2022 Rafael Nadal tennis season

The 2022 Rafael Nadal tennis season officially began on 3 January 2022, with the start of the ATP 250 tournament in Melbourne.[2][3] It includes Nadal's best start to an ATP Tour season, when he won his first 20 matches (and three titles, including the Australian Open) in a row. It was also his career-first season winning the first two majors of the year, hence completing the Australian-French title double. As such, Nadal broke his tie with Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic, and became the first man in history to win a total 21 (after winning the 2022 Australian Open), and 22 (after winning the 2022 French Open) Grand Slam singles titles.

2022 Rafael Nadal tennis season
Full nameRafael Nadal Parera
Country Spain
Calendar prize money$9,368,326[1]
Singles
Season record39–8
Calendar titles4
Year-end rankingNo. 2
Ranking change from previous yearIncrease 4
Grand Slam & significant results
Australian OpenW
French OpenW
WimbledonSF (withdrew)
US Open4R
Doubles
Season record1–1
Current rankingNo. 1159
Ranking change from previous yearDecrease 648
Injuries
InjuriesStress fracture to rib Abdominal tear
2021
2023

Yearly summary

edit

Early hard court season

edit

Melbourne Summer Set 1

edit

Rafael Nadal won his 89th ATP singles title at Melbourne Summer Set 1 without dropping a set en route, defeating qualifier Maxime Cressy in the final.

Australian Open

edit

Nadal won his second Australian Open title and 21st men's singles major title overall, surpassing an all-time record he jointly held with Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer. Nadal defeated Denis Shapovalov and Matteo Berrettini en route to the final, where he outlasted Daniil Medvedev in five hours and 24 minutes. Nadal was down two sets, and serving at 2-3 0-40 in the third, eventually winning 2-6 6-7(5-7) 6-4 6-4 7-5. It was Nadal's 90th ATP title, and he became the second man in the Open Era, after Djokovic, to achieve the double career Grand Slam.

Mexican Open

edit

Nadal stormed to the title in high form, not dropping a set in any of his five matches (including a win over Medvedev, who earlier that week had clinched the world No. 1 ranking). He beat Cameron Norrie in the final to win his third title of the year and extend his unbeaten streak for the season to 15-0, his career-best start to an ATP Tour season.

Indian Wells Masters

edit

Nadal reached the final for a fifth time after beating Sebastian Korda, Daniel Evans, Reilly Opelka, Nick Kyrgios and compatriot Carlos Alcaraz. He then lost in the final to Taylor Fritz, ending his 20 match winning streak, which marks his career-best start to a season.

Clay court season

edit

Nadal missed the Monte Carlo Masters and the Barcelona Open citing a rib injury sustained in the Indian Wells final. It was the first time since 2004 that he was forced to miss Monte Carlo and Barcelona where he has won 11 and 12 titles respectively.

Madrid Open

edit

Nadal returned to play in Madrid. In his first match he beat Miomir Kecmanović, then saved 4 match points to beat David Goffin to reach the quarterfinals, where he was defeated by eventual champion Carlos Alcaraz in three sets.

Italian Open

edit

Nadal returned to Rome as the defending champion, and defeated John Isner in straight sets in the second round. Nadal faced physical pain during his third round encounter with Denis Shapovalov due to his prevailing chronic foot injury, and lost in three sets.

French Open

edit

Nadal won his 14th French Open title and a record-extending 22nd men's singles major title overall. He defeated four Top-10 players en route to the title; Félix Auger-Aliassime (fourth round), Novak Djokovic (quarterfinals), Alexander Zverev (semifinals), and Casper Ruud (final). Nadal completed the Australian–French double for the first time in his career, and became one of five men to do so in the Open Era. Nadal also became the oldest singles champion (36 years 2 days) in the history of the French Open.

