Portrait · Ian Gampon; crop and slight revision by César / CC BY 2.0

Rafael Nadal

Former professional tennis player

Born 1986

Rafael Nadal is a Spanish former professional tennis player from Manacor, Mallorca. A 2011 profile describes a childhood household shared with his parents, younger sister, grandparents and uncle Toni. His public biography identifies his uncle Toni as his formative coach, and his own Roland-Garros retrospective describes the importance of that relationship. His first ATP singles title came at Sopot, before his first major championship in Paris. The next phase took him beyond clay: Wimbledon, the Australian Open and the US Open established titles at all four major tournaments. His completed record comprises twenty-two major singles championships, including fourteen at Roland-Garros, and ninety-two tour singles titles. The Olympic record adds singles gold in Beijing and doubles gold with Marc López in Rio; earlier and later Olympic appearances remain distinct from medal wins. His ranking history includes five year-end number-one seasons. Repeated Laureus and ATP recognition covered results, sportsmanship and public service. Outside competition he established a foundation, built the academy in his home town and coauthored Rafa with John Carlin. Film appearances include a staged role in Shakira’s Gypsy video, Strokes of Genius and interviews in Federer: Twelve Final Days. He announced his retirement in October 2024 and played his final professional match at the Davis Cup that November. Later practice and exhibition appearances do not imply a return to the tour. The Netflix series Rafa, released in May 2026, follows his final playing season through a wider family and career perspective. Its director interview discusses contributions by his wife and the people around him. In May 2026 he described his playing career as closed and welcomed his new life. In September 2026 the academy announced a forthcoming anniversary exhibition. His personal tastes are retained as dated interview accounts, with campaign context where relevant and explicit evidence gaps where no qualifying disclosure was found.

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Connected people

ConnectionMaría Francisca PerellóWife; contributes to the 2026 documentary.

ConnectionToni NadalUncle and formative tennis coach.

ConnectionCarlos MoyáMallorcan tennis coach.

People in their public story

Frequent Collaborators

María Francisca Perelló

Wife; contributes to the 2026 documentary.

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Toni Nadal

Uncle and formative tennis coach.

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Carlos Moyá

Mallorcan tennis coach.

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Marc López

Rio2016 doubles gold-medal partner.

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Roger Federer

Major rival and documentary interview subject.

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Novak Djokovic

Career rival and contributor to Rafa.

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Carlos Alcaraz

Paris doubles partner and Netflix Slam opponent.

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Alexandra Eala

Post-retirement practice partner in2025.

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John Carlin

Coauthor of Rafa.

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Zach Heinzerling

Director of the Netflix documentary series.

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Shakira

Gypsy music-video collaborator; staged role.

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