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Rafael Nadal's career took off rather quickly as he wasted no time in rising to the top of the game just as a teenager. He won his maiden ATP title at the age of 18, but managed to topple several top-ranked players even before he was able to vote.
Nadal scored his first win over a top-10 player at the 2003 Monte-Carlo Masters at just 16 years of age. Albert Costa, then ranked No. 7 and the reigning French Open champion, was his first notable scalp.
The Spaniard would go on to outfox his more illustrious opponents plenty of times as a teenager. So here's a look at five Major champions who were beaten by Nadal when he was just a teen:
#5 Carlos Moya
Moya has been Nadal's coach since 2016 but the two had an on-court rivalry long before that. 2003 marked the 22-time Major champion's second year on the ATP tour and his first full season.
Nadal came through the qualifying rounds of the Hamburg Masters and defeated Paul Henri Mathieu to reach the second round. He then faced Moya, who was ranked No. 2 and had won the French Open back in 1998.
Nadal, still 16 years of age, handed his older compatriot a 7-5, 6-4 defeat but lost to Gaston Gaudio in the next round. Moya would avenge the loss a few months later in the semifinals of the Croatia Open.
The rivalry eventually tilted in Nadal's favor over the years and concluded with a 6-2 advantage in his favor. Their last meeting also took place in Hamburg, with the younger Spaniard winning their quarterfinal duel in straight sets in 2008.
#4 Roger Federer
When Federer and Nadal first crossed paths at the 2004 Miami Open, the world at large had no idea that this rivalry would define the sport of tennis. The Swiss ace had just captured his second Major title at the Australian Open and ascended to the top of the rankings for the first time.
Nadal, still 17 years old, had cracked the top-40 a few weeks prior to their encounter in Miami. They faced off in the third round and the Spaniard scored a routine 6-3, 6-3 win. It was his first win over a No. 1 ranked player and third over a Grand Slam champion.
Fans waited for over a year for their next showdown, which also took place in Miami. They battled it out in the final, and Federer overcame a two-set deficit to win the title. The two enthralled the world with their rivalry for close to two decades, with Nadal leading it 24-16 at the end.
#3 Andy Roddick
Following his triumph over Federer at the 2004 Miami Open, Nadal lost all of his matches against noteworthy opposition. It wasn't until the very end of the season that the Spaniard would score a win over a high-profile player.
Spain and USA faced off in the Davis Cup final in the first week of December in Seville, Spain. Moya put them in the front with a straight sets victory over Mardy Fish.
An 18-year-old Nadal took on Roddick for the second singles tie. The latter had defeated the former in the second round of the US Open a few months ago as the defending champion.
Roddick nabbed a closely contested first set of their Davis Cup duel. However, Nadal stormed back to win the match in four sets, and registered his fourth win over a top-10 player and another against a Major champion.
The two battled it out over the next few years, with their last match taking place at the 2011 US Open. Nadal won that match to finalize the head-to-head 7-3 in his favor.
#2 Juan Carlos Ferrero
A career-best season in 2003 saw Ferrero claim his maiden Major crown at the French Open and conclude the year ranked No. 3. He couldn't replicate the same level of success the following year but showed signs of improvement in 2005.
As for Nadal, 2005 proved to be a breakout season for him as he went on a tear, especially on clay, right from the start. He captured his second and third career titles in February and finished as the runner-up in Miami.
Nadal then headed to Valencia for his next tournament where he easily bested Ferrero for the loss of just three games. The two squared off a few weeks later in the final of the Barcelona Open, with the 18-year-old coming out on top to win 6-1, 7-6 (3), 6-3.
With the win, Nadal broke into the top-10 of the rankings for the first time. While Ferrero did get a couple of wins over his countryman over the next few years, he ultimately trailed 7-2 in the rivalry upon his retirement.
#1 Andre Agassi
Nadal continued to dominate the tour in 2005 and won eight titles in the first half of the season. The Spaniard even claimed his maiden Grand Slam title at the French Open just two days after his 19th birthday.
As the top seed at the Canadian Open, Nadal reached the final where he faced another legend of the sport, Agassi. While the American won his eighth and final Major title at the 2003 Australian Open, he was still a forced to be reckoned with.
The two fought hard for the title but it was Nadal who triumped in the end as he defeated Agassi 6-3, 4-6, 6-2. It marked another memorable win for the young Spaniard as he continued his breakout run.
It was also Nadal's very first title on hardcourt and his ninth trophy of the season. He would conclude the season with 11 titles and ranked in second place behind Federer. Agassi and him would meet again just one more time, with their next match being a straight sets win for the latter at the 2006 Wimbledon Championships.
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