Rafael Nadal's 3 biggest comebacks after injury breaks

Rafael Nadal is undoubtedly one of the greatest tennis players of all time, with many considering him to be the GOAT. Through a career that has spanned nearly two decades, the Spaniard has dazzled spectators with his sensational performances on court.

His accomplishments are immense: Nadal has won 91 singles titles so far, including a record 21 Grand Slams. He has won the French Open on 13 occasions, which is a record. The Spaniard has been at the top of the ATP rankings for 209 weeks.

Although Rafael Nadal has suffered a lot of injuries throughout his glittering career, he has never allowed them to stop him from attaining success on the tennis court. The Spaniard has made a number of comebacks from injury setbacks and managed to produce sensational performances.

So without any further ado, let’s take a look at the three biggest comebacks made by Nadal after injury breaks.

#1 2022 Australian Open champion

Rafael Nadal won the Australian Open this year

Nadal suffered a foot injury during last year's Roland Garros where he was eliminated by Novak Djokovic in the semifinals. He was eventually forced to cut his season short despite a short-lived attempt at a comeback in Washington.

He returned to the ATP tour in January and kicked off his season by winning the Melbourne Summer Set without dropping a set. The Spaniard then competed at the Australian Open and reached the final after overcoming Denis Shapovalov and Matteo Berrettini in the quarterfinals and semifinals respectively.

In the title clash, Nadal found himself two sets down against Daniil Medvedev. However, he made a sensational comeback to win the match and lift a record 21st Grand Slam title. The 35-year-old then won the Mexican Open without dropping a single set. In the process, he posted his best-ever start to a season, with his previous best being a 11 match streak in 2014.

Nadal then competed at the Indian Wells Masters and reached the final, where he took on Taylor Fritz. The Spaniard entered the match on a 20-match winning streak, but lost in straight sets.

Unfortunately, Nadal was diagnosed with a rib stress fracture after the tournament and will be sidelined for up to six weeks

#2. 2017

Rafael Nadal won two Grand Slams in 2017

The King of Clay did not have the best season in 2016. He ended his season after the Shanghai Masters due to a wrist injury. As a result, his ranking fell to ninth in the world.

Rafael Nadal returned to action at the 2017 Brisbane International but was eliminated in the quarterfinals. The Spaniard then competed at the Australian Open and reached the final where lost to Roger Federer in five sets.

Nadal lost to the Swiss maestro again when the two met in the final of the Miami Masters. The Spaniard then won three tournaments on the trot in Monte-Carlo, Barcelona and Madrid while losing in the quarterfinals in Rome. He ended the claycourt season by winning his 10 French Open crown. He dropped only 36 games during the tournament.

Due to his performances over the course of the year, the Spaniard regained the No. 1 ranking.

Nadal won his second Major of the year at the US Open, beating Kevin Anderson in the final. He then won the China Open before losing in the final of the Shanghai Masters to Roger Federer.

Injury prevented Nadal from continuing in the ATP Finals after losing his first match to David Goffin.

Rafael Nadal's ended his 2017 season with a 68-12 win-loss record. He won six titles (Monte-Carlo, Barcelona, Madrid, French Open, US Open, Beijing) and lost in three finals (Australian Open, Miami and Shanghai

#3 2010

Rafael Nadal won three successive Grand Slams in 2010

In 2010, Rafael Nadal retired during his Australian Open quarter-final match against Andy Murray due to a knee injury. He was out of action for over a month before returning at the Indian Wells Masters, where he lost in the semifinals.

However, the Spaniard had an impeccable claycourt season during which he won all three Masters titles and the French Open, dropping only two sets across the four tournaments combined. Nadal then won Wimbledon and the US Open as well, becoming the first man to win Grand Slams on three surfaces during a calendar year.

He finished the year as World No. 1 and reached the final of the ATP Finals before losing to Roger Federer. All-in-all, Nadal won 71 out of 81 matches in 2010 and seven titles.