Rafael Nadal is unanimously considered the greatest clay-court player of all time, but he is not invincible because a few players have managed to beat him on his beloved surface.
It has to be said that beating Nadal on clay is rare, especially in Barcelona, where he has won a record 12 titles. Excluding Roland Garros, this is the most titles won in a single tournament on the ATP Tour. It's not a surprise that the center court at the tournament is named after him.
Nadal made his main draw debut at the Barcelona Open in 2003 and once held a 41-match winning streak between 2005 and 2014. He has only lost four matches there.
And ahead of his confirmed comeback from a hip injury, let's take a look at the only four men who got the better of the king of clay at his home tournament.
The Four Players Who Have Defeated Rafael Nadal In Barcelona
1. Alex Corretja (2003)
The first man on this short list is Nadal's compatriot Alex Corretja. Now 50, the former Spanish Davis Cup captain was at the twilight of his career when he defeated a 15-year-old Nadal 3-6, 6-2, 6-1 in the second round. This turned out to be the earliest that the 22-time Grand Slam champion lost in the Barcelona Open main draw.
2. Nicolas Almagro (2014)
A particularly significant defeat happened in 2014 when Nadal lost his proud 41-match win streak at the tournament to an inspired Nicolas Almagro in three sets. This match also ended Nadal's record of 44 straight sets won in Barcelona.
3. Fabio Fognini (2015)
Losing in back-to-back Barcelona Opens is completely unheard of for Nadal, but the situation developed in 2015, during one of his poorest seasons. Fabio Fognini is one of few names who had gotten under the Spaniard's skin on clay, and he produced one of his best performances to take down the legend in straight sets in the round of 16.
4. Dominic Thiem (2019)
Dominic Thiem is one of only seven men who have beaten Nadal multiple times on clay. And one of those victories was at the 2019 Barcelona Open semifinal. The Austrian played a super match, tallying five aces and saving both break points he faced to win 6-4, 6-4.
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- Kyrgios will do anything to stay in the news.shirley19-12-2024
- A technical error.
MrMustard18-12-2024 - All that is said , all that is done. Nick has 0 grand slams wins. Everything else is hot 🥵 air.MrMustard18-12-2024
- All that is said , all that isMrMustard18-12-2024
- Kyrgios is a jerk.shirley17-12-2024
- If Jessica Pegula had to undergo such horror for using a bannes substance, so do these two tennis players. Penalty should apply to all players regardless of their excuses. They are professionals and know better!!
Stella112-12-2024 - All players should be treated the same for taking banned substances, if your no 1 in the world or no 300 man or woman you should not be allowed to keep playing,,VPH108-12-2024
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