Rafael Nadal By The Numbers: 14 French Open Finals, $500 Million In Earnings

After Friday’s French Open semifinal, Spanish newspaper Marca reported that Rafael Nadal would miss Wimbledon later this month as he continues to recover from rib and foot injuries.

Nadal himself acknowledged the pain he was feeling, telling reporters: “I would be happy with my life with a new foot. Win is beautiful, but life is much more important than any title.”

It might have been a surprise, then, that it was his opponent—third-seeded Alexander Zverev—who retired from the match with an injury, and that Nadal emerged with a victory.

But nothing the 36-year-old Spaniard does at Roland Garros should come as a shock anymore. Not after 18 years of dominance in Paris.

With a victory Sunday over Casper Ruud, Nadal will capture his 14th French Open singles title and his 22nd Grand Slam singles title overall, extending his records in each category and advancing his claim to being men’s tennis’ greatest of all time.

Here’s a look at some of the other significant numbers behind Nadal’s incredible career. 0: The number of times Nadal has lost in a French Open final. He won his first title in 2005, two days after turning 19, and he has failed to win the tournament just four times since, losing in the fourth round in 2009, the quarterfinals in 2015 and the semifinals in 2021 and withdrawing before the third round in 2016.

2: The number of Olympic gold medals won by Nadal—one in singles in 2008 and one in doubles in 2016. 5: Nadal’s current world ranking. He hasn’t been ranked outside the top ten since 2005.

7: The number of events Nadal has played in 2022, already matching his totals from 2020 and 2021. In 2019, he played in 13 ATP Tour events, as well as the Davis Cup and the Laver Cup.

8: The number of times Nadal has played on his birthday at Roland Garros, including Friday, when he turned 36. In 2015, he lost in the quarterfinals to Novak Djokovic; he won the other seven matches.

8: Nadal’s number of major sponsors, including Nike, Kia and Babolat rackets. The latest addition is Amstel Ultra beer, a deal announced in April 2021.

13: Nadal’s number of singles titles at the French Open heading into Sunday, a men’s record for an individual Grand Slam tournament. The next-best total is Djokovic’s nine at the Australian Open.