2006 Rafael Nadal tennis season
The 2006 Rafael Nadal tennis season started in February as Nadal missed the Australian Open because of a foot injury.[3] Nadal won five singles titles in 2006.
| Full name | Rafael Nadal Parera |
|---|---|
| Country | Spain |
| Calendar prize money | $3,746,360 (Singles $3,732,760, Doubles $13,600)[1][2] |
| Singles | |
| Season record | 59–12 (83.1%) |
| Calendar titles | 5 |
| Year-end ranking | No. 2 |
| Ranking change from previous year | |
| Grand Slam & significant results | |
| Australian Open | DNS |
| French Open | W |
| Wimbledon | F |
| US Open | QF |
| Injuries | |
| Injuries | Knee injury |
← 2005 2007 → | |
Hard court
In February, Nadal lost in the semifinals of the first tournament he played, the Open 13 tournament in Marseille, France. Two weeks later, he handed Roger Federer his first loss of the year in the final of the Dubai Duty Free Men's Open (in 2006, Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray were the only two men who defeated Federer). To complete the spring hard-court season, Nadal was upset in the semifinals of the Pacific Life Open in Indian Wells, California, by James Blake, and was upset in the second round of the 2006 Miami Masters.
Clay season
On European clay, Nadal won all four tournaments he entered and 24 consecutive matches. He defeated Federer in the final of the Masters Series Monte Carlo in four sets. The following week, he defeated Tommy Robredo in the final of the Open Sabadell Atlántico tournament in Barcelona. After a one-week break, Nadal won the Masters Series Internazionali BNL d'Italia in Rome, defeating Federer in a fifth-set tiebreaker in the final, after saving two match points and equaling Björn Borg's tally of 16 ATP titles won as a teenager. Nadal broke Argentinian Guillermo Vilas's 29-year male record of 53 consecutive clay-court match victories by winning his first round match at the French Open. Vilas presented Nadal with a trophy, but commented later that Nadal's feat was less impressive than his own because Nadal's winning streak covered two years and was accomplished by adding easy tournaments to his schedule.[4]
Nadal went on to play Federer in the final of the French Open. The first two sets of the match were hardly competitive, as the rivals traded 6–1 sets. Nadal won the third set easily and served for the match in the fourth set before Federer broke him and forced a tiebreaker. Nadal won the tiebreaker and became the first player to defeat Federer in a Grand Slam tournament final.[5]
Nadal injured his shoulder while playing a quarterfinal match against Lleyton Hewitt at the Artois Championships, played on grass at the Queen's Club in London.[6] Nadal was unable to complete the match, which ended his 26-match winning streak.
Wimbledon
Nadal was seeded second at Wimbledon, but was two points from defeat against American qualifier Robert Kendrick in the second round before coming back to win in five sets. In the third round, Nadal defeated world No. 20 Andre Agassi in straight sets in Agassi's last career match at Wimbledon. Nadal also won his next three matches in straight sets, which set up his first Wimbledon final, which was against Federer, who had won this tournament the three previous years. Nadal was the first Spanish man since Manuel Santana in 1966, to reach the Wimbledon final, but Federer won the match in four sets to win his fourth consecutive Wimbledon title.
US Open Series
During the lead up to the US Open, Nadal played the two Masters Series tournaments in North America. He was upset in the third round of the Rogers Cup in Toronto and the quarterfinals of the Western & Southern Financial Group Masters in Cincinnati. Nadal was seeded second at the US Open, but lost in the quarterfinals to world No. 54 Mikhail Youzhny of Russia in four sets.
Nadal played only three tournaments the remainder of the year. Joachim Johansson, ranked world No. 690, upset Nadal in the second round of the Stockholm Open. The following week, Nadal lost to Tomáš Berdych in the quarterfinals of the year's last Masters Series tournament, the Mutua Madrileña Masters in Madrid. During the round-robin stage of the year-ending Tennis Masters Cup, Nadal lost to James Blake but defeated Nikolay Davydenko and Robredo. Because of those two victories, Nadal qualified for the semifinals, where he lost to Federer. This was Nadal's third loss in nine career matches with Federer.
