5 Rafael Nadal records that may never be broken

Rafael Nadal simply refuses to slow down even after having altered the tennis record books several times over. Some of the Spaniard's feats look set to remain unsurpassed for many years to come.

Ever since making the headlines as a supremely talented teenager in 2005, Nadal has made a habit of setting new benchmarks that have continued unabated.

The astounding numbers convey the kind of impact the Spaniard has had on the sport, the imprints of which are sure to last for a long time to come.

Let's take a look at five records set by Rafael Nadal that will take some beating:

#5 Rafael Nadal has the longest ever single-surface win streak in the Open era

It was a winning streak that began at age 18 for the Spaniard, who got past Gael Monfils in the first round of the Monte-Carlo Masters in 2005.

A big win against the 2003 French Open champion and compatriot Juan Carlos Ferrero followed at Barcelona as Nadal extended his juggernaut of wins.

Victory over Roger Federer in the semifinals of the French Open put Rafael Nadal within striking distance of Grand Slam glory and the teenager duly obliged, defeating Mariano Puerta of Argentina in the final.

More success followed for the Spaniard as he went on to win the Stuttgart Open after having lifted the trophy at Bastad.

Nadal continued his winning ways for the Spanish Davis Cup team and his phenomenal run on clay continued into the 2006 Rome Masters after he bagged yet another title at Barcelona.

The rivalry against Federer gained momentum and it was the Spaniard who prevailed in the final of the 2006 French Open.

After a hat-trick of title wins at Monte-Carlo and Barcelona, Nadal survived a determined challenge from Nikolay Davydenko to win 7-6(3) 6-7(8) 6-4 en route to a third title in Rome as well.

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The dream run eventually came to an end as Federer finally got the better of Nadal in the final of the 2007 Hamburg Open.

For the record, Nadal won 81 straight matches on clay between 2005-07.

#4 4 Grand Slam titles without dropping a set - French Open (2008, 2010, 2017, 2020)

Rafael Nadal's absolute dominance at Roland Garros is strikingly evident when considering the fact that the Mallorcan has bagged the title without dropping a set on four occasions.

This phenomenal feat included straight-sets victories over Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer in the semifinals and finals respectively of the 2008 edition.

Outrageous scorelines highlighted the glaringly one-sided contests that were played out in the latter stages of the 2017 edition. Nadal handed out a bagel to Dominic Thiem in the third and final set, prevailing 6-3, 6-4, 6-0 while Stan Wawrinka too was unable to weather the storm for long, going down 6-2, 6-3, 6-1.

Even more staggering was the manner in which Rafael Nadal handed out a first-set bagel to a player who is considered one of the greatest of all time. Spectators looked on in disbelief as the Spaniard defeated Novak Djokovic in the 2020 final with a staggering scoreline that read 6-0, 6-2, 7-5.

While it is a fact that young Emma Raducanu achieved the impossible by winning the 2021 US Open without dropping a set, doing so four times over a 12-year span doesn't seem to be a record that is under threat, at least in the foreseeable future.

#3 Youngest to complete a career Grand Slam

Nadal beat Novak Djokovic on September 14, 2010 to win the US Open title for the first time.

The 'King of Clay' proved that he had what it took to win on all surfaces after a resounding win at Wimbledon in 2008 which was followed by victory at the Australian Open a year later.

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After losing to Federer in the 2007 Wimbledon finals, the Spaniard overcame the Swiss maestro in a marathon title clash in 2008 before repeating the feat once again in the final of the 2009 Australian Open.

Nadal defeated Djokovic in four sets in the 2010 US Open final to become the youngest man to win a career Grand Slam at the age of 24 years and 101 days.

#2 14 French Open titles from 14 finals

Djokovic has won nine Australian Open titles while Federer has won eight Wimbledon titles. But Rafael Nadal holds the record for the maximum number of titles at a single Grand Slam, having won the French Open a whopping 14 times.

The Spaniard first won the title at Roland Garros in 2005 before going on to win four on the trot, defeating Federer in three successive finals from 2006 to 2008.

After missing out in 2009, Nadal reigned supreme at the French Open five successive times from 2010 to 2014, followed by a four-in-a-row run from 2017 to 2020.

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Not even a debilitating foot injury could prevent Nadal from clinching his 14th title in Paris earlier this year, a record highly unlikely to ever be challenged let alone overcome.

#1 Winning 16 titles before turning 20

Rafael Nadal was one of the most talked-about players during the 2022 Monte-Carlo Masters despite not participating in the tournament.

The Spaniard won the Masters 1000 title for the first time as an 18-year-old in 2005 after getting past Guillermo Coria in the final. The youngster went on to add a Madrid Open crown to his list of titles after rallying to beat Ivan Ljubicic before ending the year as World No. 2.

Nadal took home the Rome Masters in 2006 after digging deep to outlast Roger Federer, who was then a seven-time Grand Slam champion.

In all, Rafael Nadal won 16 titles before turning 20, including a Grand Slam at Roland Garros and six Masters titles.