Rafael Nadal has come a long way from his junior days and established himself as an all-time great in Tennis – why was he ranked a mere 145 as a junior?
Rafael Nadal had a highest ranking of 145 during his playing days in the Junior category. Who would have known back then that this young kid from Spain would conquer the Tennis world one day? Well, the ‘King of Clay’ has certainly achieved the unthinkable, but do you wonder why Nadal could never make a name for himself at the junior level?
Nadal turned pro in 2001, at the age of 15 and got promoted to the professional level while all other players of his age group were competing in the Juniors events. As a junior, Nadal had only played at the Wimbledon and Davis Cup – one of the primary reasons behind his low rank at the junior level.
The Spaniard achieved a lot of stellar feats as a teenager at the professional level and his junior ranking hardly had any relevance at that point in time. Nadal comes across as someone who was destined for greatness and he certainly did not disappoint anyone.
Rafael Nadal holds the record of winning the most number of Masters 1000 titles as a teenager
Nadal dominated the professional circuit right from his teenage days. He is undoubtedly one of the greatest Tennis players ever and has numerous records to his name. Nadal turned pro in 2001 and has been dominating the professional circuit for over two decades – his teenage days were no exception.
As a teenager, Nadal had 53 Masters 1000 wins – way ahead of the rest of the pack. Another Spanish teenager, Carlos Alcaraz is just behind him in second place with 32 wins to his name. Andrei Medvedev (27) is third in the list followed by Carlos Alcaraz (26), Andy Roddick (25), Denis Shapovalov (25) and Novak Djokovic (23).
Since turning pro as a 15-year-old, Nadal has been a constant feature on the professional tour and established himself as an all-time great. Nadal’s dominance as a teenager is quite incredible and this is one of those very few records in Tennis which is probably unbreakable.
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