Grass court season

edit

Wimbledon

edit

After treating his foot injury, Nadal returned to Wimbledon for the first time in three years. However, he tore an abdominal muscle during the tournament, which was aggravated after his quarterfinal match against Taylor Fritz. Despite winning the encounter, Nadal withdrew from the tournament the following day.[4]

North American hard court season

edit

Cincinnati Masters

edit

Nadal returned to the Cincinnati Masters in his first match since facing an abdominal muscle tear at Wimbledon, however lost to the eventual-champion Borna Ćorić in the opening round.

US Open

edit

Nadal returned to the US Open after not playing for 3 years and had his first hard court match since Cincinnati. He beat Rinky Hijikata in the first round, Fabio Fognini in the second round and Richard Gasquet in the third round. In the fourth round Nadal lost to Frances Tiafoe, ending his bid of a 3rd major in 2022.

Laver Cup

edit

Nadal participated at the Laver Cup in London. He played just one doubles match, alongside longtime friend and rival Roger Federer in what was Federer's final professional tennis match. The pair lost to Jack Sock and Frances Tiafoe 11-9 in the final set tiebreak, despite holding a match point on Federer's serve. Team World went on to claim their first Laver Cup title.

Indoor Swing

edit

Paris Masters

edit

Nadal returned to the Paris Masters after not playing for 2 years, however lost to Tommy Paul in the opening round.

ATP Finals

edit

On October 24, Nadal confirmed his participation at the ATP Finals in Turin. He lost his opening matches to Taylor Fritz and Félix Auger-Aliassime in straight sets. He went on beat Casper Ruud, but he failed to advance to the semifinals.

All matches

edit

This table chronicles all the matches of Rafael Nadal in 2022.

