Ole Gunnar Solskjær

Personal information
Date of birth	February 26, 1973 (1973-02-26) (age 34)
Place of birth	Kristiansund, Norway
Height	1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Playing position	Striker, Winger (retired)
Youth clubs
	Clausenengen
Senior clubs1
Years	Club	App (Gls)*
1990-1994 1994-1996 1996-2007	Clausenengen Molde Manchester United	109 (115) 042 (31) 235 (92)
National team
1995-2007	Norway	067 (23)
1 Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. * Appearances (Goals)

Ole Gunnar Solskjær (born 26 February 1973 in Kristiansund, Norway) is a former Norwegian footballer who spent the vast majority of his career playing for Manchester United. He played 366 times for the Red Devils and scored 126 goals during a very successful period for the club. He was also part of the 1999 Treble winning Team. Before he moved to England, Solskjær completed a year's national service in the Norwegian army , he played part time for Third Division Norwegian Clausenengen F.K., later moving to Norwegian Premier League Molde F.K. in 1994. He joined United on 29 July 1996, for a transfer fee of £1.5m. He is a patron of the Manchester United Supporters' Trust (formerly Shareholders United).

Solskjær was renowned for his tendency to score goals late in the game, often handing Manchester United a draw or win from the brink of defeat. The most famous example of this came in injury time of the 1999 UEFA Champions League Final against Bayern Munich at the Camp Nou in Barcelona.

On 27 August 2007, Solskjær announced his retirement from football after failing to recover from a serious knee injury. However, Solskjær will remain at Old Trafford in a coaching role, as well as in an ambassadorial capacity

Biography

Manchester United debut

When Alex Ferguson failed to sign Alan Shearer, he settled for this then-unknown Norwegian striker. Solskjær had scored 31 goals in 42 matches for Molde in the Norwegian Premier League, and he did not disappoint at the start of his United career, scoring six minutes into his debut as a substitute against Blackburn Rovers in the Premiership in the 1996-97 season.

Solskjær scored 18 Premiership goals for United in his first season, helping United win the title in the last weeks of the season. The British media nicknamed him the "Baby-Faced Assassin" because of his youthful looks and his deadly finishing. He will perhaps be best remembered as a "super-sub", having earned wide acclaim for a remarkable habit of coming into matches late on as a substitute and scoring vital goals. Alex Ferguson remarked that Solskjær has a knack of sitting on the bench and studying the game without taking his eye off the action. One of his most impressive feats was coming off the bench to score four goals in the last twelve minutes of United's 8-1 thrashing of Nottingham Forest.

Peak of career

Solskjær (left) scores the winning goal in the 1999 UEFA Champions League Final.

Solskjær enjoyed life at Old Trafford and decided to stay even though a number of other clubs showed interest in the player in 1998, including Tottenham Hotspur, with an offer of £5.5 million. United fans were eternally grateful, as the slightly-built Norwegian went on to score the winning goal in the 1999 UEFA Champions League Final, helping the team secure the astonishing Treble and cementing his own place in the United folklore. These feats, as well as his likeable demeanour, made him a firm favourite among the United supporters, inspiring songs such as "Who Put the Ball in the Germans' Net?" and "You Are My Solskjær". Although he had been absent on the pitch for a long time due to injury, United fans still fill matches with chants sung in Solskjær's honour.

After a few years of playing in the role of super-sub, Solskjær got a chance as a starter in the 2001-02 season, paired up with striker Ruud van Nistelrooy. He took the opportunity with characteristic incisiveness, forcing Andrew Cole and Dwight Yorke onto the bench.

By 2002-03, after both Andrew Cole and Dwight Yorke had left Old Trafford, Solskjær had only Diego Forlán to compete with for a place in the starting line-up. Still, Ferguson's persistence in playing Ruud van Nistelrooy up front as a lone striker meant that opportunities were limited.

Solskjær was subsequently given his time again when David Beckham picked up an injury and Ferguson played the versatile Norwegian on the right wing. While proving himself to be a fine crosser of the ball, Solskjær also popped up with crucial goals, scoring a total of 16 goals for the season. He was selected to play on the right in important matches, such as in the league game against Arsenal and the Champions League quarter-final against Real Madrid, while Beckham was left on the bench. He also captained the team in a number of matches.

Solskjær played in the 1998 FIFA World Cup for Norway and Euro 2000 and has over 60 international caps.

Injury-plagued seasons

In 2003-04, Solskjær found himself in and out of the United squad as he struggled with a recurring knee problem. Coupled with the arrival of Louis Saha from Fulham in January 2004, Solskjær found himself out of the first team and found himself either in his original role of super-sub or in central midfield. Solskjær still returned from injury in time to play in the 2004 FA Cup final, which the club won. The arrival of Alan Smith in summer 2004 nonetheless led to rumours that Solskjær was to leave Old Trafford, along with Nicky Butt, who eventually moved to Newcastle United, and David Bellion, who had been largely replaced by Wayne Rooney. Solskjær underwent intensive knee surgery in August 2004 and had to miss the 2004-05 season entirely. While he eventually recovered his fitness, it was difficult for the 32-year-old to carve his niche again among the heavy-weight attacking force of Manchester United. The Old Trafford faithful, however, displayed an almost fanatical loyalty to indicate their desire to see Solskjær in action again.

