Rafael Nadal enjoyed a legendary tennis career, carving out a one-of-a-kind legacy on the ATP Tour.
Few tennis stars have won more in the sport than Nadal, ending his career as a 22-time Major champion.
Nadal retired in 2024, following the conclusion of the Davis Cup, a tournament that he won five times as a professional.
During his time on the ATP Tour, the Spaniard became one of the most liked and respected players around, winning the Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship Award five times.
However, that’s not to say that he didn’t encounter a few issues during his 21 years in the sport, as he once found himself engaged in a war of words, back in 2006.
Rafael Nadal called Tomas Berdych a ‘bad person’ after controversial 2006 Madrid Masters match
Nadal entered the 2006 Madrid Masters tournament as the defending champion, and looked a hot-favorite to defend the title in his native Spain.
He reached the quarter-finals without too much trouble, advancing against Mardy Fish, and Tommy Haas, without dropping a set.
It was there that he would face off against Czechia’s Tomas Berdych, who had won his maiden Masters 1000 title in Paris, one year earlier.
The 11th seed led the head-to-head with Nadal going into the match, having secured wins in Cincinnati and Canada, after losing their opener in the 2005 Bastad final.
Berdych carried that momentum into their fourth meeting, as he stormed into a one-set lead, 6-3.
However, as fans began to cheer Berdych’s mistakes in the second set, the match turned sour, as the Czech star became visibly annoyed.
The crowd fired up both players, as the tennis continued to excite, with Nadal pushing Berdych to a tiebreaker.
As Berdych clinched victory, 6-3, 7-6 (8-6), he put his fingers to his lips, telling the Madrid crowd to be quiet.
Nadal, defending his fellow Spaniards, confronted Berdych at the net, making his feelings clear.
“You are a bad person,” he said.
Speaking after the match, Berdych gave his verdict on the Spanish crowd.
“I can understand they want him to win the match and the tournament, but this is not a Davis Cup where you can expect this,” he said.
Berdych then prepared for his semi-final match with Chile’s Fernando Gonzalez, who entered the event as the tenth seed.
Having conquered Nadal, he failed in his quest to beat Gonzalez, as he lost in straight sets, 3-6, 1-6.
His Madrid Masters campaign had come to a close, but his rivalry with Nadal had only just begun.
Rafael Nadal beat Tomas Berdych 18 times in a row after their controversial 2006 encounter
The young Spaniard trailed Berdych 1-3, in their head-to-head after losing in the 2006 Madrid Masters quarter-finals but was determined to turn things around.
He did just that, coming out on top in their next 18 meetings, as he enjoyed a spell of true dominance over Berdych.
The most notable of those 18 meetings came at Wimbledon in 2010, as Berdych took on Nadal in his first-ever appearance in a Grand Slam final.
Berdych had remarkably knocked out Roger Federer, and Novak Djokovic in back-to-back matches to reach the final, as he came face to face with the Spaniard on Centre Court.
The final proved to be one step too far for Berdych, as he couldn’t quite keep up with Nadal.
Having taken the first set 6-3, Nadal powered on to take home his second Wimbledon crown, with a straight sets win.
Berdych never returned to a Grand Slam final, but did pick up one more win against Nadal, five years later.
Having lost 18 straight matches, not many gave Berdych a chance when the pair faced off in the 2015 Australian Open quarter-finals.
However, in a remarkable turn of events, the Czech star rediscovered his form from Madrid nine years earlier, as he breezed past the Spaniard in straight sets.
Trailing 6-2, 6-0, the crowd on Rod Laver Arena was stunned, as Nadal looked set to suffer an embarrassing defeat at the hands of Berdych.
A competitive third set followed, but Berdych pulled through, taking his place in the Melbourne semi-finals for the second year running.
Berdych was unable to advance to the final, losing to Andy Murray in four sets, before coming up short in his final two matches with Nadal.
The Czech legend retired with a 4-20 record against Nadal and was perhaps left wondering if things may have been different, had he not riled the Spaniard up in Madrid all those years ago.
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