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

edit
Tournament Match Round Opponent (seed or key) Rank Result Score
Melbourne Summer Set
Melbourne, Australia
ATP Tour 250
Hard, outdoor
3 – 9 January 2022
1R Bye
1 / 1238 2R   Ričardas Berankis (Q) 104 Win 6–2, 7–5
QF   Tallon Griekspoor 64 W/O N/A
2 / 1239 SF   Emil Ruusuvuori (Alt.) 95 Win 6–4, 7–5
3 / 1240 W   Maxime Cressy (Q) 112 Win (1) 7–6(8–6), 6–3
Australian Open
Melbourne, Australia
Grand Slam tournament
Hard, outdoor
17 – 30 January 2022
4 / 1241 1R   Marcos Giron 66 Win 6–1, 6–4, 6–2
5 / 1242 2R   Yannick Hanfmann (Q) 126 Win 6–2, 6–3, 6–4
6 / 1243 3R   Karen Khachanov (28) 30 Win 6–3, 6–2, 3–6, 6–1
7 / 1244 4R   Adrian Mannarino 69 Win 7–6(16–14), 6–2, 6–2
8 / 1245 QF   Denis Shapovalov (14) 14 Win 6–3, 6–4, 4–6, 3–6, 6–3
9 / 1246 SF   Matteo Berrettini (7) 7 Win 6–3, 6–2, 3–6, 6–3
10 / 1247 W   Daniil Medvedev (2) 2 Win (2) 2–6, 6–7(5–7), 6–4, 6–4, 7–5
Mexican Open
Acapulco, Mexico
ATP Tour 500
Hard, outdoor
21 – 26 February 2022
11 / 1248 1R   Denis Kudla (LL) 100 Win 6–3, 6–2
12 / 1249 2R   Stefan Kozlov (LL) 130 Win 6–0, 6–3
13 / 1250 QF   Tommy Paul 39 Win 6–0, 7–6(7–5)
14 / 1251 SF   Daniil Medvedev (1) 2 Win 6–3, 6–3
15 / 1252 W   Cameron Norrie (6) 12 Win (3) 6–4, 6–4
Indian Wells Masters
Indian Wells, United States
ATP Tour Masters 1000
Hard, outdoor
10 – 20 March 2022
1R Bye
16 / 1253 2R   Sebastian Korda 38 Win 6–2, 1–6, 7–6(7–3)
17 / 1254 3R   Dan Evans (27) 28 Win 7–5, 6–3
18 / 1255 4R   Reilly Opelka (17) 17 Win 7–6(7–3), 7–6(7–5)
19 / 1256 QF   Nick Kyrgios (WC) 132 Win 7–6(7–0), 5–7, 6–4
20 / 1257 SF   Carlos Alcaraz (19) 19 Win 6–4, 4–6, 6–3
21 / 1258 F   Taylor Fritz (20) 20 Loss 3–6, 6–7(5–7)
Madrid Open
Madrid, Spain
ATP Tour Masters 1000
Clay, outdoor
2 – 8 May 2022
1R Bye
22 / 1259 2R   Miomir Kecmanović 32 Win 6–1, 7–6(7–4)
23 / 1260 3R   David Goffin (Q) 60 Win 6–3, 5–7, 7–6(11–9)
24 / 1261 QF   Carlos Alcaraz (7) 9 Loss 2–6, 6–1, 3–6
Italian Open
Rome, Italy
ATP Tour Masters 1000
Clay, outdoor
8 – 15 May 2022
1R Bye
25 / 1262 2R   John Isner 27 Win 6–3, 6–1
26 / 1263 3R   Denis Shapovalov (13) 16 Loss 6–1, 5–7, 2–6
French Open
Paris, France
Grand Slam tournament
Clay, outdoor
22 May – 5 June 2022
27 / 1264 1R   Jordan Thompson 82 Win 6–2, 6–2, 6–2
28 / 1265 2R   Corentin Moutet (WC) 139 Win 6–3, 6–1, 6–4
29 / 1266 3R   Botic van de Zandschulp (26) 29 Win 6–3, 6–2, 6–4
30 / 1267 4R   Félix Auger-Aliassime (9) 9 Win 3–6, 6–3, 6–2, 3–6, 6–3
31 / 1268 QF   Novak Djokovic (1) 1 Win 6–2, 4–6, 6–2, 7–6(7–4)
32 / 1269 SF   Alexander Zverev (3) 3 Win 7–6(10–8), 6–6(0–0), ret.
33 / 1270 W   Casper Ruud (8) 8 Win (4) 6–3, 6–3, 6–0
Wimbledon Championships
London, United Kingdom
Grand Slam tournament
Grass, outdoor
27 June – 10 July 2022
34 / 1271 1R   Francisco Cerúndolo 41 Win 6–4, 6–3, 3–6, 6–4
35 / 1272 2R   Ričardas Berankis 106 Win 6–4, 6–4, 4–6, 6–3
36 / 1273 3R   Lorenzo Sonego (27) 54 Win 6–1, 6–2, 6–4
37 / 1274 4R   Botic van de Zandschulp (21) 25 Win 6–4, 6–2, 7–6(8–6)
38 / 1275 QF   Taylor Fritz (11) 14 Win 3–6, 7–5, 3–6, 7–5, 7–6(10–4)
SF   Nick Kyrgios 40 walkover N/A
Cincinnati Masters
Cincinnati, United States
ATP Tour Masters 1000
Hard, outdoor
14 – 21 August 2022
1R Bye
39 / 1276 2R   Borna Ćorić (PR) 152 Loss 6–7(9–11), 6–4, 3–6
US Open
New York City, United States
Grand Slam tournament
Hard, outdoor
29 August – 11 September 2022
40 / 1277 1R   Rinky Hijikata (WC) 198 Win 4–6, 6–2, 6–3, 6–3
41 / 1278 2R   Fabio Fognini 60 Win 2–6, 6–4, 6–2, 6–1
42 / 1279 3R   Richard Gasquet 91 Win 6–0, 6–1, 7–5
43 / 1280 4R   Frances Tiafoe (22) 26 Loss 4–6, 6–4, 4–6, 3–6
Paris Masters
Paris, France
ATP Tour Masters 1000
Hard, indoor
31 October – 6 November 2022
1R Bye
44 / 1281 2R   Tommy Paul 31 Loss 6–3, 6–7(4–7), 1–6
ATP Finals
Turin, Italy
ATP Finals
Hard, indoor
13 – 20 November 2022
45 / 1282 RR   Taylor Fritz (8) 9 Loss 6–7(3–7), 1–6
46 / 1283 RR   Félix Auger-Aliassime (5) 6 Loss 3–6, 4–6
47 / 1284 RR   Casper Ruud (3) 4 Win 7–5, 7–5

