Rafael Nadal’s Barcelona win: 5 stats and records that you should know

Rafael Nadal’s ninth win at the Barcelona Open on Sunday was a monumental feat. It not only signalled his resurgence but it also helped the 14-time Grand Slam champion notch up some significant records that further underline his dominance on clay.

Here are five of those important records or stats that you should know:

1. Ties with Guillermo Vilas’ Open Era record

In 2015, when Nadal reached the Argentina Open final in February, everyone was eagerly waiting for him to equal Argentine legend Guillermo Vilas’s Open Era record of 46 titles on the dirt. But hours before the final, the ATP amended the former four-time Grand Slam champion’s record and added three more clay titles to make it 49.

This was because three of Vilas’ titles that were originally believed to have been won on hardcourts, were actually on clay and it took the ATP that long to rectify it.

Nadal needed just 14 more months to match that feat at Barcelona and be the joint owner of the impressive record. With the major part of the European clay season still left in 2016, Rafa will look to break away from the tie this year itself.

2. Best percentage of wins on clay in the Open Era

He may be jostling for space with Vilas in the number of titles list but he is way ahead of the former World No. 2 in the overall percentage of wins on the gritty surface, thus totally justifying the moniker, ‘King of Clay.’

With a 358-32 win-loss record on clay, Rafa has ratcheted up a stunning 91.8 % wins that is much above the Argentine’s 80.3 % (659-162 win-loss record). 11-time Grand Slam titlist Bjorn Borg is the closest to the Spaniard at 86%.

3. Most titles at a single tournament in the Open Era

Rafa is not just the first man to win a single tournament in the Open Era nine times, but he has incredibly done so at three tournaments now. The biggest of them all is of course his staggering record at Roland Garros that saw him win from 2005-2008 and 2010-2014.

He followed that up by conquering the picturesque Monte Carlo Masters for the ninth time just a little over a week back. And this Sunday, he did that once more at the Barcelona Open, making himself the first man to win 9 titles at a Slam, a Masters and now at a 500 tournament.

4. Most number of outdoor titles

Rafa’s Barcelona win has catapulted him to the top position in the Outdoor Title Leaders list. This is his 67th title won outdoors that helped him to narrowly edge past the 17-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer’s haul of 66.

The Spaniard won his maiden outdoor title at Sopot on the red dirt in 2004 at the age of 18. Since then, he added 66 more over 12 years. Rafa’s outdoors prowess is all the more evident from the fact that out of his 69 career titles, he won just two indoors.

The distribution of those outdoor titles is: 48 on clay, 15 on hard courts and four on grass.

5. Only man to win an ATP 500 event for 12 consecutive years

He might have faltered a lot last year but he still managed to win an ATP 500 tournament at Hamburg. And with his latest victory at Barcelona, he has now won a title at this level for 12 consecutive years, making himself the only man ever to do so. He has 17 titles to his name in the ATP 500 category, the very first of which came at Acapulco on clay in 2005. He went on to add 15 more on the same surface.

His first 500 win on hardcourts was at Dubai in 2006 where he beat Federer in three sets for the title. The other such win on hardcourts came four years later at the 2010 Japan Open.