400th Masters 1000 win for Rafael Nadal: Key numbers
21-time men's singles Grand Slam winner Rafael Nadal continued his brilliant form in 2022. The veteran Spanish maestro defeated 27th seed Daniel Evans in the Indian Wells. With his win, Rafa has advanced to the round of 16 with a 7-5, 6-3 victory. He has also earned his 400th career ATP Masters 1000 victory. Here are the key details.
Masters 1000: Notable numbers of Nadal
A look at the player's with most Masters 1000 career wins: Rafael Nadal - 400, Roger Federer - 381, Novak Djokovic - 374, Andy Murray - 219, and Andre Agassi - 209. There are nine Masters 1000 tournaments, including the Indian Wells. Nadal is aiming to win a fourth Indian Wells title. He can also equal Novak Djokovic's record of 37 Masters 1000 titles.
Why does this story matter?
Winning a 400th Masters 1000 match is extraordinary and Rafa deserves all the credit for standing tall. With Daniel Medvedev ousted, Rafa is the favorite to win this year's Indian Wells honor. Interestingly, he is the first man ever to reach 400 Masters 1000 singles match wins. He had got the first Masters 1000 win as a 16-year-old at Monte Carlo in 2003.
Masters 1000: Other key stats
Nadal has won three Indian Wells Masters titles. Besides, he has claimed 11 titles in Monte Carlo, one in the discontinued Hamburg, 10 Rome Masters, 4 Madrid Masters, five Canadian Masters, 2 Cincinnati Masters, and six Paris Masters. Nadal has appeared in 52 finals to date. He is one of the three men's players with 50-plus appearances in finals alongside Djokovic and Federer.
Nadal to face Opelka next
With Medvedev losing against Gael Monfils and Alexander Zverev falling short versus Tommy Paul, Rafa is now the highest-ranked player left in the tournament. Up next for Rafa is 17th seed Reilly Opelka, who overcame Denis Shapovalov 6-7(4), 6-4, 6-4. Meanwhile, Rafa is 17-0 in 2022. Prior to this tournament, he had won the Melbourne Summer Set, 2022 Australian Open, and the Mexican Open.
Here's what Nadal had to say
Reaching a special milestone, Nadal said these are good numbers. "I didn't know at all about that, but good numbers, of course," he said when informed about the same. Nadal said the match didn't start the way he wanted. However, he was able to hit a couple of good passing shots in some key moments as things started to build a bit better.
Murray achieves a special milestone
Andy Murray claimed a hard-fought 1-6, 6-2, 6-4 win over Taro Daniel. Murray has now hit a new milestone with 700 ATP Tour victories. Murray is the fourth active player on the ATP Tour to reach the milestone after Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic. He has also become the 18th man in the Open Era to join the 700 Match Wins Club.
Murray on reaching 700 wins
Murray said this is a really good achievement. "Reaching that number [700 wins] is a really, really good achievement," he continued. "I do look at that stuff now. I do look at the other players that are around me, around those numbers. It gives me some motivation and encouragement to try to get higher and win more matches," he said as per ATP.
