Rafael Nadal at the Canadian Open over the years: When the Spaniard defeated Andre Agassi to claim his 1st title in Montreal in 2005

Rafael Nadal announced himself in the tennis scene by securing his first ever Grand Slam title at the 2005 French Open in Paris. It was the beginning of a miraculous run for the Spaniard, who has added 21 Major titles to his glittering career since.

The former World No. 1 has also won 36 ATP Masters 1000 titles and holds the highest career win ratio (minimum 500 wins) at 83.4 per cent with 1063 victories from 1275 matches.

ATP Masters Series Paris - Day Five

Background

Nadal was unseeded at the Australian Open in 2005 and was making his second appearance in Melbourne. He reached the fourth round of the hardcourt major for the first time in his career. Lleyton Hewitt ended his run in an epic five-set encounter.

The Spaniard had an outstanding rest of the season, winning maiden titles at all the events he won (11). He triumphed at the Brazil Open, Mexico Open, Monte-Carlo Masters, Barcelona Open, Rome Masters, French Open, Swedish Open, Stuttgart Open, China Open, Madrid Masters and the Canadian Open.

At the 2005 Canadian Open, defending champion Roger Federer chose to take an extended break after his triumph at the Wimbledon Championships. His withdrawal meant the Mallorcan would enter the ATP Masters 1000 event as the top seed.

The Spaniard entered Montreal on the back of a title-winning campaign at the Stuttgart Open, outclassing former World No. 5 Gaston Gaudio in straight sets 6-3, 6-4, 6-4.

Nadal cruises into the semifinals

After a first-round exit at the 2004 Canadian Masters, Nadal entered the tournament a much more polished player this time around.

The then 19-year-old squared off against former World No. 1 Carlos Moya in the first round and got the better of him in a thrilling three-set encounter 6-3, 6-7(0), 6-3. He followed that up with a 6-1, 6-2 triumph over Brazilian Ricardo Mello, before seeing off Sebastien Grosjean 6-4, 6-4 in the third round.

The World No. 2 then met his eighth-seeded opponent in the quarterfinals, Mariano Puerta. He continued his rich vein of form against the Argentine and dispatched him in straight sets 6-3, 6-1 to reach his 10th semifinal in 2005.

Semifinal: Rafael Nadal defeats Paul Henri Mathieu 6-4, 7-5

Having lost just one set en route to the last four, the Spaniard's chances looked good as he locked horns with Paul Henri Mathieu for a place in the final. Nadal had already beaten the Frenchman in the 2003 Hamburg Open.

Mathieu put up a dedicated performance but the in-form teenager prevailed yet again in their semifinal bout. The top seed wrapped up the match in an hour and fifty minutes 6-4, 7-5 to set up a mouthwatering encounter against eight-time Grand Slam Champion Andre Agassi in the finals.

Final: Rafael Nadal defeats Andre Agassi 6-3, 4-6, 6-2

A day later, Rafael Nadal and fourth seed Andre Agassi squared off for the title at the Canadian Masters. The duo had never faced each other before and fans were expecting an enthralling final in Montreal.

The Spaniard started the match all guns blazing and got an early break of serve, which was enough to see him through to the opening set 6-3. Agassi showed his vast experience and class in the second set by working Nadal's serve up to 15-30 in the penultimate game and pulling off an outstanding counterpunch off his forehand side, which created two break point opportunities.

Despite a weak return of serve, Agassi forced the error out of the 19-year-old and leveled the match after 70 minutes of high-quality tennis.

However, the World No. 3 held his nerve and outlasted a gassed-out Agassi in the decider to claim his first title at the Canadian Masters 6-3, 4-6, 6-2.