Rafael Nadal, known as the "King of Clay," holds the honour of winning 21 Grand Slam titles. However, throughout a career spanning more than two decades, the Spaniard's performance on the hard court paled in comparison to that on the clay and grass courts. He might not be one of the greatest hard court players of all time but he has won 25 hard court titles to date, the most recent being the Mexican Open. Therefore, without further ado, let's dive into a detailed review of Rafael Nadal's 25 hard court titles.

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#13. Melbourne (Outdoor/ Hard)

Rafael Nadal warms up for the Australian Open by winning the title at Melbourne Summer Set | Sportzpoint.com — Source: Sky Sports

Rafael Nadal won the Melbourne Summer Set title in straight sets over American qualifier Maxime Cressy to warm up for the Australian Open 2022. The 35-year-old Spaniard triumphed 7-6 (6) 6-3 in his first competition since August 2021.

#12. Beijing Olympics (Outdoor/ Hard)

Rafael Nadal rounds off Beijing Olympics with gold medal | Sportzpoint.com — Source: SportsLumo

The Spaniard won the men's singles gold medal in the Beijing Olympics. Nadal defeated Fernando Gonzalez of Chile 6-3, 7-6 (2), 6-3, overcoming two set points in the second set and preserving every service game. The gold medal was the first-ever for Spain in Olympic tennis.

#11. Doha (Outdoor/ Hard)

Rafael Nadal wins Doha 2014 | Sportzpoint.com — Source: Rafael Nadal Fans

Rafael Nadal began his 2014 season with a three-set win over Gael Monfils at the Qatar Open in Doha. He won his 61st career title with a 6-1 6-7(5) 6-2 victory over Monfils, setting an ominous tone for the year's opening grand slam.

Read more: Mexican Open 2022: Nadal wins another battle against Medvedev

#10. ATP Masters 1000 Cincinati (Outdoor/ Hard)

Rafael Nadal wins the Cincinnati tournament | Sportzpoint.com — Source: Sky Sports

Rafael Nadal earned his ninth title of the year 2013 with a victory over John Isner in the final in Cincinnati. He prevailed in two tie-breaks, 7-6 (10/8) 7-6 (7/3), to win the Cincinnati Masters 1000 series tournament for the first time in his career.

#9. Tokyo (Outdoor/ Hard)

Nadal wins Japan Open | Sportzpoint.com — Source: ABC

Rafael Nadal, the former world number one, won the Japan Open tennis tournament in 2010. He defeated Gael Monfils in straight sets( 6-1, 7-5) for his eighth championship of the season.

#8. Dubai (Outdoor/Hard)

Dubai Open | Sportzpoint.com — Source: Sportskeeda

2004 was a pivotal year for both Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, ushering in one of the sport's most storied rivalries, which continues to this day. Moreover, the next two years were filled with thrilling matches between them, one of them being the finals of Dubai Open 2006. Nadal defeated his great rival and the defending champion 2-6, 6-4, 6-4 in an hour and 53 minutes. Thus, he not only claimed his 13th ATP title and the fourth consecutive on hard courts but he also ended Roger Federer's unmatched streak in Dubai.

Read more: Laver Cup 2022: Both Federer and Nadal agrees to team up for the next edition

#7. ATP Masters 1000 Madrid (Indoor/Hard)

Madrid Open | Sportzpoint.com — Source: Tennis World USA

13 years ago, Rafael Nadal, at 19 years old, claimed his fourth Masters 1000 title and 11th overall in a spectacular season that catapulted him to the second position in the rankings. Also, it cemented his status as one of the greatest youngsters of all time! With eight ATP victories on clay, including two Masters 1000 titles and a Grand Slam victory at Roland Garros, the Spaniard established himself as a major power. However, after enjoying a massively successful season in 2005, he didn't forget to end it on a good note. The Spaniard added a brilliant finishing touch to his season by defeating Ivan Ljubicic (3-6, 2-6, 6-3, 6-4, 7-6) in ATP Masters 1000 Madrid.

#6. Australian Open (Outdoor/Hard)

Australian Open 2022 | Rafael Nadal vs Daniil Medvedev | Sportzpoint.com — Source: The Indian Express

This prestigious open gifted Rafa with the honour of being the first man ever to fetch 21 Grand Slam titles. It also omitted his tag of 'Not an all-rounder'. It all started when the Spaniard defeated Roger Federer in the final of the 2009 Australian Open (7–5, 3–6, 7–6, 3–6, 6–2), winning the men's singles title. However, he had to endure 11 years without having a taste of the prestigious open until recently. In the Australian Open 2022, Nadal thrashed Daniil Medvedev in three sets (2-6, 6-7, 6-4, 6-4, 7-5) to collect his 21st grand slam. He achieved his 2nd Australian Open title and fifth major title on hardcourt with this triumph.

