The King of Clay. Rafa. Spain’s Raging Bull. Rafael Nadal. However you knew him, the tennis great was known by many, and today, he’s hung up the racquet for good. No one is in danger of running out of superlatives for the Spanish maestro, the stats speak for themselves. Few have more than his 92 ATP titles, no one has won more than Nadal’s 14 French Opens, no one has beaten his 97 per cent win percentage at Roland Garros. The King of the French Open, Nadal’s streak of 81 consecutive wins on clay is the longest single-surface streak in the Open era.

Alongside Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic, Nadal was part of the Big Three that ruled tennis for two decades, with Djokovic now the last man standing. As a 22-time Grand Slam champion, Nadal’s legacy on the sport can’t be disputed. After going pro in 2001, it was up, and up for him, winning 16 ATP titles before turning 20, and a French Open. Injuries wreaked havoc on Nadal sporadically through his golden years, but they became more frequent towards the end of his career.

One of the best left-handers to ever play the game, Nadal’s forehand could cut butter. Flecked with a healthy dose of top spin, Nadal was a tenacious player who more than lived up to his Raging Bull nickname. Despite the setbacks—Nadal’s medical report includes everything from torn hamstrings and quads, to broken ribs, and muscle spasms—Nadal persisted. Whichever way you look at it, Nadal was a fighter through and through, capable of trouncing just about anyone in his heyday. He just loved to compete. It’s something we’re hopefully going to see in Carlos Alcaraz, who looks primed to take over in a similar vein.

But perhaps best of all, Nadal was a class act. He was humble, gracious in victory, and by all reports, had a great rapport with his millions of fans. No one wanted to be forced to pick a favourite between him and Fed during their many showdowns, it was all about the tennis. Who could forget the image of Nadal and Federer, side by side shedding brotherly tears as their rivalry began its great dismantling when Fed hung up the racquet. Will we ever see two competitors like this ever again?

Vamos Nadal, it’s not just tennis or the fans that will miss you, but all of sport.

Below, 12 moments, victories, milestones, and brightly-coloured tennis outfits that cemented Rafael Nadal’s name in the history books.

First Roland Garros title (2005)

The crowd at Roland Garros in 2005 surely knew they were witnessing greatness. Rafael Nadal became the first person since Mats Wilander to win the French Open on his tournament debut, beating Mariano Puerta in the final four sets. Nadal would get pretty comfortable raising that trophy.

Becoming World No. 2 (2005)

2005 was a dominant clay-court season for Nadal, which stretched from the French Open to include further ATP titles in Monte Carlo and Rome, of a total of eight on clay. By the end of the year, Nadal rose to World No. 2 behind Roger Federer, which kicked off their legendary rivalry.

Maiden Wimbledon victory (2008)

When 2008 rolled around, Nadal had reached the final of Wimbledon twice, losing both times to Federer. But, something was in the air in 2008 (not just global economic catastrophe) and Nadal came into the game with extra fire. Federer came into the final with a whopping 231 consecutive weeks as the World No. 1, Nadal had just beaten him at the French Open a few weeks before. The final, between the two, is considered one of the greatest matches ever played. Over four hours and 48 minutes, the two legends duked it out with impossible shots and agonising breaks. Nadal won, 6-4 6-4 6-7 (5-7) 6-7 (8-10) 9-7, finally adding a Wimbledon trophy to his cabinet.

Winning Olympic Gold in Beijing (2008)

2008 was shaping up to be Nadal’s year. Fresh off the back of his seismic victory at Wimbledon, he came into the Beijing Olympics a hot favourite for gold, despite being ranked in second seed. This was also Nadal’s Olympic debut, and he came out firing. He dropped just two sets in the whole tournament, beating Chile’s Fernando Gonzalez in the final to earn a gold medal, and ascend to World No. 1 for the first time in his career.

First Australian Open title (2009)

With victories in Roland Garros and Wimbledon, there were two Grand Slams still eluding Nadal. In 2009, Nadal came up against Federer yet again, the 2009 Australian Open final marking the seventh consecutive finals appearance between the two. Just a few months after their last epic duel, this 2009 final is also regarded as one of the best matches ever, certainly the best the Australian Open has ever seen. Nadal claimed his first Australian Open title defeating Federer in a five set final, 7-5, 3-6, 7-6 (7-3), 6-3, 6-2.

Completing the Career Grand Slam (2010)

After the win in Melbourne, there was now only one left. The US Open. At the time, there were only six men who had completed a career Grand Slam. Nadal didn’t drop a set the entire tournament, coming up against Djokovic in the final. Nadal won 6-4 5-7 6-4 6-2, becoming the seventh man to earn the career Grand Slam, and the second male to achieve the career Golden Slam—thanks to his gold medal.

Laureus Award (2011)

In 2011, Nadal was awarded one of sport’s most prestigious titles, the Laureus World Sports Award for Sportsman of the Year. Awarded each year to an athlete who best demonstrates “supreme athletic performance and achievement”, the winner can come from any sport. That year, Nadal won over Kobe Bryant, Andres Iniesta, Lionel Messi, Manny Pacquiao, and Sebastian Vettel.

Historic 10th French Open title (La Décima) (2017)

Nadal endured a three-year drought in Grand Slam competitions from his 2014 French Open win, plagued by injuries and inconsistency. But, things began to turn back in his favour in 2014. Spurred on by his relentless competitive streak, Nadal reclaimed his mojo on clay, sweeping the field at the 2017 French Open, and earning a record tenth French Open title—the first person in the Open era to win a Grand Slam tournament 10 times.

20th Grand Slam title (2020)

Where else but at Roland Garros would Nadal make history again? In 2020, undeterred by a global pandemic—tennis was, thankfully, a great sport to play while social distancing—Nadal joined the 20 club. Beating Djokovic in the final, Nadal equalled Roger Federer’s all time record of 20 Grand Slam titles. Nadal again, didn’t drop a set the entire tournament.

Australian Open triumph (2022)

2021 wasn’t great for Nadal. Between foot injuries and Covid, he was in all sorts coming into the new year, and arriving in Melbourne for the Australian Open. But, with Djokovic booted out of the country, and Federer injured, the stage was set for Nadal to prove he still had it. And he did, winning his second Australian Open title 13 years after his first, beating Daniil Medvedev in a match that stretched well over five hours and pushing Nadal into a league of his own in Grand Slam titles won.

14th French Open title (2022)

And just like that, 21 became 22. Back on clay, where he rules the roost, Nadal added another Grand Slam to his tally, winning another French Open for a record 14th Roland Garros win. Coming two days after his 36th birthday, Nadal beat Casper Ruud, who was just 23 at the time.

The last dance with Federer (2022)

Roger Federer announced his retirement from tennis in September 2022, saying goodbye to the sport and his longtime friend and rival Nadal at the Laver Cup that year. For the last match of his career, Federer took to the court with Nadal—to play doubles.

For nearly two decades, the two had been involved in the world’s best tennis matches, seesawing victories, and writing the book on how sport should be played, and competition conducted. We were just lucky enough to witness it. As the two legends sat down next to each other after the match, they couldn’t help but show the full breadth of their emotions, and anyone else watching on would have no doubt felt it too. Thanks for everything Nadal, we’ll miss you.