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Sports Desk: Rafael Nadal celebrates the 15th anniversary of his first Monte Carlo Masters title on Sunday, a victory which sparked a breakthrough season, a maiden Grand Slam triumph at Roland Garros and set the Spaniard on the road to becoming one of the sport\u2019s greatest players.<\/p>\n
Nadal was just 18 when he beat Guillermo Coria in the 2005 Monte Carlo final.<\/p>\n
Two years earlier, he had offered tennis a glimpse of the future when, at 16, he stunned French Open champion Albert Costa on the famous red clay on the shores of the Mediterranean.<\/p>\n
His 2005 triumph was one of 11 titles Nadal captured that year \u2014 eight of them on clay at Costa do Sauipe, Acapulco, Monte Carlo, Barcelona, Rome, the French Open, Bastad and Stuttgart.<\/p>\n
He also proved he was no slow-court bully, ending the year with hard court victories in Canada, Beijing and Madrid.<\/p>\n
That success was also reflected in the rankings.<\/p>\n
At the end of 2004, he was at 51; fast forward 12 months and he was the world number two.<\/p>\n
Among his 85-trophy career haul, 11 have come in Monte Carlo including a record eight in a row from 2005-2012 and three more between 2016-2018.<\/p>\n
In 76 matches at the event, he has lost just five times.<\/p>\n
Despite his maiden victory in Monte Carlo, however, Nadal wasn\u2019t sounding confident about his chances at Roland Garros later that season.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, no, no. I am not favourite, no. It\u2019s my first Roland Garros,\u201d the teenager told reporters in faltering English, a language he was gradually mastering thanks to lessons of \u201c20 minutes, 30 minutes\u201d every day.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am playing good now, but I don\u2019t know at the French Open if I\u2019m going to play good or I\u2019m going to play bad.\u201d<\/p>\n
He needn\u2019t have worried.<\/p>\n
Just weeks later in Paris, Nadal beat Roger Federer in the semi-finals and the now forgotten Mariano Puerta in the final, coming from a set down.<\/p>\n
Eleven more Roland Garros crowns have followed for a Grand Slam haul of 19, just one behind Federer\u2019s record 20.<\/p>\n
Had it not been for a career-long struggle with wrist and knee problems \u2013 which kept him out of nine majors \u2013 that figure would likely have been even more impressive.<\/p>\n
The ongoing coronavirus crisis has robbed Nadal of the opportunity to clinch a 12th Monte Carlo title.<\/p>\n
However, the pause has given rivals time to reflect on Nadal\u2019s 15 years at the top, with 209 weeks in the world number one spot.<\/p>\n
He has not dropped out of the top 10 since Monte Carlo in 2005.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s obvious he has a champion\u2019s mentality, what he\u2019s managed to produce over the years on all surfaces, the way he was bouncing back from numerous injuries,\u201d said world number one Novak Djokovic. \u2013 \u2018A mental giant and a physical giant\u2019 \u2013<\/p>\n
Djokovic holds a narrow 29-26 career edge over the Spaniard.<\/p>\n
But Nadal is 24-16 against Federer and 17-7 over Andy Murray, the other member of the \u2018Big Four\u2019.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe resilience, the intensity he brings \u2013 when you see him jumping around before you walk onto court, it already intimidates you. A mental giant and a physical giant,\u201d added the Serb.<\/p>\n
Murray agreed.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u201cI would say that, consistently, Rafa has been mentally the strongest,\u201d said the Briton<\/p>\n
\u201cEven when he was 18, 19, which is so rare for the guys coming through. That\u2019s normally the part that takes the longest.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Sports Desk: Rafael Nadal celebrates the 15th anniversary of his first Monte Carlo Masters title on Sunday, a victory which sparked a breakthrough season, a maiden Grand Slam triumph at Roland Garros and set the Spaniard on the road to becoming one of the sport\u2019s greatest players. Nadal was just 18 when he beat Guillermo […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":58585,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[8],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\t\n