Rafael Nadal, popularly known as 'Rafa' among his fans, is a tennis player from Spain. He began playing tennis when he was just three years old. Though he was blessed with innate talent in both football and tennis, he chose the latter and pursued it. He began participating in junior tennis championships, and moved on to professional tennis with 'ATP' tournaments. He had retained the number one spot for quite some time, before suffering from serious knee injuries that affected his game. Known mainly for his mastery on clay court, Nadal has won numerous matches on grass and hard courts as well. He is the second male player after Swedish player Mats Arne Olof Wilander to have won a minimum of two ‘Grand Slam’ titles on all three surfaces. He is also the first tennis player to have won ‘Grand Slam’ tournaments for ten years at a stretch. Previously, the record was held by Roger Federer, Björn Borg, and Pete Sampras, for having won the tournaments for eight consecutive years. Nadal is well-known for his on-field rivalry with players like Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, and Andy Murray. This professional player from Spain has 19 ‘Grand Slam’ singles titles, five ‘Davis Cup’ titles with Spain, two ‘Olympic’ gold medals, and numerous ‘ATP’ trophies to his credit.