2021 Rafael Nadal tennis season

Main article: Rafael Nadal
2021 Rafael Nadal tennis season
Full nameRafael Nadal Parera
Country Spain
Calendar prize money$1,478,832
Singles
Season record24–5
Calendar titles2
Current rankingNo. 6
Ranking change from previous year 4
Grand Slam & significant results
Australian OpenQF
French OpenSF
WimbledonA
US OpenA
Doubles
Season record0–0
Current rankingNo. 511
Ranking change from previous year 36
← 2020
2022 →

The 2021 Rafael Nadal tennis season officially began on 9 February 2021, with the start of the Australian Open.

Yearly summary

Early hard court season

ATP Cup

Rafael Nadal was scheduled to begin his season at the ATP Cup. However, despite being on the Spanish team, he did not play any matches due to minor back issues.[1][2]

Australian Open

See also: 2021 Australian Open – Men's Singles

At the 2021 Australian Open, Nadal lost in the quarterfinals to Stefanos Tsitsipas, despite being two sets to love up. This marked only the second time Nadal has lost a grand slam match after being two sets up.[3] It was overall the third time he lost from 2 sets up, the others happened at the US Open 2015 to Fabio Fognini, and Miami 2005 to Roger Federer in the final when Masters finals were best of 5.

Indian Wells Masters

Indian Wells Masters was scheduled to take place in March 2021 but was postponed due to coronavirus concerns.[4]

Miami Open

Nadal withdrew from the Miami Open.[5]

Spring clay court season

Monte-Carlo Masters

Nadal won his first two matches losing a total of just 5 games in both combined, but then lost to Andrey Rublev in the quarterfinals in three sets.

Barcelona Open

Nadal saved a match point to defeat Stefanos Tsitsipas, in 3 hours and 38 minutes, the longest final since 1991 (when records began). This was his record-extending 12th title at the event. [6][7]

Madrid Open

Nadal lost to Alexander Zverev in the quarterfinals.

Italian Open

Nadal saved two match points to defeat Denis Shapovalov. He then beat Alexander Zverev and Reilly Opelka to reach the final, where he defeated longtime rival Novak Djokovic in three sets.

French Open

See also: 2021 French Open – Men's Singles

At the French Open, Nadal entered as the heavy favorite seeking to become the first man to win 21 majors. He reached the semifinals after wins over Jannik Sinner and Diego Schwartzman, where he encountered Novak Djokovic in a rematch of the previous year's final. There, Nadal was upset by eventual champion Djokovic in four sets, in only his third-ever loss at the French Open.

Grass court season

Wimbledon

See also: 2021 Wimbledon Championships – Men's Singles

Nadal withdrew from both Wimbledon and the Olympics, citing schedule reasons.

North American hard court season

Washington (Citi Open)

Nadal made his Washington debut in 2021. He faced Jack Sock in his opener, his first match since losing to Novak Djokovic at the French Open. Nadal recovered from a break down in the third set, prevailing in a final set tiebreak. He lost in the round of 16 to Lloyd Harris (tennis) in three sets.

Following more injury problems, Nadal withdrew from Toronto and Cincinnati, and, on August 20, ended his season, citing his ongoing foot injury as the main issue.

All matches

This table chronicles all the matches of Rafael Nadal in 2021.

Key
W  F  SF QF #R RR Q# P# DNQ A Z# PO G S B NMS NTI P NH
(W) winner; (F) finalist; (SF) semifinalist; (QF) quarterfinalist; (#R) rounds 4, 3, 2, 1; (RR) round-robin stage; (Q#) qualification round; (P#) preliminary round; (DNQ) did not qualify; (A) absent; (Z#) Davis/Fed Cup Zonal Group (with number indication) or (PO) play-off; (G) gold, (S) silver or (B) bronze Olympic/Paralympic medal; (NMS) not a Masters tournament; (NTI) not a Tier I tournament; (P) postponed; (NH) not held; (SR) strike rate (events won / competed); (W–L) win–loss record.
To avoid confusion and double counting, these charts are updated at the conclusion of a tournament or when the player's participation has ended.

