from the same event in that 24-month span. [10]

Singles schedule

DateTournamentLocationTierSurfacePrev.
result
Prev.
points
New
points
Result
2 February 2021–
7 February 2021
ATP Cup Melbourne (AUS) ATP Cup HardF2500 (250 [lower-alpha 1] )Withdrew due to minor back issues
8 February 2021–
21 February 2021
Australian Open Melbourne (AUS) Grand Slam HardQF360360Quarterfinals (lost to Flag of Greece.svg Stefanos Tsitsipas, 6–3, 6–2, 6–7(4–7), 4–6, 5–7)
15 March 2021–
20 March 2021
Mexican Open Acapulco (MEX)500 SeriesHardW5000 (500 [lower-alpha 1] )Withdrew
22 March 2021–
4 April 2021
Miami Open Miami (USA) Masters 1000 HardNHN/AN/AWithdrew
12 April 2021–
18 April 2021
Monte Carlo Masters Monte Carlo (MON)Masters 1000ClaySF360180Quarterfinals (lost to Flag of Russia.svg Andrey Rublev, 2–6, 6–4, 2–6)
19 April 2021–
25 April 2021
Barcelona Open Barcelona (ESP)500 SeriesClaySF180500Champion (defeated Flag of Greece.svg Stefanos Tsitsipas, 6-4, 6–7(6–8), 7–5)
3 May 2021–
9 May 2021
Madrid Open Madrid (ESP)Masters 1000ClaySF360180Quarterfinals (lost to Flag of Germany.svg Alexander Zverev, 4–6, 4–6)
9 May 2021–
16 May 2021
Italian Open Rome (ITA)Masters 1000ClayQF180 (1000 [lower-alpha 1] )1000Champion (defeated Flag of Serbia.svg Novak Djokovic, 7-5, 1–6, 6–3)
31 May 2021–
13 June 2021
French Open Paris (FRA)Grand SlamClayW2000720 (1000 [lower-alpha 2] )Semifinals (lost to Flag of Serbia.svg Novak Djokovic, 6–3, 3–6, 6–7(4–7), 2–6)
28 June 2021–
11 July 2021
Wimbledon London (GBR)Grand SlamGrassSF7200 (360 [lower-alpha 2] )Withdrew
31 July 2021–
8 August 2021
Citi Open Washington (USA)500 SeriesHardAN/A45Third round (lost to L Harris, 4–6, 6–1,4-6)
6 August 2021–
15 August 2021
Canadian Open Toronto (CAN)Masters 1000HardNH1000 [lower-alpha 1] 0 (500 [lower-alpha 2] )Withdrew
15 August 2021–
22 August 2021
Cincinnati Masters Mason (USA)Masters 1000HardA00
6 August 2021–
15 August 2021
US Open New York (USA)Grand SlamHardA0 (2000 [lower-alpha 1] )0
4 October 2021–
11 October 2021
Indian Wells Masters Indian Wells (USA)Masters 1000HardNH360 [lower-alpha 1] 0
1 November 2021–
7 November 2021
Paris Masters Paris (FRA)Masters 1000HardSF3600
Total year-end points98504875Decrease2.svg4975difference

Yearly records

Head-to-head matchups

Rafael Nadal has a 24–5 ATP match win–loss record in the 2021 season. His record against players who were part of the ATP rankings Top Ten at the time of their meetings is 4–4. Bold indicates player was ranked top 10 at the time of at least one meeting. The following list is ordered by number of wins:

* Statistics correct as of 5 August 2021.

Top 10 wins

#PlayerRankEventSurfaceRdScoreRNR
1/175. Flag of Greece.svg Stefanos Tsitsipas5 Barcelona, SpainClayF6–4, 6–7(6–8), 7–53
2/176. Flag of Germany.svg Alexander Zverev6Rome, ItalyClayQF6–3, 6–43
3/177. Flag of Serbia.svg Novak Djokovic1Rome, ItalyClayF7–5, 1–6, 6–33
4/178. Flag of Argentina.svg Diego Schwartzman 10 French Open, Paris, FranceClayQF6–3, 4–6, 6–4, 6–03

Finals

Singles: 2 (2 titles)

Category
Grand Slam (0–0)
ATP Finals (0–0)
Masters 1000 (1–0)
500 Series (1–0)
250 Series (0–0)
Titles by surface
Hard (0–0)
Clay (2–0)
Grass (0–0)
Titles by setting
Outdoor (2–0)
Indoor (0–0)
ResultW–L   Date   TournamentTierSurfaceOpponentScore
Win1–0 Apr 2021 Barcelona Open, Spain** (12)500 SeriesClay Flag of Greece.svg Stefanos Tsitsipas 6–4, 6–7(6–8), 7–5
Win2–0 May 2021 Italian Open, Italy** (10)Masters 1000Clay Flag of Serbia.svg Novak Djokovic 7–5, 1–6, 6–3

(**) signifies tournaments where Nadal won the title after saving at least one match point.

