The Miami Open is arguably the biggest trophy that Rafael Nadal never won. He has lost five finals which amounts to him losing out on over $1.8 million in prize money.
For a man with such a decorated and storied career, the Miami Open has evaded Nadal despite his best attempts. He has lost more finals than anyone else, falling to a defeat in five summit clashes. Only Maria Sharapova equals this unfortunate number, leading the pack on the WTA Tour.
Nadal made it to the Miami Open final for the first time in 2005, only to be thwarted by Roger Federer. The Swiss star took home a cool $533,350 for his win while the Spaniard had to settle for $266,675. Three years later, Nadal came up against Nikolay Davydenko in the Miami Open 2008 championship match. The Russian kept him from getting his hands on the trophy, winning the title and earning $590,000. The runner-up received a paycheck of $295,500.
Interestingly, each of Nadal’s five final appearances at the Miami Open came after three-year intervals. After 2005 and 2008, he got there in 2011, hoping to be third-time lucky. However, Novak Djokovic had other plans, trumping him to the trophy and the prize amount of $611,000. The 22-time Grand Slam winner got $298,200 for his efforts.
2014 offered Rafael Nadal a chance for revenge as he faced Djokovic in the final again. The Serb, though, prevailed once more, getting richer by $787,000 while his opponent settled for $384,065.
Three years later, the Mallorcan faced Federer in the Miami Open 2017 final but again failed to get his hands on the trophy. The now-retired star earned a whopping $1,175,505 while Nadal took home only $573,680.
Overall, Nadal earned $1,817,620 from his five runner-up finishes in Miami. However, the winners cumulatively got $3,696,855 for these five finals, double what Nadal received. He lost out on nearly $1.88 million because of losing five finals. Having played 13 editions, he has minted $2,368,545 in total from the Miami Open (ATP). This is much less than what Federer, Djokovic, and Davydenko earned (combined) only in those five years.
Not winning the Miami Open will bite Rafael Nadal more than losing out on the prize money
With a glittering career spanning over two decades, Nadal has made a stunning $134,659,704 in prize money for doubles and singles combined. He is second in the all-time list of highest prize money earners in tennis. Hence, he would surely not mind the financial aspect of losing five Miami Open finals.
What would presumably bother him more is the absence of the trophy from his collection. Unfortunately, as things stand, he will most likely retire without ever winning the Florida-based ATP 1000 tournament.
The Miami Open and the Paris Masters are the two ATP Masters tournaments Rafael Nadal could never win. Hence, he failed to join Novak Djokovic in having a Career Golden Masters despite winning 36 ATP 1000 titles.
Regardless of the glaring absence of these two major trophies, the Spaniard’s trophy cabinet is still overflowing, cementing his legacy as one of the all-time greats. The $1.88 million he missed out on from losing the five Miami Open finals will be nothing but a paltry footnote in his behemoth career.
(Prize money figures from Perfect Tennis)
