Rafael Nadal may be out of the ATP Tour at the moment, but he is one player who is definitely missed by many tennis lovers while also being a delight for marketers around the globe. So much so that on Thursday, Nadal announced a partnership with Indian multinational tech giant, Infosys. According to the company’s press release, it will create a new virtual reality technology that will help the Spanish legend in his matches and preparations once he returns to the Tour in 2024 amongst other joint initiatives that they have planned for the future.
To honour Nadal for being their first global brand ambassador from the sport of tennis, Infosys’ data was used by the ATP Tour to come up with a statistical analysis about his career. Some remarkable numbers have come up, which is a treat for the 22-time Grand Slam champion’s fans. It will also pretty much answer a long-standing question – Which is the best season Rafael Nadal has ever had?
Infosys breaks down success of Rafael Nadal courtesy 6 of his top seasons
Arguably, Rafael Nadal was unstoppable in the years 2005, 2010, 2013, 2017, 2019 and in the first half of 2022. Infosys’ data credited the Spaniard’s rise at the age of 19 to the fact that he was successful in winning 45 percent of return points, which is an impressive number. On second serves, that number rose to 57 percent.
Moving to the 2010 season, the year which Nadal himself has called his best of all-time, there are three major factors that made him win 3 Grand Slam titles and 3 Masters 1000s ones on clay as well. The double faults were reduced to 59 while he saved a remarkable 71% of break points. He was also able to convert 49 percent of his break points, an achievement which took him 10 years to replicate.
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In terms of overall win percentage in a season in which he has played more than 50 matches, Rafael Nadal has so far been unable to replicate his 2013 season, which comes to a whopping 91.5 percent. Nadal won 10 titles and suffered only 7 defeats from 82 matches, a super comeback after a disappointing 2012 season.
However, according to Infosys and the ATP Tour, Rafael Nadal took his game to a whole new level altogether in 2019. Turning 33 that year, the superstar regained the World No.1 ranking after winning the French Open and the US Open in the same season, while also making it to the finals of the Australian Open and for the second year in a row, the semifinals of the Wimbledon Championships. Nadal’s improved game on almost all outdoor surfaces besides clay was evident.
The reasons given for the same is firstly, a vastly changed serve. Between 2010 and 2019, Nadal somehow relied more on his return game and rallies to win points. But in 2019, Nadal’s first serve winning percentage was an incredible 76 while even on his second serve, that number was 60. He had never achieved such mastery before, making it his personal bests.
This was enough to worry any opponent of his, whether they were experienced or youngsters. The credit for Rafael Nadal giving importance to his serve could be given to Carlos Moya, who replaced Toni Nadal as his coach. Working on weaknesses and making them their strengths is a hallmark of a legendary sportsperson.
Nadal proved it that year as he won 70 percent of his total service points while also clinching 90 percent of his service games. Co-incidentally, these two numbers above were exactly the same in both aspects for him in the 2010 and 2017 seasons. It is also worth considering that the Spaniard played 65 matches that year and still managed to win 58 of those, which means he succeeded in 89.23% of his matches. In his other dominant seasons apart from 2019 and 2022, he played in more than 80 matches.
As a result, while 2010 and 2013 are much more remembered by tennis fans when it comes to Rafael Nadal, numbers and insights prove that 2019 is actually the best-ever season the legend has ever played.
Nadal net worth and Infosys deal details
On Thursday, Rafael Nadal himself spoke in a special video, praising Infosys’ strong belief in directly impacting the sport as well as their long-standing commitment to philanthropy. This is where they are similar since Nadal is personally invested too in the Rafa Nadal Academy across many countries, which has helped develop many young, aspiring tennis players as well as assisted professional players for training ahead of major tournaments or in off season.
The 22-time Grand Slam champion did mention that his aim is not only to make aspiring players in his academy as better human beings and players but also educate them with ‘digital skills’, since being technology-proficient is vital for their careers both inside and outside of tennis. In the end, Rafael Nadal hinted that Infosys and him will be announcing a new project soon based on those lines.
When it comes to the Rafael Nadal net worth figure, it is approximately $220 million as of February 2023 according to El Mundo. Although Nadal is largely a private person off the court, he has been to earn more than $500 million with ease over the years. This is due to endorsements with brands such as Nike, Babolat, Kia Motors, Santander, Emperio Armani, Tommy Hilfiger and Telefonica, most of whom have supported him since the beginning of his professional career on the ATP Tour.