To show their continuing support, fans added a banner to the famous collection that lines the Stretford End reading "20 LEGEND" (Solskjær wore number 20 for United). Solskjær further solidified his status amongst United fans when he became a patron of the supporters action group, Shareholders United.

Back from injury

Solskjær made his long-awaited return to action on December 5, 2005, playing for United's reserves against Liverpool.^[4] Spectators numbering 2,738 showed up to witness the comeback of the popular Norwegian - an above-average turn-out for a reserve team match. He made his first-team return as a substitute in the match against Birmingham City on 28 December. He then finally made his first start more than a year later in the FA Cup match against Burton Albion, before playing a full game as a captain in the re-play. His return to full fitness slowly continued with regular appearances in the reserves, until on March 8, 2006 when, during a game against Middlesbrough, he was accidentally caught by Ugo Ehiogu, breaking his cheekbone. While facing the possibility of missing the rest of the season,^[5] he nevertheless appeared as a substitute against Sunderland on Good Friday.

Solskjær returned to Premiership action in August 23, 2006 when he scored in an away match against Charlton Athletic, his first Premiership goal since April 2003. Ferguson commented after the match that "it was a great moment for Ole, United fans everywhere, the players and the staff" and that "Ole has been through a torrid time with injuries for the last two years, but he's persevered and never lost faith and has got his repayment tonight. Everyone is over the moon for him." He continued his come-back in a spectacular fashion by putting in the winning goal in the Champions League clash with Celtic on September 13, fulfilling his post-injury ambition to score another goal at Old Trafford. Solskjær's first Premiership goal at Old Trafford since the return came on October 1 when he netted both goals in the 2-0 win against Newcastle. His goalscoring form continued with when he started the away match against Wigan Athletic and struck a sublime finish to round off a 3-1 victory, and again against Crewe Alexandra, on October 25, 2006, scoring the first of the 2-1 victory. After a further injury sustained in Copenhagen, Solskjær again returned on top form scoring the third goal in the 3 - 1 win over Wigan on Boxing Day. Solskjær continued his magnificent form by scoring United's opening goal in their 3-2 win over Reading on the 30th of December. Additionally, he came on as a substitute to score an injury-time winner in the 2-1 victory over Aston Villa in the 3rd Round of the FA Cup on 7 January 2007.

After a match against Reading F.C., Solskjær had further surgery on his knee. However, it was not as serious as his previous operations, and he was put out of action for only a month. He was predicted to be available for the 31 March game against Blackburn. United boss Alex Ferguson said: "It was good timing with the international break coming up. It gave us the opportunity to get the thing done." Solskjær did make his comeback from injury against Blackburn Rovers as a late substitute, and even scored in the 89th minute to seal Manchester United's 4-1 win.

On 5 June 2007, it had been announced that Solskjær had undergone minor surgery after he reported discomfort in his knee while training with Norway. The surgery was a success, but Solskjær failed to fully recover and announced his retirement from professional football on 27 August 2007.

Future career as player-coach

On 31 March 2006, Solskjær signed a new contract with Manchester United until the end of the 2008 season, with a provision to allow him to develop his coaching awards. He also acted in an ambassadorial role for the club, when he travelled to Hong Kong in 2006 and played with students at the Manchester United Soccer School in Hong Kong. In July 2006, Solskjær participated in a pre-season game against Orlando Pirates, playing for 45 minutes and scoring 2 goals in United's 4-0 win. He also scored in matches against Preston North End and F.C. Porto. Ferguson praised the player and said he would re-consider his plan to buy a new striker. On August 16, 2006 Solskjær returned for the Norwegian national team and played for 45 minutes against Brazil in a 1-1 draw.

On 2 September 2006, Solskjær scored his first goal for the national team after his injury, when he scored the first and last goals in a 4-1 win against Hungary in a Euro 2008 qualifying match. It was also his first post-injury professional match where he played the full game.

On 19 April 2007, Solskjær stated that he could not see himself playing professional football past his contract expiry date, at the end of the 2008 season. He is likely to be offered a testimonial following his long service to the club—and in recognition of his popularity with supporters.

In an interview in July covered on ManUtd.com, Solskjær refused to put a timescale on his professional career, but he is confident he will play out the one year left in his contract at Manchester United. He said, "The knee will never be 100 per cent again, but as long as it doesn't hurt I'll continue to play. I don't know how long I can continue. It might be over after this season or I might be able to play another season." When interviewed by Setanta Sports in August 2007, Solskjær confirmed he would train to be a coach after retiring from professional football, and would start to earn the required badges after his last season with Manchester United. He also stated that unless his knee returned to a better state by the end of the 2007-08 season, that would definitely be his last season.

On August 27, 2007, it was announced that Solskjær had retired from football with immediate effect due to his ongoing knee injury. As of his retirement, Solskjær holds the record for the most goals scored for Manchester United as a substitute, scoring 28 goals off the bench.

Personal life

Solskjær lives in Bramhall with his wife, Silje, and their two children, Noah and Karna. He recently admitted he is not his son's favourite player — United team-mate Wayne Rooney is. When he was a child himself, Solskjær trained as a wrestler as his father was once national champion.

