The unstoppable Spaniard, who replaces Roger Federer as world No 1 on Monday, mark his impending rise to the top of the world rankings with his country's first ever Olympic gold medal in tennis.
Roger Federer enjoyed a smooth 6-3, 6-2 win over Robin Vik in the quarterfinal of the Dubai Open.
Rafael Nadal said on Saturday "too many questions" still needed to be answered concerning Novak Djokovic's bid to play at the Australian Open, while other leading players lamented how the saga had overshadowed the year's first Grand Slam.
Rafael Nadal struggled past Japanese teenager Kei Nishikori at the Queen's Club, winning 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 to reach the quarter-finals.
The ATP computer says otherwise but Boris Becker believes Rafael Nadal has already replaced Roger Federer as the world number one.
Watching Spain win Euro 2008 on television has helped Rafael Nadal on his quest to win Wimbledon.
Favourite Rafael Nadal must negotiate a tricky path in his bid for a fifth French Open title following Friday's draw for the claycourt grand slam starting on Sunday.
For all his renowned mental strength it was psychological exhaustion that made Rafael Nadal consider skipping the season-ending ATP World Tour finals this year, the 14-times grand slam champion said on Tuesday.
Nadal avenged his defeat to the 20-year-old Greek at the same stage of the Madrid Open a week ago
Spanish world number one Rafael Nadal will set up a tennis school in India through his foundation, local media reported on Thursday. The Nadal Tennis School (NTS) will take shape in September and be functional by June next year in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh.
The 32-year-old, who was ousted in the fourth round at the All England Club last year, will play ATP NextGen Finals winner Chung Hyeon on Wednesday and Frenchman Lucas Pouille, a Wimbledon quarter-finalist in 2016, on Friday.
Rafael Nadal claimed a fifth title since his return from injury when the Spanish world number five dismissed 15th-seeded Swiss Stanislas Wawrinka 6-2, 6-4 to win the Madrid Open on Sunday.
The world number two will withdrawal from the tournament if the tendinitis in his knees does not improve.
Roger Federer, who beat Nadal to claim the ATP World Tour Finals for the fifth time with a show of force, described Rafael Nadal's season as one any player "could only dream of".
An almost deathly hush descended as Serbian Novak Djokovic administered the last rites on Rafael Nadal's reign of dominance at the French Open.
World number one Rafael Nadal overcame stubborn early resistance from defending champion Novak Djokovic to claim a record fourth Rome Masters title with a 7-6, 6-2 win on Sunday. The result also meant Djokovic would surrender the number three spot in the world rankings to Andy Murray on May 11 even though the 21-year-old Scot lost his opening match in Rome to Argentine qualifier Juan Monaco.
Eight-times champion Rafael Nadal was taken to the brink by Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov before completing a 6-2, 2-6, 6-4 victory on Friday to reach the Monte Carlo Masters semi-finals. He will meet Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who beat Swiss Stanislas Wawrinka.
World number one Rafael Nadal laboured into the third round of the Monte Carlo Masters while Roger Federer had a smooth start to his campaign on Wednesday.
Rafael Nadal swept aside Colombian qualifier Santiago Giraldo 6-3, 6-3 in the second round in Indian Wells.
Rafael Nadal is hungrier than Roger Federer and is likely to overhaul his Swiss rival's grand slam title tally to become the most decorated player ever, according to former world number one Mats Wilander.
Rafael Nadal will bid for a third consecutive title on Sunday when he faces 35-year-old Andre Agassi
Andre Agassi knocked off Nicolas Kiefer 6-4, 6-2 while Rafael Nadal beat Sebastien Grosjean 6-4, 6-4.
Rafael Nadal and Ana Ivanovic, both ranked world number one, were named on Tuesday as the top seeds for the US Open which begins at Flushing Meadows on Monday. It is the first time that Spaniard Nadal, who replaced Roger Federer at the top of the men's rankings on Monday, has been the top seed at a Grand Slam tournament.
Roger Federer sent a timely reminder to Rafael Nadal on Sunday, out-gunning the World No 1 to win the ATP World Tour Finals with an irresistible display of attacking tennis.
World No.1 Rafael Nadal will begin his Wimbledon campaign against Slovakian Martin Klizan on Centre Court on Tuesday hoping to ease the painful memories of his past two years in southwest London.
Gaudio has beaten Nadal three times out of four but the Spaniard won their most recent match in Monte Carlo this year.
It was an unusual tennis experience as Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal kicked off the 2011 ATP World Tour season in Doha by hitting tennis balls on a court laid in the water of Doha Bay ahead of the Qatar Open.
Rafael Nadal guaranteed he would top the world rankings with a 7-6, 6-1 victory over Ecuador's Nicolas Lapentti in the quarter-finals of the Cincinnati Masters.
Ruthless Nadal fires Spain World number one Rafael Nadal wasted little time steering Spain into the Davis Cup quarter-finals with a crushing win over Serbia's Novak Djokovic on Sunday. After a 4-1 victory condensed into two days because of weather problems in Benidorm, Spain will take on former champions Germany in the quarter-finals.
Rafael Nadal will not be protected with a higher seeding at the French Open, tournament director Gilbert Ysern said on Saturday.
The French Open champion will clash with fellow Spaniard Juan Carlos Ferrero in the quarterfinal of the Swedish Open
World No 2 Rafael Nadal thrashed top seed Novak Djokovic 6-3, 6-1 in the Monte Carlo Masters final to win the clay court title for an eighth consecutive time.
Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer stayed on track for a mouth-watering showdown in the BNP Paribas Open quarter-finals after they both advanced to the last 16 on Monday.
Rafael Nadal advanced to the final of the Mexican Open early on Saturday morning, beating fellow Spaniard Nicolas Almagro 7-5 6-4 in a clay-court slugfest.
Spain's talisman Rafael Nadal sealed a sixth Davis Cup title for his country on Sunday when they beat Canada 2-0 in the final of the revamped event.
Two fellow Spaniards who have already beaten him on his favourite clay surface could lie in wait for favourite and defending champion Rafael Nadal at the French Open.
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