Rafael Nadal Wins 20th Grand Slam

Rafael Nadal, a men’s tennis player from Spain, won his 20th Grand Slam title this year at the French Open on Oct. 11. Nadal, a top-ranked singles player, has been in the tennis game for a long time. Nadal began playing tennis at age 3 and went pro at age 15. Nadal is currently 34 years old, so he has played tennis at a professional level for almost 20 years. 

Nadal is known for his clay play. Of his 20 grand slam titles, Nadal has won 13 on clay at the French Open. Clay courts can be harder for some professionals because it is often slippier, and the ball is slower, so it’s harder to position. This is because, on the grass and hardtop courts, the ball moves faster, so players are often used to the faster pace, so when moved to clay, players often find the adjustment difficult. With that being said, Nadal is arguably the best tennis player to play on a clay court. 

This year at the French Open, Nadal was faced with tough competition. In the first few rounds, he played people that were ranked significantly lower than him, but as he got closer to the finals, the competition got harder. In the finals, Nadal played Number 1 ranked player in the world, Novak Djokovic. Nadal beat Djokovic in three sets to win his 20th Grand Slam.