Honours

With Manchester United (1996-2007)

• Premier League - Champions (6): 1996-97, 1998-99, 1999-00, 2000-01, 2002-03, 2006-07
• Premier League - Runners Up: 1997-98, 2005-06
• FA Cup Winner (2): 1999, 2004
• FA Cup Runners Up: 2005, 2007
• League Cup Winner (1): 2006
• League Cup Runners Up: 2003
• UEFA Champions League Winner: 1998-99
• Intercontinental Cup: 1999
• UEFA Super Cup Runner Up: 1999
• Community Shield Winner (4): 1996, 1997, 2003, 2007
• Community Shield Runner Up: 1998, 2000, 2001, 2004

International goals

	#	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
	1	26 November 1995	Kingston	Jamaica	1-1	Draw	Friendly
	2	27 March 1996	Windsor Park, Belfast	Northern Ireland	2-0	Win	Friendly
	3	2 June 1996	Ullevaal Stadion, Oslo	Azerbaijan	5-0	Win	FIFA World Cup 1998 Qual.
	4	2 June 1996	Ullevaal Stadion, Oslo	Azerbaijan	5-0	Win	FIFA World Cup 1998 Qual.
	5	30 April 1997	Ullevaal Stadion, Oslo	Finland	1-1	Draw	FIFA World Cup 1998 Qual.
	6	25 March 1998	King Baudouin Stadium, Brüssel	Belgium	2-2	Draw	Friendly
	7	27 May 1998	Molde stadion	Saudi Arabia	6-0	Win	Friendly
	8	27 May 1998	Molde stadion	Saudi Arabia	6-0	Win	Friendly
	9	27 March 1999	Olympic Stadium (Athens)	Greece	2-0	Win	UEFA Euro 2000 Qual.
	10	27 March 1999	Olympic Stadium (Athens)	Greece	2-0	Win	UEFA Euro 2000 Qual.
	11	28 April 1999	Tblisi	Georgia	4-1	Win	UEFA Euro 2000 Qual.
	12	8 September 1999	Ullevaal Stadion, Oslo	Slovenia	4-0	Win	UEFA Euro 2000 Qual.
	13	9 October 1999	Daugava Stadium, Riga	Latvia	2-1	Win	UEFA Euro 2000 Qual.
	14	27 May 2000	Ullevaal Stadion, Oslo	Slovakia	2-0	Win	Friendly
	15	24 March 2001	Ullevaal Stadion, Oslo	Poland	2-3	Defeat	FIFA World Cup 2002 Qual.
	16	28 March 2001	Minsk	Belarus	1-2	Defeat	FIFA World Cup 2002 Qual.
	17	15 August 2001	Ullevaal Stadion, Oslo	Turkey	1-1	Draw	Friendly
	18	14 May 2002	Ullevaal Stadion, Oslo	Japan	3-0	Win	Friendly
	19	22 May 2002	Aspmyra stadium, Bodø	Iceland	1-1	Draw	Friendly
	20	2 April 2003	Luxembourg City	Luxembourg	2-0	Win	UEFA Euro 2004 Qual.
	21	11 June 2003	Ullevaal Stadion, Oslo	Romania	1-1	Draw	UEFA Euro 2004 Qual.
	22	2 September 2006	Budapest	Hungary	4-1	Win	UEFA Euro 2008 Qual.
	23	2 September 2006	Budapest	Hungary	4-1	Win	UEFA Euro 2008 Qual.

***From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Rafael Nadal

Nadal getting ready to smash at the 2006 US Open
Country	Spain
Residence	Manacor, Mallorca
Date of birth	June 3, 1986 (1986-06-03) (age 21)
Place of birth	Manacor, Mallorca
Height	1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
Weight	85 kg (187 lb)
Turned Pro	2001
Plays	Left; Two-handed backhand
Career Prize Money	$12,606,374
Singles
Career record:	242-61
Career titles:	23
Highest ranking:	No. 2 (July 25, 2005)
Grand Slam results
Australian Open	QF (2007)
French Open	W (2005, 2006, 2007)
Wimbledon	F (2006, 2007)
U.S. Open	QF (2006)
Doubles
Career record:	58-36
Career titles:	3
Highest ranking:	No. 26 (August 8, 2005)
Infobox last updated on: August 20, 2007.

Rafael "Rafa" Nadal Parera (IPA: [rafa'el na'ðal]) (born June 3, 1986, in Manacor, Mallorca) is a Spanish professional tennis player.

As of August 2007, he is ranked No. 2 in the world. He is a three-time Grand Slam champion, having won three consecutive French Open singles titles (2005-07), and has twice been a runner-up at Wimbledon (2006-07). Nadal is undefeated in his career at the French Open, having won all 21 matches he has played en route to his three championships. He also holds the longest winning streak among male players on a single surface in the open era. From April 2005 to May 2007, he won a record 81 consecutive clay court matches, before being defeated by World Number One Roger Federer in the 2007 Hamburg Masters final.

Early years

Nadal was born in Manacor, Mallorca to Sebastián and Ana María; he also has a younger sister named María Isabel. His father owns a restaurant and a glass-making business. His uncle, Miguel Ángel, is a retired footballer who played for RCD Mallorca, FC Barcelona, and the Spanish national team.To this day, Nadal remains a supporter of RCD Mallorca, as well as Real Madrid. His other uncle, Toni, is his current coach and introduced him to the sport when Nadal was three years old.

