Only two men outside of Roger Federer, Andy Murray, and Novak Djokovic managed to beat Rafael Nadal in a clay court final, and for one star, it was the only title they lifted.
Rafael Nadal’s dominance on clay saw him capture 14 Roland Garros titles between 2005 and 2022, as well as several high-profile Masters trophies.
Nadal was near-unbeatable on the surface and only a select few outside of the ‘big three’ managed to do so in his prime.
In clay finals, the number becomes even more select, but one star managed to win his only title by doing so.
Horacio Zeballos won his only career title against Rafael Nadal
Horacio Zeballos was a solid singles player, but he mostly made a name for himself on the doubles circuit, where he won two Grand Slams.
Zeballos reached a career-high of World No. 40 on the ATP Tour and he tasted success on one occasion in singles.
The Argentine entered the Chile Open in 2013 and found himself in the final against the King of Clay, Nadal.
The Spaniard had won seven Roland Garros titles at this point and would go on to win his eighth a few months later, but he ended up losing the match to Zeballos.
Zeballos stunned Nadal from one set down to come back and lift the only title he would ever win in his singles career.
It was the last ATP Tour final the star would ever reach, but what a way to lift your first and only tournament trophy.
The five players to beat Rafael Nadal in clay court finals
Outside of Andy Murray, Roger Federer, and Novak Djokovic, Nadal lost just twice in clay court finals and they couldn’t have been bigger upsets.
Zeballos’ win was followed up by another shock to a lower-ranked star at the Swedish Open in his final-ever career final.
| Players to beat Rafael Nadal in a clay court final | Location |
| Roger Federer | German Open, Madrid Open, |
| Novak Djokovic | Madrid Open, Monte Carlo Masters, and Italian Open |
| Andy Murray | Madrid Open |
| Nuno Borges | Swedish Open |
| Horacio Zeballos | Chile Open |
World No. 51 Nuno Borges defeated Nadal in Sweden to become just the fifth star to beat the man in a clay final.
Nadal’s legend was so big at the end of his career that Borges even admitted that part of him wanted the King of Clay to defeat him.