Singles matches
| Tournament | Match | Round | Opponent | Rank | Result | Score |
| Open 13 Marseille, France ATP World Tour 250 Hard, indoor 13 – 19 February 2006 | 1 / 164 | 1R | Olivier Rochus | 30 | Win | 4–6, 6–2, 7–5 |
| 2 / 165 | 2R | Gilles Simon | 80 | Win | 7–5, 6–4 | |
| 3 / 166 | QF | Paul-Henri Mathieu | 35 | Win | 7–5, 6–4 | |
| 4 / 167 | SF | Arnaud Clement | 65 | Loss | 6–2, 3–6, 5–7 | |
| Dubai Tennis Championships Dubai, U. A. E. ATP World Tour 500 Hard, outdoor 27 February – 5 March 2006 | 5 / 168 | 1R | Paul-Henri Mathieu | 34 | Win | 6–7(5–7), 6–1, 6–2 |
| – | 2R | Younes El Aynaoui | 211 | Win | (W/O) | |
| 6 / 169 | QF | Tim Henman | 49 | Win | 7–6(7–1), 6–1 | |
| 7 / 170 | SF | Rainer Schuttler | 98 | Win | 6–4, 6–2 | |
| 8 / 171 | W | Roger Federer | 1 | Win (1) | 2–6, 6–4, 6–4 | |
| Pacific Life Open Indian Wells, United States ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Hard, outdoor 6 – 19 March 2006 | – | 1R | Bye | |||
| 9 / 172 | 2R | Jan Hernych | 87 | Win | 6–4, 6–4 | |
| 10 / 173 | 3R | Mardy Fish | 294 | Win | 6–1, 6–4 | |
| 11 / 174 | 4R | Sebastien Grosjean | 22 | Win | 6–4, 6–2 | |
| 12 / 175 | QF | Marcos Baghdatis | 27 | Win | 7–5, 6–0 | |
| 13 / 176 | SF | James Blake | 14 | Loss | 5–7, 3–6 | |
| Sony Ericsson Open Miami, United States ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Hard, outdoor 20 March – 2 April 2006 | – | 1R | Bye | |||
| 14 / 177 | 2R | Carlos Moya | 35 | Loss | 6–2, 1–6, 1–6 | |
| Monte Carlo Masters Monte Carlo, Monaco ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Clay, outdoor 15 – 23 April 2006 | 15 / 178 | 1R | Arnaud Clement | 56 | Win | 6–4, 6–4 |
| 16 / 179 | 2R | Jean-Rene Lisnard | 154 | Win | 6–4, 6–1 | |
| 17 / 180 | 3R | Kristof Vliegen | 57 | Win | 6–3, 6–3 | |
| 18 / 181 | QF | Guillermo Coria | 9 | Win | 6–2, 6–1 | |
| 19 / 182 | SF | Gastón Gaudio | 8 | Win | 5–7, 6–1, 6–1 | |
| 20 / 183 | W | Roger Federer | 1 | Win (2) | 6–2, 6–7(2–7), 6–3, 7–6(7–5) | |
| Torneo Godo Barcelona, Spain ATP World Tour 500 Clay, outdoor 24 – 30 April 2006 | – | 1R | Bye | |||
| 21 / 184 | 2R | Feliciano Lopez | 38 | Win | 6–4, 6–2 | |
| 22 / 185 | 3R | Ivan Navarro | 164 | Win | 6–4, 6–2 | |
| 23 / 186 | QF | Jarkko Nieminen | 16 | Win | 4–6, 6–4, 6–3 | |
| 24 / 187 | SF | Nicolas Almagro | 57 | Win | 7–6(7–2), 6–3 | |
| 25 / 188 | W | Tommy Robredo | 15 | Win (3) | 6–4, 6–4, 6–0 | |
| Internazionali BNL d'Italia Rome, Italy ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Clay, outdoor 8 – 14 May 2006 | 28 / 189 | 1R | Carlos Moya | 33 | Win | 6–1, 2–6, 6–2 |