Although Nadal plays left-handed, he is naturally right-handed. When he was younger, his coach, Toni Nadal, decided that his two-handed backhand would benefit from a strong right arm, so he taught Rafael to play with his left.

It was not until Nadal was 12 that he decided to pursue a career in tennis instead of football. In May 2001, when Nadal was 14-years-old, tennis great Pat Cash played a clay-court exhibition match against him. Cash, who was originally scheduled to play Boris Becker, was reluctant to play against Nadal, taking this rearranged match as an offense. Cash lost the game by a close margin.

Career

2002 - 2004

In 2002, the 15-year-old Nadal won his first ATP match, defeating Ramon Delgado in Majorca to become the ninth player in the open era to win an ATP match before his 16th birthday.

In 2003, Nadal became the second-youngest player to be ranked among the world's top 100 singles players. He finished the year in the top 50, winning two Challenger titles. At his Wimbledon debut, Nadal, then 17, became the youngest male player to reach the third round since 16-year-old Boris Becker in 1984.

In 2004, Nadal was forced to miss most of the clay-court season, including the French Open, due to a stress fracture in his left ankle.

2005

2005 was Nadal's breakthrough year. At the Australian Open, he reached the fourth round and pushed the eventual runner-up, Lleyton Hewitt, to five sets. Two months later, he reached the final of the Miami Masters tournament, and despite being two points away from victory in straight sets, he was defeated in five sets by the world's number one player, Roger Federer.

Shifting to the clay court season, Nadal won two ATP Masters Series events in Monte Carlo and Rome. At one point in the year, Nadal won 24 consecutive matches, the longest winning streak of any teenager in the open era, topping Andre Agassi's run of 23 matches in 1988. By May 2005, Nadal had reached the top 5 in the world rankings, becoming the youngest player to break into the top 10 since Andrei Medvedev in 1993.

Nadal entered his first French Open among the favorites. He beat two of France's local hopes, Sebastien Grosjean and Richard Gasquet, to reach the semifinals. On his 19th birthday, he defeated Federer in the semifinals, preventing the Swiss from achieving a career Grand Slam. Two days later, he became the fourth-youngest French Open champion in the open era, defeating Argentina's Mariano Puerta in the final. He became the seventh player to win a Grand Slam in his first appearance at the event and the first since Agassi at the 1995 Australian Open, and he is one of only two people to win at Roland Garros on their first attempt, the first being Mats Wilander in 1982.He also became the first teenager to win a Grand Slam singles title since Pete Sampras won the 1990 U.S. Open at age 19. Nadal is the first teenager to win at least six titles in a year since Agassi in 1988 at the age of 18.

Three days after his victory in Paris, his winning streak was snapped on the grass courts of Halle, Germany, where he was beaten by German Alexander Waske in the first round. He suffered another disappointment at Wimbledon, where he was eliminated in the second round by Gilles Müller of Luxembourg.

In July, at age 19 years, 1 month, and 22 days, Nadal became the third teenager to reach World No. 2 in the history of the ATP computer rankings, which began in 1973, joining Boris Becker (age 18 years, 9 months, and 17 days) and Björn Borg (age 18 years, 10 months, and 2 days) as the only teenagers to be ranked No. 2.

Nadal started his 2005 hardcourt season by defeating Agassi in the final of the Canada Masters. Nadal was seeded second at the U.S. Open but was eliminated in the third round by American James Blake in four sets. Despite the loss, his second seeding and third round performance were both career highs. After the U.S. Open, Nadal won two more hard court tournaments. In September, he defeated Guillermo Coria in the final of the China Open in Beijing, and in October, he won his fourth Masters Series event, defeating Ivan Ljubičić in five sets in the final of the Madrid Masters. He then suffered a foot injury that kept him out of the Tennis Masters Cup in 2005 and the start of 2006, causing him to miss the Australian Open. Overall, Nadal matched world No. 1 Roger Federer's standard in ATP titles won in a single season, eleven, and Masters Series events won, four. He won 79 matches in 2005, second only to Federer's 81.

2006

Nadal at the 2006 French Open

The fierce rivalry between Nadal and Roger Federer continued into 2006. In March 2006, Nadal handed Federer his first loss of the year at the final in Dubai, winning 2-6, 6-4, 6-4. Nadal defeated Federer again at the Monte Carlo Masters by a score of 6-2, 6-7, 6-3, 7-6.

The two squared off again in the Rome Masters final. There, it seemed as though Federer might finally defeat his nemesis, thereby ending Nadal's streak of consecutive clay court matches. However, Nadal fought off two match points and won 6-7, 7-6, 6-4, 2-6, 7-6.

Nadal broke Argentinian Guillermo Vilas's 29-year record of 53 consecutive clay court match victories after defeating Robin Soderling in the first round of the 2006 French Open. Following the victory, Nadal was presented with a trophy containing the cross section of the construction of a clay court. Vilas was on hand for the ceremony, although Vilas has refused to acknowledge Nadal's feat as more impressive than his own (which was accomplished in a single season).