Singles matches

Tournament Match Round Opponent (seed or key) Rank Result Score
ATP Cup
Melbourne, Australia
ATP Cup
Hard, outdoor
2 – 7 February 2021
Withdrew
Australian Open
Melbourne, Australia
Grand Slam tournament
Hard, outdoor
8 – 21 February 2021
1 / 1209 1R Laslo Đere 56 Win 6–3, 6–4, 6–1
2 / 1210 2R Michael Mmoh (Q) 177 Win 6–1, 6–4, 6–2
3 / 1211 3R Cameron Norrie 69 Win 7–5, 6–2, 7–5
4 / 1212 4R Fabio Fognini (16) 17 Win 6–3, 6–4, 6–2
5 / 1213 QF Stefanos Tsitsipas (5) 6 Loss 6–3, 6–2, 6–7(4–7), 4–6, 5–7
Monte-Carlo Masters
Monte Carlo, Monaco
ATP Tour Masters 1000
Clay, outdoor
12 – 18 April 2021
– 1R Bye
6 / 1214 2R Federico Delbonis (Q) 87 Win 6–1, 6–2
7 / 1215 3R Grigor Dimitrov (14) 17 Win 6–1, 6–1
8 / 1216 QF Andrey Rublev (6) 8 Loss 2–6, 6–4, 2–6
Barcelona Open
Barcelona, Spain
ATP Tour 500
Clay, outdoor
19 – 25 April 2021
– 1R Bye
9 / 1217 2R Ilya Ivashka (Q) 111 Win 3–6, 6–2, 6–4
10 / 1218 3R Kei Nishikori 39 Win 6–0, 2–6, 6–2
11 / 1219 QF Cameron Norrie 58 Win 6–1, 6–4
12 / 1220 SF Pablo Carreño Busta (6) 13 Win 6–3, 6–2
13 / 1221 W Stefanos Tsitsipas (2) 5 Win (1) 6–4, 6–7(6–8), 7–5
Madrid Open
Madrid, Spain
ATP Tour Masters 1000
Clay, outdoor
2 – 9 May 2021
– 1R Bye
14 / 1222 2R Carlos Alcaraz (WC) 120 Win 6–1, 6–2
15 / 1223 3R Alexei Popyrin (Q) 76 Win 6–3, 6–3
16 / 1224 QF Alexander Zverev (5) 6 Loss 4–6, 4–6
Italian Open
Rome, Italy
ATP Tour Masters 1000
Clay, outdoor
9 – 16 May 2021
– 1R Bye
17 / 1225 2R Jannik Sinner 18 Win 7–5, 6–4
18 / 1226 3R Denis Shapovalov (13) 14 Win 3–6, 6–4, 7–6(7–3)
19 / 1227 QF Alexander Zverev (6) 6 Win 6–3, 6–4
20 / 1228 SF Reilly Opelka 47 Win 6–4, 6–4
21 / 1229 W Novak Djokovic (1) 1 Win (2) 7–5, 1–6, 6–3
French Open
Paris, France
Grand Slam tournament
Clay, outdoor
30 May – 13 June 2021
22 / 1230 1R Alexei Popyrin 63 Win 6–3, 6–2, 7–6(7–3)
23 / 1231 2R Richard Gasquet 53 Win 6–0, 7–5, 6–2
24 / 1232 3R Cameron Norrie 45 Win 6–3, 6–3, 6–3
25 / 1233 4R Jannik Sinner (18) 19 Win 7–5, 6–3, 6–0
26 / 1234 QF Diego Schwartzman (10) 10 Win 6–3, 4–6, 6–4, 6–0
27 / 1235 SF Novak Djokovic (1) 1 Loss 6–3, 3–6, 6–7(4–7), 2–6
Citi Open
Washington, United States
ATP Tour 500
Hard, outdoor
31 July – 8 August 2021
– 1R Bye
28 / 1236 2R Jack Sock (WC) 192 Win 6–2, 4–6, 7–6(7–1)
29 / 1237 3R Lloyd Harris (14) 50 Loss 4–6, 6–1, 4–6
Canadian Open
Toronto, Canada
ATP Tour Masters 1000
Hard, outdoor
6 – 15 August 2021
Withdrew