| 27 / 190 | 2R | Filippo Volandri | 46 | Win | 6–1, 6–2 | |
| 28 / 191 | 3R | Tim Henman | 70 | Win | 6–2, 6–2 | |
| 29 / 192 | QF | Fernando Gonzalez | 9 | Win | 6–4, 6–3 | |
| 30 / 193 | SF | Gael Monfils | 35 | Win | 6–2, 6–2 | |
| 31 / 194 | W | Roger Federer | 1 | Win (4) | 6–7(0–7), 7–6(7–5), 6–4, 2–6, 7–6(7–5) | |
| French Open Paris, France Grand Slam Clay, outdoor 29 May – 11 June 2006 | 32 / 195 | 1R | Robin Soderling | 50 | Win | 6–2, 7–5, 6–1 |
| 33 / 196 | 2R | Kevin Kim | 116 | Win | 6–2, 6–1, 6–4 | |
| 34 / 197 | 3R | Paul-Henri Mathieu | 32 | Win | 5–7, 6–4, 6–4, 6–4 | |
| 35 / 198 | 4R | Lleyton Hewitt | 14 | Win | 6–2, 5–7, 6–4, 6–2 | |
| 36 / 199 | QF | Novak Djokovic | 63 | Win | 6–4, 6–4 RET | |
| 37 / 200 | SF | Ivan Ljubicic | 4 | Win | 6–4, 6–2, 7–6(9–7) | |
| 38 / 201 | W | Roger Federer | 1 | Win (5) | 1–6, 6–1, 6–4, 7–6(7–4) | |
| Stella Artois Championships London, United Kingdom ATP World Tour 250 Grass, outdoor 12 – 18 June 2006 | – | 1R | Bye | |||
| 39 / 202 | 2R | Mardy Fish | 86 | Win | 7–6(7–1), 6–1 | |
| 40 / 203 | 3R | Fernando Verdasco | 30 | Win | 2–6, 7–6(7–3), 7–6(7–3) | |
| 41 / 204 | QF | Lleyton Hewitt | 13 | Loss | 6–3, 3–6 RET | |
| The Championships, Wimbledon Wimbledon, United Kingdom Grand Slam Grass, outdoor 26 June – 9 July 2006 | 42 / 205 | 1R | Alex Bogdanovic | 135 | Win | 6–4, 7–6(7–3), 6–4 |
| 43 / 206 | 2R | Robert Kendrick | 237 | Win | 6–7(4–7), 3–6, 7–6(7–2), 7–5, 6–4 | |
| 44 / 207 | 3R | Andre Agassi | 20 | Win | 7–6(7–5), 6–2, 6–4 | |
| 45 / 208 | 4R | Irakli Labadze | 166 | Win | 6–3, 7–6(7–4), 6–3 | |
| 46 / 209 | QF | Jarkko Nieminen | 18 | Win | 6–3, 6–4, 6–4 | |
| 47 / 210 | SF | Marcos Baghdatis | 16 | Win | 6–1, 7–5, 6–3 | |
| 48 / 211 | F | Roger Federer | 1 | Loss (1) | 0–6, 6–7(5–7), 7–6(7–2), 3–6 | |
| Rogers Cup Montreal, Canada ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Hard, outdoor 7 – 13 August 2006 | 49 / 212 | 1R | Nicolás Massú | 38 | Win | 6–3, 6–2 |
| 50 / 213 | 2R | Hyung-Taik Lee | 85 | Win | 6–4, 6–3 | |
| 51 / 214 | 3R | Tomas Berdych | 14 | Loss | 1–6, 6–3, 2–6 | |
| Western & Southern Financial Group Masters Cincinnati, United States ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Hard, outdoor 14 – 20 August 2006 | 52 / 215 | 1R | Sam Querrey | 178 | Win | 6–7(5–7), 6–2, 6–3 |
| 53 / 216 | 2R | Hyung-Taik Lee | 73 | Win | 6–4, 6–3 | |
| 54 / 217 | 3R | Tommy Haas | 17 | Win | 7–6(7–5), 6–3 | |