At the French Open, Nadal reached the final for the second consecutive year, and squared off against the world's No. 1 player, Roger Federer, in a hotly anticipated match. For Federer, the French Open was the missing link in a career Grand Slam and in holding all four majors simultaneously. For Nadal, the task of defending his French Open title, as well as maintaining a dominant winning record against Federer, was enormous, something that no other player has accomplished thus far. Though Nadal was the favorite based on his clay court ability, Federer was the overwhelming favorite with the raucous French crowd. Everyone expected a highly competitive match, much like the ones they had played in the last three Masters Series tournaments. Yet, the first two sets were hardly competitive, as the rivals traded 6-1 sets. Nadal steamrolled over Federer through the third set and most of the fourth. Federer finally broke Nadal's serve deep in the fourth set as he was serving for the match and forced a tiebreak, which Nadal won. With the win, he became the first player to defeat Federer in a Grand Slam final.

With an undefeated 2006 clay court season, Nadal firmly stamped himself as the dominant clay court player in the world and as the only player able to beat Federer consistently.

Nadal withdrew due to a shoulder injury against Lleyton Hewitt in the quarterfinals of Queens Club, a Wimbledon tune-up tournament. This loss ended a streak of 26 matches dating from his loss to Carlos Moyà in March.

Seeded No. 2 going into Wimbledon, Nadal reached the finals, securing a match against Federer by beating Marcos Baghdatis in the semifinals. During his run, Nadal was two points from defeat against American qualifier Robert Kendrick in the second round before coming back to win in five sets. Nadal also defeated Andre Agassi in the third round, in Agassi's final match at Wimbledon. All seven of the previous Nadal/Federer encounters had been played on either clay or hard courts; however, Wimbledon is played on grass, Federer's preferred surface. He had won the title three consecutive years. Though Nadal played well in the final after a sluggish start, he fell in four sets, 6-0, 7-6, 6-7, 6-3, cementing Federer's position at the top of the world rankings. Despite the loss, Nadal well exceeded most expectations by reaching the finals, winning more matches at Wimbledon (six) than he had ever won on grass in his entire career. Prior to the 2006 tennis season, Nadal's record on grass courts stood at three wins and three losses, and even the most optimistic predictions suggested that he would be several years away from being a contender on grass.

With their finals appearance, Nadal and Federer became the only pair of men in the open era to reach the Wimbledon final after having both played in the French Open final just a month prior. There have been several men to reach the Wimbledon final after making the French Open final, but never had the same two men accomplished such a feat at the same time. They repeated this feat in 2007.

At the 2006 U.S. Open Nadal reached the quarterfinals, his best result at the tournament to date. He lost to Mikhail Youzhny of Russia in four sets. Nadal failed, however, to reach the third round of his next tournament, the Stockholm Open, where he lost to Joachim Johansson 6-4, 7-6. Nadal also lost in the quarterfinals of the Madrid Masters, where he was defeated by Tomas Berdych 6-3, 7-6 for the third time. After the tournament, Nadal blamed mental and physical exhaustion for his recent losses.

During the round robin stage of the Tennis Masters Cup, Nadal lost to James Blake, but defeated Nikolay Davydenko and Tommy Robredo. Nadal reached the semifinals as the second place finisher in his group, where he lost to Federer 7-5, 6-4. This was Nadal's third loss in nine career matches with Federer.

2007

Nadal started 2007 by reaching the semifinals of the Chennai Open in India, where he lost to Xavier Malisse 6-4, 7-6. At his next tournament in Sydney, Australia, Nadal retired from his first match against Chris Guccione with a groin injury. At the Australian Open, Nadal defeated Andy Murray 6-7(3), 6-4, 4-6, 6-3, 6-1 to reach the quarterfinals, where he lost to Fernando Gonzalez 6-2, 6-4, 6-3.

In the quarterfinals of the Dubai Tennis Championships, Nadal lost to Mikhail Youzhny 7-6, 6-2. After that loss, he played at the Pacific Life Open in Indian Wells, California, defeating Novak Đoković 6-2, 7-5 in the final. However, at the Sony Ericsson Open in Key Biscayne, Florida, Nadal was defeated in the quarterfinals by tenth seeded and eventual winner Đjoković 6-3, 6-4.

Nadal defeated Federer in the final of the Monte Carlo Masters 6-4, 6-4. This was Nadal's third consecutive title in the principality, the first player since Ilie Năstase in 1971-73 to accomplish that feat. He followed that hat-trick with another one at the Open Seat in Barcelona, Spain, defeating Guillermo Cañas in the final. At the Rome Masters, Nadal continued his hat-trick streak, beating Fernando Gonzalez in the final 6-2, 6-2 to become the first man to win in Rome three consecutive years. At the Hamburg Masters, Nadal lost the final to Federer 2-6, 6-2, 6-0. The loss ended Nadal's clay court winning streak at 81, which is the male open-era record for most consecutive victories on a single surface. He thus surpassed John McEnroe's 65-match streak record on indoor carpet.

Nadal and Federer would meet in the final of the French Open for the second consecutive year, and in the latter stages of the tournament for the third time in a row. Nadal prevailed in four sets, 6-3, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, winning his third straight championship at Roland Garros. With this victory, he became the first player since Bjorn Borg in 1978-81 to win the French Open in three consecutive years, and once again prevented Federer from achieving the career Grand Slam and owning all four major titles simultaneously.