Exhibition matches

Singles

Tournament Match Round Opponent (seed or key) Rank Result Score
A Day at the Drive
Adelaide, Australia

Hard, outdoor
29 January 2021

[8]

1 – Dominic Thiem 3 Win 7–5, 6–4

Schedule

Per Rafael Nadal, this is his current 2021 schedule (subject to change).[9] The ATP rankings are currently affected by the COVID-19 pandemic; they are on a Best of 24-month basis through the week of 15 March 2021. Until then, all the events are non-mandatory and players can use the best result from the same event in that 24-month span.[10]

Singles schedule

Date Tournament Location Tier Surface Prev.
result 		Prev.
points 		New
points 		Result
2 February 2021–
7 February 2021		 ATP Cup Melbourne (AUS) ATP Cup Hard F 250 0 (250[a]) Withdrew due to minor back issues
8 February 2021–
21 February 2021		 Australian Open Melbourne (AUS) Grand Slam Hard QF 360 360 Quarterfinals (lost to Stefanos Tsitsipas, 6–3, 6–2, 6–7(4–7), 4–6, 5–7)
15 March 2021–
20 March 2021		 Mexican Open Acapulco (MEX) 500 Series Hard W 500 0 (500[a]) Withdrew
22 March 2021–
4 April 2021		 Miami Open Miami (USA) Masters 1000 Hard NH N/A N/A Withdrew
12 April 2021–
18 April 2021		 Monte Carlo Masters Monte Carlo (MON) Masters 1000 Clay SF 360 180 Quarterfinals (lost to Andrey Rublev, 2–6, 6–4, 2–6)
19 April 2021–
25 April 2021		 Barcelona Open Barcelona (ESP) 500 Series Clay SF 180 500 Champion (defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas, 6-4, 6–7(6–8), 7–5)
3 May 2021–
9 May 2021		 Madrid Open Madrid (ESP) Masters 1000 Clay SF 360 180 Quarterfinals (lost to Alexander Zverev, 4–6, 4–6)
9 May 2021–
16 May 2021		 Italian Open Rome (ITA) Masters 1000 Clay QF 180 (1000[a]) 1000 Champion (defeated Novak Djokovic, 7-5, 1–6, 6–3)
31 May 2021–
13 June 2021		 French Open Paris (FRA) Grand Slam Clay W 2000 720 (1000[b]) Semifinals (lost to Novak Djokovic, 6–3, 3–6, 6–7(4–7), 2–6)
28 June 2021–
11 July 2021		 Wimbledon London (GBR) Grand Slam Grass SF 720 0 (360[b]) Withdrew
31 July 2021–
8 August 2021		 Citi Open Washington (USA) 500 Series Hard A N/A 45 Third round (lost to L Harris, 4–6, 6–1,4-6)
6 August 2021–
15 August 2021		 Canadian Open Toronto (CAN) Masters 1000 Hard NH 1000[a] 0 (500[b]) Withdrew
15 August 2021–
22 August 2021		 Cincinnati Masters Mason (USA) Masters 1000 Hard A 0 0
6 August 2021–
15 August 2021		 US Open New York (USA) Grand Slam Hard A 0 (2000[a]) 0
4 October 2021–
11 October 2021		 Indian Wells Masters Indian Wells (USA) Masters 1000 Hard NH 360[a] 0
1 November 2021–
7 November 2021		 Paris Masters Paris (FRA) Masters 1000 Hard SF 360 0
Total year-end points 9850 4875 4975 difference

Yearly records

Head-to-head matchups

Rafael Nadal has a 24–5 ATP match win–loss record in the 2021 season. His record against players who were part of the ATP rankings Top Ten at the time of their meetings is 4–4. Bold indicates player was ranked top 10 at the time of at least one meeting. The following list is ordered by number of wins:

* Statistics correct as of 5 August 2021.