Read more: Australian Open 2022: Rafael Nadal fetches his 21st grand slam title

#5. Beijing (Outdoor/Hard)

China Open | Sportzpoint.com — Source: Firstpost

The Spaniard took another big step toward establishing he's more than simply a clay court great as he beat Argentina's Guillermo Coria 5-7, 6-1, 6-2 in the 2005 China Open final in Beijing. This was the second hard court title for the big hitter from Mallorca. However, Nadal had to wait for over 10 years in order to add another China Open title in his bag. In the 2017 China Open Tennis tournament, he claimed the trophy by defeating Nick Kyrgios in the final by 6-2, 6-1. It was his 6th ATP title of the year.

#4. ATP Masters 1000 Indian Wells (Outdoor/ hard)

Indian Wells | Sportzpoint.com — Source: Sportskeeda

Rafael Nadal is unquestionably one of the best players in the ATP Masters 1000 series. In the tournament category, which was initially established in 1990, the Spaniard has the most titles (35) and match wins (384) of any player. When it comes to Indian Wells, he started his campaign in 2007 by defeating teenager Novak Djokovic 6-2, 7-5 in the title match to become the 11th different player to lift the Indian Wells title in the Masters 1000 era. Afterwards, the Mallorcan surged to his second Indian Wells title in three years, overwhelming Andy Murray in the 2009 summit clash. However, his last win at Indian Wells to date came In the title match against Juan Martin Del Potro in 2013. The Spaniard fell behind by a set before recovering to seal a three-set victory and lift his third Indian Wells title.

#3. Acapulco (Outdoor/Hard)

Rafael Nadal wins Mexican Open 2022 | Sportzpoint.com — Source: Adda247

Rafael Nadal continued his perfect start to 2022. He beat Cameron Norrie 6-4, 6-4 to lift the Acapulco ATP title in his first tournament since winning the Australian Open. However, this wasn't the first time he emerged as a champion here. In fact, it was his 4th Acapulco title after victories in 2005, 2013 and 2020. Moreover, accompanied by this victory in 2022, Nadal is three wins away from tying Ivan Lendl's total of 94 for third place for most championships in the Open Era. Jimmy Connors leads the list with 109 whilst Roger Federer has 103.

Read more: Mexican Open: Rafael Nadal upsets Norrie to claim the trophy for the fourth time

#2. US Open (Outdoor/Hard)

Rafael Nadal | US Open | Sportzpoint.com — Source: ATP Tour

After claiming all the three Grand Slams, the US Open had remained the missing piece of Nadal's career Grand Slam puzzle. However, the Spaniard changed the stats by beating Novak Djokovic to win his first US Open and join six of the game's greatest players as the owner of all four grand slam titles. It seemed like he took an oath of defeating Djokovic when his second win also came after thrashing his archrival Djokovic in three sets 6-2, 3-6, 6-4, 6-1. He went on to claim the title 2 more times. He beat Kevin Anderson of South Africa in straight sets (6-3, 6-3, 6-4.) in 2017. In the process, he did quiet the rumours regarding his abilities at hard court. However, having claimed the title 3 times, he was among the greats on all the Grand Slam surfaces and in 2019, he put an exclamation point on his hardcourt records by beating his new rival Daniil Medvedev in a thrilling match (7-5, 6-3, 5-7, 4-6, 6-4).

#1. ATP Masters 1000 Canada (Outdoor/Hard)

Nadal Reigns In Toronto For Fourth Rogers Cup Title | ATP Tour | Tennis — Source: ATP Tour

Nadal has shown such incredible dominance in claycourt events that it overshadows his hardcourt and grasscourt achievements. However, With 5 ATP masters 1000 Canada titles by his side, he proved his significance. He claimed the first ATP title on hard at the Canada Masters in Montreal in 2005, at the age of 19. However, Fourteen years later, in 2019, he returned to win his fourth Rogers Cup (Montreal, Canada). In between these two triumphs, he won the tournament in 2008, 2013 and 2018.

G.O.A.T for a reason!

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