Zürcher Nachrichten - Five memorable Rafael Nadal Grand Slam finals

EUR -
AED 4.199036
AFN 79.458352
ALL 96.443743
AMD 438.872149
ANG 2.046294
AOA 1048.472885
ARS 1509.239848
AUD 1.774435
AWG 2.06093
AZN 1.950353
BAM 1.938621
BBD 2.309535
BDT 140.237323
BGN 1.958433
BHD 0.431037
BIF 3364.375918
BMD 1.143373
BND 1.474633
BOB 7.90403
BRL 6.376937
BSD 1.143864
BTN 99.981911
BWP 15.462122
BYN 3.743329
BYR 22410.116567
BZD 2.29766
CAD 1.5812
CDF 3304.349259
CHF 0.929555
CLF 0.028619
CLP 1122.712311
CNY 8.205876
CNH 8.241812
COP 4789.019043
CRC 578.280773
CUC 1.143373
CUP 30.299392
CVE 109.706905
CZK 24.584579
DJF 203.19987
DKK 7.463015
DOP 69.745349
DZD 149.397844
EGP 55.708351
ERN 17.150599
ETB 158.008774
FJD 2.593342
FKP 0.857208
GBP 0.862778
GEL 3.084543
GGP 0.857208
GHS 12.000778
GIP 0.857208
GMD 82.322672
GNF 9918.763207
GTQ 8.776232
GYD 239.311496
HKD 8.97488
HNL 30.127768
HRK 7.539178
HTG 150.099928
HUF 400.329431
IDR 18803.688522
ILS 3.861097
IMP 0.857208
INR 100.240218
IQD 1497.819015
IRR 48150.315417
ISK 142.190355
JEP 0.857208
JMD 183.02973
JOD 0.810632
JPY 170.634691
KES 148.068951
KGS 99.988439
KHR 4590.643947
KMF 493.366896
KPW 1028.940558
KRW 1588.327745
KWD 0.349757
KYD 0.953261
KZT 621.805471
LAK 24673.995436
LBP 103487.363657
LKR 345.577752
LRD 229.817819
LSL 20.592081
LTL 3.376084
LVL 0.691616
LYD 6.191333
MAD 10.409208
MDL 19.51425
MGA 5065.143372
MKD 61.706163
MMK 2399.829383
MNT 4105.263929
MOP 9.248945
MRU 45.529216
MUR 52.766369
MVR 17.624452
MWK 1985.468095
MXN 21.554985
MYR 4.870437
MZN 73.129839
NAD 20.59232
NGN 1750.15834
NIO 42.019535
NOK 11.778574
NPR 159.969472
NZD 1.935382
OMR 0.439628
PAB 1.143874
PEN 4.080689
PGK 4.722417
PHP 66.157871
PKR 323.860103
PLN 4.273299
PYG 8567.084999
QAR 4.162736
RON 5.075428
RSD 117.171722
RUB 92.897443
RWF 1646.457544
SAR 4.289082
SBD 9.426156
SCR 16.173197
SDG 686.60211
SEK 11.182694
SGD 1.48152
SHP 0.898512
SLE 26.297284
SLL 23975.970806
SOS 653.442539
SRD 41.927461
STD 23665.518729
STN 24.668279
SVC 10.008314
SYP 14866.08166
SZL 20.592193
THB 37.422875
TJS 10.935097
TMT 4.01324
TND 3.292799
TOP 2.677894
TRY 46.412898
TTD 7.762284
TWD 34.108885
TZS 2938.469148
UAH 47.754057
UGX 4100.751914
USD 1.143373
UYU 45.774382
UZS 14412.220665
VES 141.459945
VND 29959.238742
VUV 136.60554
WST 3.152412
XAF 650.201098
XAG 0.030825
XAU 0.000348
XCD 3.090024
XCG 2.061433
XDR 0.792826
XOF 647.72075
XPF 119.331742
YER 275.152345
ZAR 20.574523
ZMK 10291.736209
ZMW 26.279362
ZWL 368.165734
  • RBGPF

