Rafael Nadal names two most agonising defeats of his career and they are NOT against Novak

Rafael Nadal has shown the world time and again that he cannot be counted out, no matter the situation. The 34-year old has come back from every possible situation in the game, be it major injuries or tough game scenarios. After a tough few years in the beginning, Rafa proved to be the only equal to his now close friend and biggest rival, Roger Federer. Nadal's lifetime win/loss stats in ATP matches stand at 999-201. While it may seem hard to imagine now, Rafa has had his share of thrashings from Federer, Djokovic and multiple others. 

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The illustrious Rafael Nadal Grand Slams 

Apart from the French Open, where is he undoubtedly the king, Rafa has had to fight hard to win his remaining Grand Slam titles. In the process, he has suffered multiple thrashings from his fellow players. A visibly passionate player on the court, Rafa does not hold back his emotions after wins or losses. After his win over Novak Djokovic at French Open 2020 - his 13th title there - Nadal had tears in his eyes while the Spanish anthem played. 

As his happiness is apparent, so is his sadness upon losing close matches. In a recent interview with Corriere Della Sera, Nadal has revealed the two losses that have had the greatest impact on him as a player and on his game.

The first of these losses, the World No. 2 has revealed, was his 2007 Wimbledon Final loss to Roger Federer. Talking about how hard he took that particular loss, Nadal said that he cried “Desperately. For an hour and a half. Because sometimes the disillusionment is terrible; even if it’s just a tennis match.” 

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This was Nadal's second straight loss to Roger Federer at a Wimbledon final. Rafa finally got his revenge for these two back to back defeats in 2008, when he won his first Wimbledon match in an epic, five-hour marathon against Federer.

By this point, Rafa had already won four straight French Open titles. His second most painful loss, he revealed was at the 2014 Australian Open Final. 

“I cried in pain when, in the Australian Open final with Wawrinka in 2014, I injured my back after winning the first set. I lost, but I completed the match; because we don’t retire from a Grand Slam final," said the Spaniard. 

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Nadal ATP ranking

Nadal, currently No. 2 in the world, is inching closer to No. 1 Novak Djokovic's 11,830 points on the ATP leaderboard. If he wins his first Paris Masters title this month, he could add 1,000 points to his tally, taking him up from 9,850 to 10,850.

Despite this, Djokovic's 90 points at the Vienna Masters has now virtually assured him of at least a year-end No. 1 finish. Nadal's chance at a takeover will now come at the ATP Finals 2020, Australian Open 2021 and smaller tournaments next year.

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Image Credits: AP