Rafael Nadal wins 1000 matches, ATP honours him with his 20 best shots of all-time: Watch

When Rafael Nadal announced his decision to enter the Paris Masters 2020 he made it clear that he was in it for the long haul. Not content with winning just enough titles to keep him within the top ten, Nadal has shown the world that he is not playing to coast through just yet. His ambition and drive are still very much alive as he goes into the last ATP 1000 Master tournament of the year, and fights to close the gap between himself and World No. 1 Novak Djokovic. 

In honour of Rafa's 1000th career win, ATP Tennis TV released a video showcasing some of his best shots over the years. 

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Nadal 1000 ATP wins

The year 2020 will probably be one of the most memorable years of Rafael Nadal's life. The 34-year-old Mallorcan may not have won many titles this year, but he has broken multiple tennis records that will be remembered forever. Starting out the year as the World No.1, Rafa had to relinquish the top spot to Djokovic after his Australian Open loss. His first win this year came at the ATP 500 Mexico Open tournament.

With the tour being suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Nadal chose to forego the US Open and its precursor event in Cincinnati. His return to the tour was highly anticipated but ended up slightly lacklustre as the King of Clay was ousted in the quarterfinals of the Rome Masters 2020 by Diego Shwartzmann. Going into the French Open, Rafa's career wins were at 992-201. His French Open final win over Djokovic marked his 999th career win. 

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With his 4-6, 77-65, 6-4 win over fellow Spaniard Feliciano López, Nadal became the fourth person in the Open Era to register 1000 wins at a professional level in tennis. He joins the esteemed company of Roger Federer (1242 wins), Jimmy Connors (1274 wins) and Ivan Lendl (1,068 wins) in this elite club. If Nadal wins the Paris Masters 2020 - he has never been able to do this before - he will also equal Djokovic's record of 36 ATP Masters 1000 titles. 

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Rafael Nadal Grand Slams

Rafa's latest record will be a great addition to his recently won record of 20 Grand Slams, which he now shares with Roger Federer. Of these 20 wins, 13 of Rafa's Grand Slam titles have come at his stronghold in Paris - the Philippe-Chartier Court.

Apart from this, Rafa has two Wimbledon titles, four US Open titles and the sole Australian Open win. If he wins the Australian Open in 2021, Rafa will complete yet another milestone - he will become the third person, after Rod Laver and Roy Emerson to win a double career Grand Slam. 

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Image Credits: ATP website