Rafael Nadal rules in ATP's video of iconic Rome Masters championship points: Watch

Ahead of the Internazionali d'Italia, also known as the Rome Masters, the ATP Tour's Instagram page posted a nostalgic compilation of some of the greatest championship points in the history of the tournament. Unsurprisingly, the video is dominated by the 'King of Clay' Rafael Nadal. Current World No. 2 Rafael Nadal won his first title in Rome in 2005, four years after he turned pro. He has been a permanent fixture at the ATP 1000 Masters event in Rome ever since.

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In the video, a young 18-year old Nadal can be seen winning his first title in Rome. Playing against Argentina's Guillermo Coria, who was also a clay court favourite, Nadal fought for five hours and 14 minutes to win 6-4, 3-6, 6-3, 4-6, 7-5. This, of course, was still back in the days when ATP Masters for Men were decided on a best-of-five basis, instead of the best of three that is practised today. After the match, an ecstatic Nadal remarked that he had played one of the toughest matches of his life that day.

With his long hair and coach Toni Nadal in his box, Rafael Nadal has come a long way since that maiden win. The long hair has been sheared off and Toni Nadal has been replaced with Carlos Moya, but the titles keep coming. Since 2005, Nadal has defeated Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, David Ferrer, Alexander Zverev and Fernando Gonzalez to win 8 more titles. The longest he has gone without winning at in Rome is from 2014-2017 when Djokovic, Murray and Zverev won. 

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The undisputed King of Clay 

Rafa's love for Clay has been well-documented over the last 15 years. Coming up at a time when Roger Federer was owning the game on grass and hard courts, Rafael Nadal carved his niche in the red clay surfaces of Europe. Rafa has the distinction of having the longest single-surface win streak by a male. From 2005 to 2007, he won 81 consecutive matches on clay courts; 16 better than Federer's record on grass, and 25 better than Federer's record on hard courts.

Today, 13 years on, the record still stands unbroken. Never has a player dominated a single surface to this degree. In 2010, Nadal became the first and the only player in Men's tennis to complete the 'Clay Slam', winning the French Open and all three clay-court Masters 1000 events (Monte Carlo, Rome, Madrid) in a calendar year. 

Nadal opens his season on clay at Rome Masters 2020

After taking an extended break due to the pandemic this year, Rafael Nadal will return to the tennis circuit for the clay-court season. He will play fellow Spaniard Pablo Carreno Busta in the second round of the Rome Masters 2020. The 9-time Masters 1000 titleholder in Rome, Nadal will look to round off to a massive ten titles at the tournament. He will also be a favourite to win at the French Open 2020, where he has won the title a record 12 times in his career. 

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Image Credits: Internazionali d'Italia Instagram