    -3.5200

    74.03

    -4.75%

  • SCU

    0.0000

    12.72

    0%

  • CMSD

    -0.0600

    23.06

    -0.26%

  • NGG

    -0.3300

    70.19

    -0.47%

  • CMSC

    -0.0100

    22.6

    -0.04%

  • BCE

    -0.1300

    23.53

    -0.55%

  • RELX

    -0.1400

    51.78

    -0.27%

  • BCC

    -1.2500

    84.89

    -1.47%

  • GSK

    1.3000

    38.97

    +3.34%

  • SCS

    -0.1800

    10.33

    -1.74%

  • AZN

    2.6100

    76.59

    +3.41%

  • RIO

    -2.7800

    59.49

    -4.67%

  • RYCEF

    -0.2800

    13.1

    -2.14%

  • JRI

    0.0500

    13.11

    +0.38%

  • VOD

    -0.0500

    11.06

    -0.45%

  • BTI

    0.3900

    53.16

    +0.73%

  • BP

    -0.7100

    32.25

    -2.2%

Five memorable Rafael Nadal Grand Slam finals
Five memorable Rafael Nadal Grand Slam finals

Five memorable Rafael Nadal Grand Slam finals

Rafael Nadal made tennis history on Sunday by winning the Australian Open for his 21st Grand Slam title, moving one ahead of "Big Three" rivals Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic on the men's all-time list.

Text size:

Here, AFP Sport recalls five of the Spaniard's greatest Grand Slam finals:

2005 French Open

Nadal bt Mariano Puerta 6-7 (7/6), 6-3, 6-1, 7-5

-- The one that started it all.

Nadal came in as an 18-year-old left-hander on the rise, with a huge top-spin forehand and expectations to match.

He won all three clay-court lead-up tournaments, in Monte Carlo, Barcelona and Rome and there was a buzz growing around Nadal as he took to court in a sleeveless shirt, prowling like a young matador.

He blasted through the draw taking out Richard Gasquet, Sebastien Grosjean and David Ferrer.

But the real test came in the semi-final against world number one Federer. The pair had never met on clay.

It was Nadal's 19th birthday and he won 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3.

Little-known Puerta of Argentina, ranked 37, was dispatched in a four-set final and Nadal would not lose another match on the Paris clay until 2009.

2008 Wimbledon

Nadal bt Federer 6-4, 6-4, 6-7 (7/5), 6-7 (10/8), 9-7

-- A match that is widely remembered as one of the greatest tennis matches of all time, it went to Nadal after an incredible four hours, 48 minutes of action.

Scheduled for a 2pm start, the final began late because of rain, had two more rain delays, and ended in light so bad that the Hawk-Eye line-calling system had ceased to work.

Federer clawed back a two-set deficit and saved two match points in the fourth set to take it the distance.

The sheer quality of tennis was like nothing seen before until Federer finally erred, finding the net at 9:21 pm to hand Nadal, who fell on his back onto the grass in relief, his first Wimbledon triumph.

2009 Australian Open

Nadal bt Federer 7-5, 3-6, 7-6 (7/3), 3-6, 6-2

-- Nadal again came out on top against Federer, this time in a five-set, four-and-a-half-hour thriller.

Unbelievably, the match started less than 24 hours after Nadal had been extended to five hours and 14 minutes in beating countryman Fernando Verdasco in a five-set semi-final.

Nadal's incredible feat of recovery and stamina delayed Federer from tying Pete Sampras's then record of 14 Grand Slam titles, and also gave Nadal his first, and until Sunday his only, Australian Open.

2012 Australian Open

Nadal lost to Djokovic 5-7, 6-4, 6-2, 6-7 (5/7), 7-5

-- One of four Australian Open final defeats for Nadal, but a true epic that will be forever etched in the memory.

The match was the ultimate test of endurance and skill as it unfolded over five hours and 53 minutes of tennis of the highest quality between the world number one Djokovic and second-ranked Nadal.

When it finally ended at 1:37 am Monday local time -- the longest Grand Slam final in history -- both players were almost out on their feet.

The pair traded brutal blows all night -- one energy-draining 31-shot rally caused Djokovic to fall at the end and Nadal to tumble over the sidelines.

"This one was very special," Nadal said. "Not because I lost, no, because of the way that we played."

During the trophy presentation, both players needed to sit down. They were totally exhausted.

2013 US Open

Nadal bt Djokovic 6-2, 3-6, 6-4, 6-1

-- Nadal had seven months out to rest his creaking, injured knees, missing the 2012 US Open and 2013 Australian Open. But he took the world of tennis by storm on his return.

The Spaniard won 60 of 64 matches, 22 of them on hard courts not thought to favour the "King of Clay", lifted 10 titles, two of them Grand Slams (French Open, US Open) and registered his sixth win over Djokovic in seven matches.

Again the quality of the tennis was that of dreams.

One rally lasted for 54 shots -- 20 more than any other in the tournament -- as Nadal won in three hours and 21 minutes of pulsating action.

A.Ferraro--NZN