In preparation for Wimbledon, Nadal played the grass court Queen's Club Championships, losing in the quarterfinals to Frenchman Nicolas Mahut 7-5, 7-6(0).

In Wimbledon, Nadal reached his second final in a row, having previously been beaten by Federer in the previous year's final. Nadal's road to the final proved difficult, after having nearly been eliminated both in the third and fourth round in tough five-set matches. Numerous rain delays also kept him on the court for seven straight days. In the quarterfinals, Nadal defeated Tomáš Berdych in straight sets, and was awarded victory in his semifinal when fourth seed Novak Đoković retired injured. However, he was defeated 7-6(7), 4-6, 7-6(3), 2-6, 6-2 in the final by Federer, marking the Swiss' fifth straight triumph at the event. While leading 4-1 in the fourth set, Nadal had to take some time out to have an ailing knee taped, and although he exhibited no apparent ill effects, the direction of the match then turned in Federer's favor. Nadal failed to convert four break point chances in the fifth set.

Despite the loss, Nadal remains the only active player with a winning record (8-5) against Federer after five matches or more. Nadal is 6-1 on clay, 2-2 on hard courts, and 0-2 on grass against Federer. With his achievement in the 2007 Wimbledon final, Nadal is also both the first player that has forced Federer to a fifth set in a Grand Slam final, and the first to take Federer to a fifth set at Wimbledon since his 2001 fourth round encounter with Pete Sampras.

At the clay-court tournament in Stuttgart, his first tournament since Wimbledon, Nadal defeated comeback player Stanislas Wawrinka in the final to win his second title there in three years (he did not participate in 2006). It was his 23rd title.

Nadal then played the Canada Masters tournament, an event he won in 2005. He reached the semi final, where he lost to the eventual winner Novak Đoković 7-5, 6-3. The following week, at the Cincinnati Masters, Nadal retired from his first match (a second-round encounter with Juan Monaco who was leading 7-6, 4-1). Although Nadal had been struggling with a knee injury, it was a problem with his forearm that caused him to retire.

Battle of Surfaces exhibition

On May 2, 2007, the "Battle of Surfaces," an exhibition event, took place at the Palma Arena in Majorca. Nadal and Federer met on a tennis court that was half grass and half clay. Nadal won 7-5, 4-6, 7-6(10).

Playing style

Nadal's playing style is best tailored for clay courts, with a strong two-handed backhand, well-angled topspin strokes, fast mobility on the court, and a preference to play from the deep court. He is naturally right-handed, but he plays left-handed, and uses his dominant hand as an anchor for his two-handed backhand. His two-handed backhand is extremely reliable, tending to hit winners on the run as well as standing still. Nadal is extremely athletic, and tends to go after every shot, even apparent winners from his opponents.

Nadal's serve is not considered one of his strengths, but can be relied upon for consistency and also for some short-point wins (aces, serve-return errors, and serve-return sitters). With excellent accuracy, power, and consistency, his topspin groundstrokes is one of his assets. He incorporates a defensive-playing style most of the time, but often becomes offensive as well.

Overall, Nadal is an aggressive counterpuncher, forcing his opponents to make errors with his powerful topspin, his speed, and his athleticism.

Equipment

Nadal uses a Babolat Aeropro Drive Cortex racket and his string of choice is Babolat Pro Hurricane Tour. Nadal wears Nike sportswear, most notably Capri (3/4) pants. He has "Vamos Rafa" ("Let's Go Rafa") written on his shoes, a common exhortation by his fans.

Grand Slam singles finals (5)

Wins (3)

Year	Championship	Opponent in Final	Score in Final
2005	French Open	Mariano Puerta	6-7(6), 6-3, 6-1, 7-5
2006	French Open (2)	Roger Federer	1-6, 6-1, 6-4, 7-6(4)
2007	French Open (3)	Roger Federer	6-3, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4

Runner-ups (2)

Year	Championship	Opponent in Final	Score in Final
2006	Wimbledon	Roger Federer	6-0, 7-6(5), 6-7(2), 6-3
2007	Wimbledon	Roger Federer	7-6(7), 4-6, 7-6(3), 2-6, 6-2

ATP Masters Series singles finals (11)

Wins (9)

Year	Championship	Opponent in Final	Score in Final
2005	Monte Carlo	Guillermo Coria	6-3, 6-1, 0-6, 7-5
2005	Rome	Guillermo Coria	6-4, 3-6, 6-3, 4-6, 7-6(6)
2005	Montreal	Andre Agassi	6-3, 4-6, 6-2
2005	Madrid	Ivan Ljubičić	3-6, 2-6, 6-3, 6-4, 7-6(3)
2006	Monte Carlo (2)	Roger Federer	6-2, 6-7(2), 6-3, 7-6(5)
2006	Rome (2)	Roger Federer	6-7(0), 7-6(5), 6-4, 2-6, 7-6(5)
2007	Indian Wells	Novak Đoković	6-2, 7-5
2007	Monte Carlo (3)	Roger Federer	6-4, 6-4
2007	Rome (3)	Fernando González	6-2, 6-2

Runner-ups (2)

Year	Championship	Opponent in Final	Score in Final
2005	Miami	Roger Federer	2-6, 6-7(4), 7-6(5), 6-3, 6-1
2007	Hamburg	Roger Federer	2-6, 6-2, 6-0

