Rafael Nadal is one of tennis’ most decorated players, but he did not retire with a complete set of trophies.
Unlike Novak Djokovic, there were a few notable titles that eluded him throughout his magical career.
He did win every Grand Slam title, alongside Olympic Gold and the Davis Cup, and was ever so close to claiming all the Masters 1000 titles too, missing just two.
However, perhaps the biggest omission of the lot was the ATP Finals, which are due to get underway in the coming days. When Rafael Nadal retired last year, he spoke about that glaring absence and why he felt that particular event always escaped him.
Why Rafael Nadal thinks he failed to win the ATP Finals
Whilst he insisted he was ‘100% at peace’ with his decision, speaking to The National, there was an element of doubt in what Nadal would go on to say about the ATP Finals.
After all, his reasoning for failing to win it, whilst fair, did seem full of regret.
Especially given the physical ailments that plagued his entire career likely played a huge role in his inability to compete at the latter stages of the year.
Nadal admitted: “Of course I would like to have won the ATP Finals one time; that’s probably the only important event that I never won,” he said. “But that’s it.
“I was a little bit unlucky that at the end of the season I was not in my best shape physically, a lot of time with injuries.
“Then I had very difficult rivals in front and I played all my career ATP Finals in indoor fast courts, on indoor hard, and, at the beginning, indoor carpet.”
What other major events did Rafael Nadal fail to win?
The ATP Finals was not the only big event that Nadal failed to win across his glittering, illustrious career.
However, it was likely the biggest absence from his sprawling trophy cabinet.
Naturally, he did win all four Grand Slam titles at one point, with his Roland Garros dominance one of the most well-documented and celebrated feats in sporting history.
And yet, despite his overwhelming quality, two Masters 1000 tournaments also eluded him.
Despite reaching five finals, the Miami Open was one such event, with Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Nikolay Davydenko denying him at the final hurdle.
Then, in a rather coincidental fashion, the Paris Masters was also another tournament he failed to win.
It should surprise no one that the superstar, who played his entire career plagued with injuries, failed to win two of the sport’s biggest events that came latest in the calendar.
This was his least-played Masters 1000 event, and rather ironically, the only time he got to the final was at his first time playing the event. There, he was brushed aside by David Nalbandian, beaten 6-4, 6-0.
Nalbandian later claimed it was so easy to beat Nadal that day, in one of the more shocking results of that year.
