Decoding the stats of Rafael Nadal in 2021
Spanish ace Rafael Nadal hasn't been at his best lately. He opted out of the 2021 US Open as he didn't want to travel amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Prior to that, he faced a second-round defeat to Lloyd Harris in Washington. Nadal also skipped Wimbledon after losing to world number one Novak Djokovic at the French Open. Here, we decode Nadal's stats in 2021.
Nadal is 24-5 in the season
Nadal has a win-loss record of 24-5 in the ongoing season. He has won two titles so far. He lost to Stefanos Tsitsipas in the quarter-finals of Australian Open at the start of the year. Nadal avenged this loss by beating Tsitsipas in the final of the ATP 500 event in Barcelona. Thereafter, the former won the ATP Masters 1000 in Rome.
French Open: A rare loss for Nadal
Nadal missed out on his 14th Roland Garros title. Djokovic defeated Nadal 3-6, 6-3, 7-6(4), 6-2 in a tense semi-final that ran for over four hours. The Spaniard lost a French Open semi-final for the first time. Djokovic became the first-ever player to defeat Nadal twice at this Slam. He was the last player to win against Nadal in this tournament (2015).
Nadal failed to defend his title
Nadal failed to defend his Roland Garros title for the first time since 2015. Nadal owns as many as 13 French Open titles (2005-2008, 2010-2014, 2017-2020). He has an incredible win-loss record of 105-3 in the clay-court tournament.
Nadal shone in Barcelona and Rome
In April, Nadal won his 12th Barcelona Open title. The Spaniard saved a championship point to beat Tsitsipas 6-4, 6-7(6), 7-5 in the final. Later on, Nadal defeated Djokovic 7-5, 1-6, 6-3 to lift his 10th trophy in Rome. The former clinched his 36th ATP Masters 1000 crown, equaling Djokovic's record. This was Nadal's 88th tour-level title.
Nadal pulled out of Wimbledon and Tokyo Olympics
Nadal had sustained a foot injury at the French Open. He opted out of Wimbledon and the Tokyo 2020 Olympics in order to rest following the clay-court season. Nadal said he has taken the tough decision considering the "demanding clay-court season". "After listening to my body and discussing it I understand that it is the right decision," he added.