All finals (34)

Singles wins (23)

Legend Grand Slam (3) Tennis Masters Cup (0) ATP Masters Series (9) ATP Tour (11)

Titles by Surface Hard (5) Clay (18) Grass (0) Carpet (0)

No.	Date	Tournament	Surface	Opponent in the final	Score
1.	9 August 2004	Sopot, Poland	Clay	José Acasuso	6-3, 6-4
2.	14 February 2005	Costa do Sauípe, Brazil	Clay	Alberto Martín	6-0, 6-7(2), 6-1
3.	21 February 2005	Acapulco, Mexico	Clay	Álbert Montañés	6-1, 6-0
4.	17 April 2005	Monte Carlo, Monaco	Clay	Guillermo Coria	6-3, 6-1, 0-6, 7-5
5.	24 April 2005	Barcelona, Spain	Clay	Juan Carlos Ferrero	6-1, 7-6(4), 6-3
6.	2 May 2005	Rome, Italy	Clay	Guillermo Coria	6-4, 3-6, 6-3, 4-6, 7-6(6)
7.	5 June 2005	French Open, Paris, France	Clay	Mariano Puerta	6-7(6), 6-3, 6-1, 7-5
8.	4 July 2005	Båstad, Sweden	Clay	Tomáš Berdych	2-6, 6-2, 6-4
9.	18 July 2005	Stuttgart, Germany	Clay	Gastón Gaudio	6-3, 6-3, 6-4
10.	14 August 2005	Montréal, Canada	Hard	Andre Agassi	6-3, 4-6, 6-2
11.	18 September 2005	Beijing, China	Hard	Guillermo Coria	5-7, 6-1, 6-2
12.	23 October 2005	Madrid, Spain	Hard (I)	Ivan Ljubičić	3-6, 2-6, 6-3, 6-4, 7-6(3)
13.	4 March 2006	Dubai, UAE	Hard	Roger Federer	2-6, 6-4, 6-4
14.	23 April 2006	Monte Carlo, Monaco	Clay	Roger Federer	6-2, 6-7(2), 6-3, 7-6(5)
15.	30 April 2006	Barcelona, Spain	Clay	Tommy Robredo	6-4, 6-4, 6-0
16.	14 May 2006	Rome, Italy	Clay	Roger Federer	6-7(0), 7-6(5), 6-4, 2-6, 7-6(5)
17.	11 June 2006	French Open, Paris, France	Clay	Roger Federer	1-6, 6-1, 6-4, 7-6(4)
18.	18 March 2007	Indian Wells, California, USA	Hard	Novak Đoković	6-2, 7-5
19.	22 April 2007	Monte Carlo, Monaco	Clay	Roger Federer	6-4, 6-4
20.	29 April 2007	Barcelona, Spain	Clay	Guillermo Cañas	6-3, 6-4
21.	13 May 2007	Rome, Italy	Clay	Fernando González	6-2, 6-2
22.	10 June 2007	French Open, Paris, France	Clay	Roger Federer	6-3, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4
23.	22 July 2007	Stuttgart, Germany	Clay	Stanislas Wawrinka	6-4, 7-5

Singles runner-ups (5)

No.	Date	Tournament	Surface	Opponent in the final	Score
1.	12 January 2004	Auckland, New Zealand	Hard	Dominik Hrbatý	4-6 6-2 7-5
2.	3 April 2005	Miami, USA	Hard	Roger Federer	2-6, 6-7(4), 7-6(5), 6-3, 6-1
3.	9 July 2006	Wimbledon, London, United Kingdom	Grass	Roger Federer	6-0, 7-6(5), 6-7(2), 6-3
4.	20 May 2007	Hamburg, Germany	Clay	Roger Federer	2-6, 6-2, 6-0
5.	8 July 2007	Wimbledon, London, United Kingdom	Grass	Roger Federer	7-6(7), 4-6, 7-6(3), 2-6, 6-2

Doubles wins (3)

No.	Date	Tournament	Surface	Partnering	Opponents in the final	Score
1.	August 21, 2003	Croatia Open Umag, Umag, Croatia	Clay	Álex López Morón	Todd Perry Thomas Shimada	6-1, 6-3
2.	January 5, 2004	Chennai Open, Chennai, India	Hard	Tommy Robredo	Jonathan Erlich Andy Ram	7-6(3), 4-6, 6-3
3.	January 3, 2005	Qatar ExxonMobil Open, Doha, Qatar	Hard	Albert Costa	Andrei Pavel Mikhail Youzhny	6-3, 4-6, 6-3

Doubles runner-ups (3)

No.	Date	Tournament	Surface	Partnering	Opponents in the final	Score
1.	April 18, 2005	Open Seat, Barcelona, Spain	Clay	Feliciano López	Leander Paes Nenad Zimonjić	6-3, 6-3
2.	January 8, 2007	Chennai Open, Chennai, India	Hard	Tomeu Salvà	Xavier Malisse Dick Norman	6-3, 7-6(1)
3.	April 30, 2007	Open Seat, Barcelona, Spain	Clay	Tomeu Salvà	Andrei Pavel Alexander Waske	7-6(4), 7-6(4)

Singles performance timeline

To prevent confusion and double counting, information in this table is updated only once a tournament or the player's participation in the tournament has concluded. This table is current through the Cincinnati Masters, which ended on August 19, 2007.