Top 10 wins

# Player Rank Event Surface Rd Score RNR
1/175. Stefanos Tsitsipas 5 Barcelona, Spain Clay F 6–4, 6–7(6–8), 7–5 3
2/176. Alexander Zverev 6 Rome, Italy Clay QF 6–3, 6–4 3
3/177. Novak Djokovic 1 Rome, Italy Clay F 7–5, 1–6, 6–3 3
4/178. Diego Schwartzman 10 French Open, Paris, France Clay QF 6–3, 4–6, 6–4, 6–0 3

Finals

Singles: 2 (2 titles)

Category
Grand Slam (0–0)
ATP Finals (0–0)
Masters 1000 (1–0)
500 Series (1–0)
250 Series (0–0)
Titles by surface
Hard (0–0)
Clay (2–0)
Grass (0–0)
Titles by setting
Outdoor (2–0)
Indoor (0–0)
Result W–L    Date    Tournament Tier Surface Opponent Score
Win 1–0 Apr 2021 Barcelona Open, Spain** (12) 500 Series Clay Stefanos Tsitsipas 6–4, 6–7(6–8), 7–5
Win 2–0 May 2021 Italian Open, Italy** (10) Masters 1000 Clay Novak Djokovic 7–5, 1–6, 6–3

(**) signifies tournaments where Nadal won the title after saving at least one match point.

Earnings

  • Bold font denotes tournament win
Singles
Event Prize money Year-to-date
Australian Open A$525,000 $360,832
Monte-Carlo Masters €46,500 $416,144
Barcelona Open €178,985 $629,046
Madrid Open €58,370 $699,195
Italian Open €245,085 $997,268
French Open €375,000 $1,454,432
Washington Open $24,400 $1,478,832
$1,478,832
Total
$1,478,832

Figures in United States dollars (USD) unless noted.

See also

Notes

  1. ^ a b c d e f Points carried over due to the Best of 24-month ranking being extended through and including the week of 1 March 2021.[10]
  2. ^ a b c Points carried over due to the Best of 24-month ranking being used for events between 4 March – 5 August 2019, that were not played in 2020, but weighted at 50%.[10]

References

  1. ^ "Nadal Will Not Compete Against Australia Tuesday". atptour.com. 2 February 2021.
  2. ^ "Rafael Nadal: 'I'm not in a terrible shape, but I'm not well enough to play'". tennisworldusa.org. 5 February 2021.
  3. ^ "Rafael Nadal Is Out of the Australian Open". The New York Times. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
  4. ^ "Indian Wells: 2021 BNP Paribas Open postponed due to COVID-19 concerns". skysports.com. 29 December 2020.
  5. ^ "Nadal Announces Miami Withdrawal". ATP Tour. 16 March 2021.
  6. ^ "Rafael Nadal Saves M.P., Beats Stefanos Tsitsipas For 12th Barcelona Title | ATP Tour | Tennis". ATP Tour. Retrieved 2021-04-25.
  7. ^ Yahoo!news:Tennis-Nadal outlasts Tsitsipas to claim 12th Barcelona Open title
  8. ^ "Rafael Nadal beats Dominic Thiem at A Day at the Drive in Adelaide". tennisworldusa.org. 29 January 2021.
  9. ^ "Rafael Nadal's Schedule for the 2021 Season". essentiallysports.com. Retrieved 6 January 2021.
  10. ^ a b c "FedEx ATP Rankings COVID-19 Adjustments FAQ". ATP. 13 January 2021.
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