Doubles matches

edit
Tournament Match Round Opponents (seed or key) Ranks Result Score
Melbourne Summer Set
Melbourne, Australia
ATP Tour 250
Hard, outdoor
3 – 9 January 2022
Partner:   Jaume Munar
1 / 212 1R   Sebastián Báez /   Tomás Martín Etcheverry (Alt.) 886 / 281 Win 6–3, 3–6, [10–4]
2R   Andrey Golubev /   Franko Škugor (4) 28 / 53 Withdrew N/A
Laver Cup
London, United Kingdom
Laver Cup
Hard, indoor
23 – 25 September 2022
Partner:   Roger Federer
2 / 213 Day 1   Jack Sock /   Frances Tiafoe 43 / 220 Loss 6–4, 6–72–7, [9–11]


Exhibition matches

edit

Singles

edit
Tournament Match Round Opponent (seed or key) Rank Result Score
Mubadala World Tennis Championship
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

Hard, outdoor
16 – 18 December 2021

[5][6]

QF Bye
1 SF   Andy Murray 134 Loss 3–6, 5–7
2 PO   Denis Shapovalov 14 Loss 7–6(7–4), 3–6, [6–10]
Hurlingham Tennis Classic
London, United Kingdom

Grass, outdoor
22 – 24 June 2022
3 PO   Stan Wawrinka 267 Win 6–2, 6–3
4 PO   Félix Auger-Aliassime 9 Loss 6–7(6–8), 6–4, [3–10]

Schedule

edit

Per Rafael Nadal, this is his current 2022 schedule (subject to change).[7]

Singles schedule

edit
Date Tournament Location Tier Surface Prev.
result
Prev.
points
New
points
Result
4 January 2022–
9 January 2022
Melbourne Summer Set Melbourne (AUS) 250 Series Hard N/A N/A 250 Champion (defeated   Maxime Cressy, 7–6(8–6), 6–3)
17 January 2022–
30 January 2022
Australian Open Melbourne (AUS) Grand Slam Hard QF 360 2000 Champion (defeated   Daniil Medvedev, 2–6, 6–7(5–7), 6–4, 6–4, 7–5)
21 February 2022–
26 February 2022
Mexican Open Acapulco (MEX) 500 Series Hard W 0 (500[a]) 500 Champion (defeated   Cameron Norrie, 6–4, 6–4)
10 March 2022–
20 March 2022
Indian Wells Masters Indian Wells (USA) Masters 1000 Hard A 0 600 Final (lost to   Taylor Fritz, 3–6, 6–7(5–7))
10 April 2022–
17 April 2022
Monte-Carlo Masters Roquebrune-Cap-Martin (FRA) Masters 1000 Clay QF 180 (180[b]) 0 Withdrew
18 April 2022–
24 April 2022
Barcelona Open Barcelona (ESP) 500 Series Clay W 500 0
2 May 2022–
8 May 2022
Madrid Open Madrid (ESP) Masters 1000 Clay QF 180 (180[b]) 180 Quarterfinals (lost to   Carlos Alcaraz, 2–6, 6–1, 3–6)
8 May 2022–
15 May 2022
Italian Open Rome (ITA) Masters 1000 Clay W 1000 90 Third round (lost to   Denis Shapovalov, 6–1, 5–7, 2–6)
22 May 2022–
5 June 2022
French Open Paris (FRA) Grand Slam Clay SF 720 (1000[b]) 2000 Champion (defeated   Casper Ruud, 6–3, 6–3, 6–0)
27 June 2022–
10 July 2022
Wimbledon London (GBR) Grand Slam Grass A 0 (360[b]) 0[c] Semifinals (withdrew due to an abdominal tear)
14 August 2022–
21 August 2022
Cincinnati Masters Cincinnati (USA) Masters 1000 Hard A 0 10 Second round (lost to   Borna Ćorić, 6–7(9–11), 6–4, 3–6)
29 August 2022–
11 September 2022
US Open New York (USA) Grand Slam Hard A 0 180 Fourth round (lost to   Frances Tiafoe, 4–6, 6–4, 4–6, 3–6)
31 October 2022–
6 November 2022
Paris Masters Paris (FRA) Masters 1000 Hard (i) N/A 0 10 Second round (lost to   Tommy Paul, 6–3, 6–7(4–7), 1–6)
13 November 2022–
20 November 2022
ATP Finals Turin (ITA) Tour Finals Hard (i) N/A N/A 200 Round robin (1 win – 2 losses)
Total year-end points 4875 6020   1145 difference

