Rafael Nadal in best of five set matches on clay

Following Rafael Nadal‘s 11th French Open win, it’s worth looking at just how amazing his best-of-five set record on clay is. He now has a 111-2 win-loss record, with his only two losses against Söderling and Djokovic.

Win-loss breakdown by tournament (Masters tournament finals changed to best of 3 sets from 2007):

• French Open: 86-2
• Davis Cup: 18-0
• Barcelona Open: 2-0
• Monte Carlo Masters: 2-0
• Rome Masters: 2-0
• Stuttgart: 1-0

Win-loss breakdown by number of sets (overall he has won 331 and lost 36 completed sets so even winning a set against him is a big deal!):

• 5 sets: 4-0 (Coria, Federer, Isner, Djokovic – 5th set scores 7-6 (6), 7-6 (5), 6-4, 9-7 respectively)
• 4 sets: 22-1 (loss to Söderling)
• 3 sets: 83-1

Most common opponents (2 or more matches):

• Djokovic: 7-1 (lost 7 sets)
• Federer: 7-0 (lost 7 sets)
• Ferrer: 4-0 (lost 1 set)
• Almagro: 4-0
• Hewitt: 4-0 (lost 1 set)
• Söderling: 3-1 (lost 3 sets)
• Thiem: 3-0
• del Potro: 3-0 (lost 1 set)
• Gasquet: 3-0
• Seppi: 2-0 (lost 1 set)
• Murray: 2-0
• Roddick: 2-0 (lost 1 set)
• Coria: 2-0 (lost 3 sets)
• Ljubicic: 2-0
• Monaco: 2-0
• Bolelli: 2-0
• Wawrinka: 2-0 (same score of 6-2 6-3 6-1 both times)
• Bellucci: 2-0

Breakdown by set score (almost the same likelihood of winning a set 6-2, 6-3 or 6-4):

• 6-0: 26
• 6-1: 61
• 6-2: 68
• 6-3: 66
• 6-4: 67
• 7-5: 18
• 7-6: 24
• 9-7: 1
• 6-7: 9
• 5-7: 6
• 4-6: 8
• 3-6: 6
• 2-6: 3 (Federer in 2006 Rome, Söderling in 2009 French Open, Djokovic in 2012 French Open)
• 1-6: 3 (Federer in 2006 French Open, del Potro in 2011 Davis Cup, Djokovic in 2015 French Open)
• 0-6: 1 (Coria in 2005 Monte Carlo Masters)

(only one incomplete set 2-0 after which Pablo Carreno Busta retired)

References

(1) Tennis Abstract: Rafael Nadal ATP Match Results, Splits, and Analysis

(2) Ultimate Tennis Statistics – Rafael Nadal