Earnings

Singles
EventPrize moneyYear-to-date
Australian Open A$525,000$360,832
Monte-Carlo Masters €46,500$416,144
Barcelona Open €178,985$629,046
Madrid Open €58,370$699,195
Italian Open €245,085$997,268
French Open €375,000$1,454,432
Washington Open $24,400$1,478,832
$1,478,832
Total
$1,478,832

Figures in United States dollars (USD) unless noted.

Television

At the Barcelona Open, Nadal's semifinals match versus Pablo Carreño Busta averaged 773,000 viewers on RTVE's La 1 and 115,000 on #Vamos. The final match versus Stefanos Tsitsipas averaged 1.5 million viewers on La 1 (equivalent to a 11.3% share), 87,000 on #Vamos and 68,000 on Movistar Deportes. [11] [12] [13] [14]

At the Madrid Open, his quarter-finals match versus Alexander Zverev averaged 447,000 viewers on Teledeporte. [15]

At the Italian Open, his final match versus Novak Djokovic averaged 363,00 viewers on #Vamos. [16]

See also

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Points carried over due to the Best of 24-month ranking being extended through and including the week of 1 March 2021. [10]
  2. 1 2 3 Points carried over due to the Best of 24-month ranking being used for events between 4 March – 5 August 2019, that were not played in 2020, but weighted at 50%. [10]

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References

  1. "Nadal Will Not Compete Against Australia Tuesday". atptour.com. 2 February 2021.
  2. "Rafael Nadal: 'I'm not in a terrible shape, but I'm not well enough to play'". tennisworldusa.org. 5 February 2021.
  3. "Rafael Nadal Is Out of the Australian Open". The New York Times. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
  4. "Indian Wells: 2021 BNP Paribas Open postponed due to COVID-19 concerns". skysports.com. 29 December 2020.
  5. "Nadal Announces Miami Withdrawal". ATP Tour. 16 March 2021.
  6. "Rafael Nadal Saves M.P., Beats Stefanos Tsitsipas For 12th Barcelona Title | ATP Tour | Tennis". ATP Tour. Retrieved 2021-04-25.
  7. Yahoo!news:Tennis-Nadal outlasts Tsitsipas to claim 12th Barcelona Open title
  8. "Rafael Nadal beats Dominic Thiem at A Day at the Drive in Adelaide". tennisworldusa.org. 29 January 2021.
  9. "Rafael Nadal's Schedule for the 2021 Season". essentiallysports.com. Retrieved 6 January 2021.
  10. 1 2 3 "FedEx ATP Rankings COVID-19 Adjustments FAQ". ATP. 13 January 2021.
  11. 'Sábado deluxe' lidera con un gran 16,9% y 'laSexta noche' crece a un 8,5% en la semana política más tensa - Fórmula TV, 25 April 2021
  12. El Real Madrid - Betis marca un 5,7% llevando al liderazgo a este partido en Movistar LaLiga - Fórmula TV, 25 April 2021
  13. 'Conexión Honduras' (18,7%) gana en cuota, pero 'Mi hija' (17,3%) se corona como lo más visto en espectadores - Fórmula TV, 26 April 2021
  14. El fútbol arrasa en Movistar con el partido entre el Athletic de Bilbao y el Atlético de Madrid (5%) a la cabeza - Fórmula TV, 26 April 2021
  15. El final de 'Ciudad Cruel' (4,2%) arrasa y se impone en espectadores al ATP Masters 1000 de tenis en TDP (4%) - Fórmula TV, 8 May 2021
  16. 'La casa del fútbol' (4%) y el Mundial de MotoGP (4,3%) enganchan a los espectadores del pago - Fórmula TV, 17 May 2021