After securing a win against Dominic Thiem in straight sets at the Brisbane International, Rafael Nadal reached a new milestone.
Following his return from an injury-induced hiatus, the Spaniard clinched his 1069th ATP singles match victory in his first singles match. This accomplishment propelled him beyond Ivan Lendl, securing the outright fourth-most wins in the Open Era.
At the top of the list sits Jimmy Connors with 1274 wins, trailed by Roger Federer with 1251 victories. Novak Djokovic, the current World No. 1 and holder of a record 24 Grand Slam titles, claims the third spot with 1089 wins.
During the on-court interview after defeating Thiem, Nadal admitted he was not aware of this particular record.
"Rafa, I'm not sure if you're aware but it was your 1069th win tonight, which takes you into outright fourth past Ivan Lendl for most wins in ATP history," the interviewer said.To this, Nadal replied, "Well, as you can imagine it was not a statistic that I was aware of."
The Spaniard boasts an impressive track record on the tour, securing victory in 22 Grand Slams, trailing just behind Djokovic. Nadal has also claimed the rare 'Career Golden Slam,' achieved by conquering all four Grand Slams alongside the gold medal in the singles event at the Olympics.
Andre Agassi stands as the sole other player in the men's circuit to accomplish this feat. In the women's category, Serena Williams and Steffi Graf are the exclusive players to achieve this rare distinction.
“Today is honestly an emotional and important day for me after probably one of the toughest years of my tennis career without a doubt," the Spaniard said after his 7-5, 6-1 win over Thiem.Rafael Nadal will face Jason Kubler next at Brisbane International.
Nadal will take on local favourite Jason Kubler next at the Brisbane International vying for a spot in the quarter-finals. Kubler triumphed over Russia's Aslan Karatsev due to retirement in the second set.
Kubler is familiar with Grand Slam success, having secured the Australian Open doubles title in 2023. Additionally, he reached the fourth round of Wimbledon in 2022. Kubler, alongside fellow Australian Rinky Hijikata, clinched their inaugural Grand Slam title by defeating Hugo Nys and Jan Zielinski.
They became the fifth unseeded duo to claim an Australian Open men's doubles title in the Open Era and were only the second pair to achieve a Grand Slam victory as wildcards.
Nadal and Kubler will square off for the first time in their careers at the Brisbane International.