Rafael Nadal was never a dominant force at Wimbledon, instead enjoying legendary status at the French Open.
Nadal clinched a record 14 French Open titles during his stunning career, more than twice as many as any other man.
At Wimbledon, his ATP rival Roger Federer was the dominant figure, with his eight titles followed by the seven of Novak Djokovic and Pete Sampras.
Nadal did manage to lift the iconic trophy at the All England Club twice, but such success was paired with a nightmare run in London.
Would Rafael Nadal be the undisputed GOAT if not for injuries?
When Rafael Nadal’s Wimbledon nightmare repeated from 2013-2015
Nadal won Wimbledon in 2008 and 2010, as well as reaching the final in 2011, but suffered a nightmare run in the three years that followed.
From 2013 to 2015, the legend not only failed to make it beyond the fourth round, but also lost to a player ranked outside the ATP Top 100 each time.
He fell to world number 135 Steve Darcis in round one in 2013, which remarkably represented the first time Nadal lost in the first round of a major.
That was followed by a fourth round loss to world number 144 Nick Kyrgios, who reached the quarterfinals on his Wimbledon debut.
And the nightmare continued in 2015 when the Spaniard lost his second round meeting with world number 102 Dustin Brown.
- 2013: L vs Steve Darcis (No. 135)
- 2014: L vs Nick Kyrgios (No. 144)
- 2015: L vs Dustin Brown (No. 102)
In fact, the horrendous run started in 2012, when he also suffered a second round defeat to Lukas Rosol, who was ranked exactly 100th on the ATP Tour at the time.
After that constant disappointment, Nadal went only as far as the Wimbledon semifinals, doing so on three occasions.
Rafael Nadal was in his prime during disastrous Wimbledon run
While Nadal wasn’t a Wimbledon specialist, he was undoubtedly very much in his prime during that disastrous run.
Across the same three-year spell, he clinched three Grand Slam titles, winning the French Open twice and the US Open once.
Who is the greatest male tennis player of all time?
There was also an Australian Open final appearance, but Nadal lost out to fellow icon Stan Wawrinka in Melbourne.
Of course, the Spaniard will be more fondly remembered for his efforts on the clay courts of Roland Garros, with his phenomenal record there very unlikely to be surpassed.
Receive exclusive tennis news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