Yearly records

edit

Head-to-head matchups

edit

Rafael Nadal has a 39–8 ATP match win–loss record in the 2022 season. His record against players who were part of the ATP rankings Top Ten at the time of their meetings is 8–3. 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 17 November 2022.

Top 10 wins

edit
Category
Grand Slam (6)
ATP Finals (1)
Masters 1000 (0)
500 Series (1)
250 Series (0)
Wins by surface
Hard (4)
Clay (4)
Grass (0)
Wins by setting
Outdoor (7)
Indoor (1)
# Player Rank Event Surface Rd Score RNR
1/179   Matteo Berrettini 7 Australian Open, Melbourne, Australia Hard SF 6–3, 6–2, 3–6, 6–3 5
2/180   Daniil Medvedev 2 Australian Open, Melbourne, Australia Hard F 2–6, 6–7(5–7), 6–4, 6–4, 7–5 5
3/181   Daniil Medvedev 2 Acapulco, Mexico Hard SF 6–3, 6–3 5
4/182   Félix Auger-Aliassime 9 French Open, Paris, France Clay 4R 3–6, 6–3, 6–2, 3–6, 6–3 5
5/183   Novak Djokovic 1 French Open, Paris, France Clay QF 6–2, 4–6, 6–2, 7–6(7–4) 5
6/184   Alexander Zverev 3 French Open, Paris, France Clay SF 7–6(10–8), 6–6, ret. 5
7/185   Casper Ruud 7 French Open, Paris, France Clay F 6–3, 6–3, 6–0 5
8/186   Casper Ruud 4 ATP Finals, Turin, Italy Hard (i) RR 7–5, 7–5 2

Finals

edit

Singles: 5 (4 titles, 1 runner-up)

edit
Category
Grand Slam (2–0)
ATP Finals (0–0)
Masters 1000 (0–1)
500 Series (1–0)
250 Series (1–0)
Titles by surface
Hard (3–1)
Clay (1–0)
Grass (0–0)
Titles by setting
Outdoor (4–1)
Indoor (0–0)
Result W–L    Date    Tournament Tier Surface Opponent Score
Win 1–0 Jan 2022 Melbourne Summer Set, Australia* 250 Series Hard   Maxime Cressy 7–6(8–6), 6–3
Win 2–0 Jan 2022 Australian Open, Australia (2) Grand Slam Hard   Daniil Medvedev 2–6, 6–7(5–7), 6–4, 6–4, 7–5
Win 3–0 Feb 2022 Mexican Open, Mexico* (4) 500 Series Hard   Cameron Norrie 6–4, 6–4
Loss 3–1 Mar 2022 Indian Wells Masters, US Masters 1000 Hard   Taylor Fritz 3–6, 6–7(5–7)
Win 4–1 Jun 2022 French Open, France (14) Grand Slam Clay   Casper Ruud 6–3, 6–3, 6–0

(*) signifies tournaments where Nadal won the title without dropping a set.

