Record-breaking Rafa notches up another first

 

Originally published on: 26/02/10 15:24

Rafael Nadals exhausting and exhilarating victory over Roger Federer on Sunday not only made him the first Spanish man to win the Australian Open, but also the first man in history to hold Grand Slam titles on three different surfaces.

With Grand Slam victories at Roland Garros (clay), Wimbledon (grass) and now Melbourne (hard) under his belt, Nadals successes put him in the same category as legends such as Jimmy Connors, Mats Wilander and Andre Agassi, who all won majors on three different surfaces.

Nadal stands out even from this crowd, however, by becoming the first player to hold three Grand Slam titles on three different surfaces at the same time.

It doesnt seem long since a fairly unknown Mallorcan teenager won his first major title.

It was in fact less than four years ago (June 2005), that Nadal became the second ever Spaniard to win the French Open title. At the time, Rafa was rather an unknown quantity and the tennis world was in suspense to see if he could excel on the faster surfaces, grass and hard courts.

Since then Rafa has surpassed all expectations and at the still young age of 22, the man with the most famous

Now get the WORLD’S BEST TENNIS MAGAZINE here