| 55 / 218 | QF | Juan Carlos Ferrero | 31 | Loss | 6–7(2–7), 6–7(3–7) | |
| US Open New York, USA Grand Slam Hard, outdoor 28 August – 10 September 2006 | 56 / 219 | 1R | Mark Phillipoussis | 113 | Win | 6–4, 6–4, 6–4 |
| 57 / 220 | 2R | Luis Horna | 61 | Win | 6–4, 4–6, 6–4, 6–2 | |
| 58 / 221 | 3R | Wesley Moodie | 82 | Win | 6–4, 7–6(7–4), 7–6(7–5) | |
| 59 / 222 | 4R | Jiri Novak | 179 | Win | 6–1, 7–6(7–3), 6–4 | |
| 60 / 223 | QF | Mikhail Youzhny | 54 | Loss | 3–6, 7–5, 6–7(5–7), 1–6 | |
| Davis Cup, ITA v/s ESP World Group Play Offs Spain Davis Cup Clay, outdoor 18 – 24 September 2006 | 61 / 224 | RR | Andreas Seppi | 69 | Win | 6–0, 6–4, 6–3 |
| 62 / 225 | RR | Filippo Volandri | 38 | Win | 3–6, 7–5, 6–3, 6–3 | |
| If Stockholm Open Stockholm, Sweden ATP World Tour 250 Hard, indoor 9 – 15 October 2006 | 63 / 226 | 1R | Raemon Sluiter | 90 | Win | 6–4, 6–2 |
| 64 / 227 | 2R | Joachim Johansson | 690 | Loss | 4–6, 6–7(4–7) | |
| Mutua Madrileña Masters Madrid Madrid, Spain ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Hard, indoor 16 – 22 October 2006 | – | 1R | Bye | |||
| 65 / 228 | 2R | Mardy Fish | 54 | Win | 6–4, 6–2 | |
| 66 / 229 | 3R | Tommy Haas | 13 | Win | 6–4, 6–3 | |
| 67 / 230 | QF | Tomas Berdych | 11 | Loss | 3–6, 6–7(6–8) | |
| Tennis Masters Cup Shanghai, China Year-end Championships Hard, indoor 13 – 19 November 2006 | 68 / 231 | RR | James Blake | 8 | Loss | 4–6, 6–7(0–7) |
| 69 / 232 | RR | Tommy Robredo | 6 | Win | 7–6(7–2), 6–2 | |
| 70 / 233 | RR | Nikolay Davydenko | 3 | Win | 5–7, 6–4, 6–4 | |
| 71 / 234 | SF | Roger Federer | 1 | Loss | 4–6, 5–7 | |
Year end ranking
Nadal went on to become the first player since Andre Agassi in 1994–95 to finish the year as the world No. 2 in consecutive years.
See also
References
- ^ https://www.atpworldtour.com/players/rafael-nadal/n409/player-activity?year=2006&matchType=singles[bare URL]
- ^ https://www.atpworldtour.com/players/rafael-nadal/n409/player-activity?year=2006&matchType=doubles[bare URL]
- ^ "Champion Safin out of Aussie Open". BBC Sport. 10 January 2006. Retrieved 13 November 2008.
- ^ Garber, Greg (31 May 2006). "With Vilas in stands, Nadal makes history". ESPN Tennis/French06. ESPN. Retrieved 13 November 2008.
- ^ Garber, Greg (12 June 2006). "Roger's reign on hold with Nadal's dominance". ESPN Tennis/French06. ESPN. Retrieved 13 November 2008.
- ^ "Shoulder Forces Nadal To Quit London Match". The New York Times. 17 June 2006. Retrieved 13 November 2008.
External links
- Official website (in Spanish)
- ATP tour profile