Tournament	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	Career SR	Career Win-Loss
Australian Open	A	A	3R	4R	A	QF	0 / 3	9-3
French Open	A	A	A	W	W	W	3 / 3	21-0
Wimbledon	A	3R	A	2R	F	F	0 / 4	15-4
U.S. Open	A	2R	2R	3R	QF		0 / 4	8-4
Grand Slam SR	0 / 0	0 / 2	0 / 2	1 / 4	1 / 3	1 / 3	3 / 14	N/A
Grand Slam Win-Loss	0-0	3-2	3-2	13-3	17-2	17-2	N/A	53-11
Indian Wells Masters	A	A	3R	A	SF	W	1 / 3	12-2
Miami Masters	A	A	4R	F	2R	QF	0 / 4	9-4
Monte Carlo Masters	A	3R	A	W	W	W	3 / 4	19-1
Rome Masters	A	A	A	W	W	W	3 / 3	17-0
Hamburg Masters	A	3R	A	A	A	F	0 / 2	6-2
Canada Masters	A	A	1R	W	3R	SF	1 / 4	11-3
Cincinnati Masters	A	A	1R	1R	QF	2R	0 / 4	3-4
Madrid Masters	A	1R	2R	W	QF		1 / 4	8-3
Paris Masters	A	A	A	A	A		0 / 0	0-0
Tennis Masters Cup	A	A	A	A	SF		0 / 1	2-2
ATP Tournaments Played	1	11	18	21	16	15	N/A	81
ATP Finals Reached	0	0	2	12	6	8	N/A	28
ATP Tournaments Won	0	0	1	11	5	6	N/A	23
Hard Win-Loss	0-0	1-2	14-10	28-6	23-8	20-7	N/A	86-33
Clay Win-Loss	1-1	11-6	14-3	50-2	26-0	31-1	N/A	133-13
Grass Win-Loss	0-0	2-1	0-0	1-2	8-2	8-2	N/A	19-7
Carpet Win-Loss	0-0	0-2	2-4	0-0	2-2	0-0	N/A	4-8
Overall Win-Loss	1-1	14-11	30-17	79-10	59-12	59-10	N/A	242-61
Year End Ranking	200	49	51	2	2		N/A	N/A

A = did not participate in the tournament

SR = the ratio of the number of singles tournaments won to the number of those tournaments played

Davis Cup and World Team Cup matches are included in the statistics.

ATP Tour career earnings

Year	Majors	ATP wins	Total wins	Earnings ($)	Money list rank
2002	0	0	0	23,975	345
2003	0	0	0	243,238	87
2004	0	1	1	447,758	50
2005	1	10	11	3,874,751	2
2006	1	4	5	3,746,360	2
2007*	1	5	6	4,269,435	2
Career	3	20	23	12,606,374	17

* As of August 20, 2007.

Davis Cup

Nadal was on Spain's victorious 2004 Davis Cup team.

First round versus the Czech Republic

• Singles: Nadal lost to Jiří Novák 7-6, 6-3, 7-6.
• Doubles: Nadal and Tommy Robredo lost to Jiří Novák and Radek Štěpánek 6-4, 7-6(6), 6-3.
• Singles: Nadal defeated Radek Štěpánek 7-6, 7-6, 6-3.

Quarterfinal versus the Netherlands

• Doubles: Nadal and Robredo lost to John van Lottum and Martin Verkerk 3-6, 2-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-2.

Semifinal versus France

• Singles: Nadal defeated Arnaud Clement 6-4, 6-1, 6-2.
• Doubles: Nadal and Robredo defeated Arnaud Clement and Michael Llodra 7-6(4), 4-6, 6-2, 2-6, 6-3.

Final versus the United States

• Singles: Nadal defeated Andy Roddick 6-7, 6-2, 7-6, 6-2.

Challengers and futures finals

Singles wins (8)

Legend

Challengers (2)

Futures (6)

No.	Date	Tournament	Surface	Opponent in the final	Score
1.	15 July 2002	Alicante, Spain	Clay	Marc Fornell	7-5, 3-6, 6-3
2.	19 August 2002	Vigo, Spain	Clay	Antonio Pastorino	4-6, 7-6(4), 6-4
3.	23 September 2002	Barcelona, Spain	Clay	Marc Fornell	6-4, 6-3
4.	30 September 2002	Barcelona, Spain	Clay	Guillermo García-López	6-3, 7-6(1)
5.	25 November 2002	Gran Canaria, Spain	Clay	Marc Fornell	6-2, 6-3
6.	2 December 2002	Gran Canaria, Spain	Hard (I)	Florian Mayer	7-6(3), 6-4
7.	31 March 2003	Barletta, Italy	Clay	Albert Portas	6-2, 7-6(2)
8.	4 August 2003	Segovia, Spain	Hard	Tomáš Zíb	6-2, 7-6(1)

Singles runner-ups (4)

• 2003: Hamburg Challenger (lost to Mario Ančić)
• 2003: Cherbourg Challenger (lost to Sergio Roitman)
• 2003: Cagliari Challenger (lost to Filippo Volandri)
• 2003: Aix-en-Provence Challenger (lost to Mariano Puerta)

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