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players Rafael Nadal has never been able to beat

6 Players Rafael Nadal has never defeated

Rafael Nadal comprises one-third of men's tennis' Big 3 trifecta of Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Nadal himself.

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The Spaniard holds a plethora of records unrivaled by any other player in the Open Era. Possessing the best winning percentage (83.3) of any player to have played over 500 singles matches, Nadal's 14 French Open titles, a triple 'La Decima' of titles at three different tournaments (French Open, Monte Carlo, Barcelona), most Masters 1000 titles (36), and most claycourt titles (63) are some of his most prominent achievements.

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Nadal's 1068 singles match wins are only bettered by Jimmy Connors (1274) and Roger Federer (1251) in the all-time list, while the Spaniard's 92 singles titles are dwarfed by Connors (109), Federer (103), Ivan Lendl (94) and Novak Djokovic (93). The Spaniard's 22 Grand Slam titles is the joint-most in the history of men's tennis alongside Djokovic.

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Amongst the numerous players to have faced Nadal, Djokovic (30 wins) leads a group of only 9 players to have a winning head-to-head record against the Spaniard. The group gets more rarefied if only players with a perfect record against the Spaniard were to be considered.

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Let's meet this elite ensemble.

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#1 Paradorn Srichaphan (Thailand)

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Paradorn Srichaphan of Thailand plays a forehand
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The first Asian player to break into the world's top 10, Paradorn Srichaphan handed Grand Slam debutant Nadal a straight-sets defeat in the third round at Wimbledon 2003.

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It would be Nadal's only straight-sets reverse at the grasscourt Major.

#2 Olivier Mutis (France)

2004 French Open Tennis - Day Seven
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Olivier Mutis won his lone match against Nadal on clay in the second round at 2004 Palermo, overcoming the Spaniard in straight sets.

It marked only the fourth time Nadal had lost to a player ranked outside the top 100 of the ATP singles rankings.

#3 Joachim Johansson (Sweden)

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The tall Swede won his lone match against Nadal at his hometown tournament of Stockholm. He beat the Spaniard in straight sets in the second round of the 2006 edition of the tournament.

The loss against the then 690-ranked Johansson marked Nadal's lone defeat to a player ranked outside the top 200 of the ATP single's rankings.

#4 Chris Guccione (Australia)

2016 French Open - Day Four
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Chris Guccione met Nadal for the first and only time in the opening round at Sydney 2007. The Australian left-hander emerged victorious after his fellow southpaw retired down 5-6 in the first set.

#5 Alex Corretja (Spain)

Alex Corretja
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One of only two players to have played Nadal multiple times without enduring a defeat, Alex Corretja beat his younger compatriot on clay in the opening round at Barcelona 2003.

Corretja's second meeting with Nadal was on the hardcourts of the Madrid Masters that same season, where the 19-time Grand Slam champion went down in three sets to his elder countryman.

#6 Dustin Brown (Germany)

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Dustin Brown is the only other player, apart from Alex Corretja, to have played Nadal multiple times and emerged victorious on each occasion.

The German journeyman won both of his meetings against the left-handed Spaniard on grass. He dropped a total of one set during victories in the opening round at Halle in 2014 and in the second round at Wimbledon 2015.

Brown is one of only four players - Roger Federer, Gilles Muller and Novak Djokovic being the others - to have beaten Nadal multiple times on grass.

What is the foot injury that has troubled Rafael Nadal over the years? Check here

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Edited by
Musab Abid
 
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