Tennis legend Rafael Nadal achieved something remarkable during his 2010 season after capturing his fifth French Open title.
The Spaniard, who now heads the Rafa Nadal Academy, was near-unstoppable in 2010, capturing two more Grand Slam titles at Wimbledon and the US Open.
However, it was his clay court season that caught the eyes of onlookers.
The Spaniard registered a period of play unlike any witnessed before on the ATP Tour: a period ending on the ‘most emotional’ match of Nadal’s career up to that point.
Rafael Nadal’s historic ‘Clay Slam’
Nadal’s dominance on the clay surface is well-recognised. However, in 2010, he took this dominance to another level.
As per Luigi Gatto, the Spaniard completed the ‘Clay Slam’ for the first time in tennis history.
He achieved this feat by winning three Masters 1000 titles in Monte-Carlo, Rome and Madrid, before tasting glory yet again at the French Open.
In Monte-Carlo, Nadal was a five-time defending champion, and he swept to victory – defeating Fernando Verdasco 6-0 6-1 in the final.
In Madrid, Nadal defeated his great rival, Roger Federer, to win the title, before later winning the Italian Open after defeating David Ferrer in the final.
He then wrapped up the historic run by winning the French Open, defeating Robin Soderling in the final.
The ‘most emotional day’ of Nadal’s career
The Spaniard’s first loss at the French Open came in 2009, when he was shocked in straight sets by Robin Soderling at the fourth round stage.
The pair would meet again in the 2010 French Open final, with Nadal emerging victorious.
After the final, Nadal told Soderling it would have been ‘impossible’ to beat him had he not played his best tennis.
As per the BBC, Nadal said: “I played my best match against you. If not, it’s going to be impossible to beat you.”
The Spaniard then spoke to the crowd in French, describing the occasion as “the most emotional day in my career.”