Earnings

edit
  • Bold font denotes tournament win
Singles
Event Prize money Year-to-date
Melbourne Summer Set $87,370 $87,370
Australian Open $2,875,000 $2,158,520
Mexican Open $314,455 $2,472,975
Indian Wells Masters $646,110 $3,119,085
Madrid Open €169,650 $3,297,913
Italian Open €72,865 $3,374,727
French Open €2,200,000 $5,718,608
Wimbledon Championships £535,000 $6,375,266
Cincinnati Masters $45,315 $6,420,581
US Open $278,000 $6,698,581
Paris Masters €39,070 $6,737,506
ATP Finals $703,300 $7,440,806
Bonus pool $1,926,250 $9,367,056
$9,367,056
Doubles
Event Prize money Year-to-date
Melbourne Summer Set $1,270 $1,270
$1,270
Total
$9,368,326

Figures in United States dollars (USD) unless noted.

Historic achievements

edit
Tournament Since Record accomplished Players matched Date achieved
Grand Slam 1877 22 men's Grand Slam singles titles Stands alone 6 June
1905 Double Career Grand Slam Roy Emerson
Rod Laver
Novak Djokovic
30 January
Australian Open 1968 Longest gap between subsequent titles, 13 years (2009-2022) Stands alone
Won final from two sets down Stands alone
French Open 1891 14 men's singles titles Stands alone 6 June
14 finals Stands alone 4 June
15 semifinals Stands alone 1 June
6 consecutive semifinals Novak Djokovic
16 quarterfinals Novak Djokovic
Most match wins at a single major (112 at the French Open) Stands alone
Oldest singles champion (36 years 2 days) Stands alone 6 June
Mexican Open 1993 Most titles (4) David Ferrer
Thomas Muster
27 February
Most finals (5) David Ferrer
ATP Tour 1970 Most titles won without losing a set (30) Stands alone
ATP 500 2009 Most match wins (117) Stands alone
Masters 1000 1990 Most match wins (406) Stands alone 14 March

Personal bests

edit
  • Best match win streak at the start of a season (20)[10]

See also

edit

Notes

edit
  1. ^ Points carried over due to the Best of 24-month ranking being extended through and including the week of 1 March 2021.[8]
  2. ^ a b c d 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%.[8]
  3. ^ Removal Of ATP Rankings Points From 2022 Wimbledon.[9]

References

edit
  1. ^ "ATP Prize Money Leaders" (PDF). Protennslive.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2022-12-06. Retrieved 5 July 2022.
  2. ^ "Rafael Nadal reveals his early 2022 schedule, facing no rivals from the top". tennisworldusa.org. 10 December 2021.
  3. ^ "2022 Schedule". rafaelnadalfans.com. 10 December 2021.
  4. ^ Futterman, Matthew (7 July 2022). "Rafael Nadal Withdraws From Wimbledon Ahead of Semifinal Match". The New York Times.
  5. ^ "Summary and highlights of Rafael Nadal 0-2 Andy Murray IN Abu Dhabi semifinals". Vavel. 17 December 2021. Retrieved 17 December 2021.
  6. ^ "Mubadala World Tennis Championship 2021 - Denis Shapovalov downs Rafael Nadal to claim third in Abu Dhabi - Eurosport". Eurosport. 18 December 2021. Retrieved 18 December 2021.
  7. ^ "Rafael Nadal will kick off the 2022 season at the ATP 250 event in Melbourne". tennisworldusa.org. 10 December 2021. Retrieved 10 December 2021.
  8. ^ a b "FedEx ATP Rankings COVID-19 Adjustments FAQ". ATP. 13 January 2021.
  9. ^ "FAQ: Removal Of ATP Rankings Points From 2022 Wimbledon". ATP Tour. 20 May 2022. Retrieved 6 June 2022.
  10. ^ "Rafael Nadal Extends Perfect Season with Acapulco Title | ATP Tour | Tennis".
edit