2021_Rafael_Nadal_tennis_season
The 2021 Rafael Nadal tennis season officially began on 9 February 2021, with the start of the Australian Open.
| Full name | Rafael Nadal Parera |
|---|---|
| Country |  Spain |
| Calendar prize money | $1,478,832 |
| Singles | |
| Season record | 24–5 (82.8%) |
| Calendar titles | 2 |
| Current ranking | No. 6 |
| Ranking change from previous year |  4 |
| Grand Slam & significant results | |
| Australian Open | QF |
| French Open | SF |
| Wimbledon | A |
| US Open | A |
| Doubles | |
| Season record | 0–0 |
| Current ranking | No. 511 |
| Ranking change from previous year | 36 |
← 2020 2022 → | |
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
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
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
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.
This table chronicles all the matches of Rafael Nadal in 2021.
| W | F | SF | QF | #R | RR | Q# | P# | DNQ | A | Z# | PO | G | S | B | NMS | NTI | P | NH |
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 | ||||||
Singles
| Tournament | Match | Round | Opponent (seed or key) | Rank | Result | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A Day at the Drive Adelaide, Australia Hard, outdoor 29 January 2021 | ||||||
| 1 | – |  Dominic Thiem | 3 | Win | 7–5, 6–4 | |
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[lower-alpha 1]) | 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[lower-alpha 1]) | 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[lower-alpha 1]) | 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[lower-alpha 2]) | 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[lower-alpha 2]) | 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[lower-alpha 1] | 0 (500[lower-alpha 2]) | 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[lower-alpha 1]) | 0 | |
| 4 October 2021– 11 October 2021 | Indian Wells Masters | Indian Wells (USA) | Masters 1000 | Hard | NH | 360[lower-alpha 1] | 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 | |||||
Head-to-head matchups
Rafael Nadal has a 24–5 (82.8%) 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 (50.0%). Bold indicates player was ranked top 10 at the time of at least one meeting. The following list is ordered by number of wins:
Cameron Norrie 3–0
Alexei Popyrin 2–0
Jannik Sinner 2–0
Carlos Alcaraz 1–0- Pablo Carreño Busta 1–0
Federico Delbonis 1–0
Laslo Đere 1–0
Grigor Dimitrov 1–0- Fabio Fognini 1–0
Richard Gasquet 1–0
Ilya Ivashka 1–0
Michael Mmoh 1–0
Kei Nishikori 1–0- Reilly Opelka 1–0
- Diego Schwartzman 1–0
Denis Shapovalov 1–0- Jack Sock 1–0
Stefanos Tsitsipas 1–1
Alexander Zverev 1–1- Novak Djokovic 1–1
Lloyd Harris 0–1
Andrey Rublev 0–1
- * Statistics correct as of 5 August 2021[update].
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)
|
|
|
| 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.
- source：2021 Singles Activity
- source：2021 Doubles Activity
At the Barcelona Open, Nadal's semifinals match versus Pablo Carreño Busta averaged 773,000 viewers on RTVE's La 1 and 115,000 on #Vamos. The final match versus Stefanos Tsitsipas averaged 1.5 million viewers on La 1 (equivalent to a 11.3% share), 87,000 on #Vamos and 68,000 on Movistar Deportes.[11][12][13][14]
At the Madrid Open, his quarter-finals match versus Alexander Zverev averaged 447,000 viewers on Teledeporte.[15]
At the Italian Open, his final match versus Novak Djokovic averaged 363,00 viewers on #Vamos.[16]
- "Nadal Will Not Compete Against Australia Tuesday". atptour.com. 2 February 2021.
- "Rafael Nadal: 'I'm not in a terrible shape, but I'm not well enough to play'". tennisworldusa.org. 5 February 2021.
- "Rafael Nadal Is Out of the Australian Open". The New York Times. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
- "Indian Wells: 2021 BNP Paribas Open postponed due to COVID-19 concerns". skysports.com. 29 December 2020.
- "Nadal Announces Miami Withdrawal". ATP Tour. 16 March 2021.
- "Rafael Nadal Saves M.P., Beats Stefanos Tsitsipas For 12th Barcelona Title | ATP Tour | Tennis". ATP Tour. Retrieved 2021-04-25.
- "Rafael Nadal beats Dominic Thiem at A Day at the Drive in Adelaide". tennisworldusa.org. 29 January 2021.
- "Rafael Nadal's Schedule for the 2021 Season". essentiallysports.com. Retrieved 6 January 2021.
- "FedEx ATP Rankings COVID-19 Adjustments FAQ". ATP. 13 January 2021.
- 'Sábado deluxe' lidera con un gran 16,9% y 'laSexta noche' crece a un 8,5% en la semana política más tensa - Fórmula TV, 25 April 2021
- El Real Madrid - Betis marca un 5,7% llevando al liderazgo a este partido en Movistar LaLiga - Fórmula TV, 25 April 2021
- 'La casa del fútbol' (4%) y el Mundial de MotoGP (4,3%) enganchan a los espectadores del pago - Fórmula TV, 17 May 2021
- Official website (in Spanish)
- ATP tour profile
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