King of Canada: Revisiting Rafael Nadal’s Five…

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Rafael Nadal may be the King of Clay, but he was a force to be reckoned with on all surfaces. And when it came to hard courts, nowhere was that truer than in Canada.

In his legendary career, which will end in November at the Davis Cup Finals, the raging bull from Mallorca won 25 titles on hard courts. Five were in Canada, 20 per cent of his total on the surface. The National Bank Open was his most successful hard-court event.

Not only was it the tournament he won the most times in his career, it is the only non-clay event he ever successfully defended. He is the winningest player, male or female, in Canada in the 21st century.

As the sporting world celebrates one of the greatest athletes of all time, let’s visit his five triumphs in Canada.

2005 – Montreal

Seeding: 1
Final: d. Andre Agassi (4) 6-3, 4-6, 6-2
Seeds Beaten: 2
Sets Lost: 2
Games Lost: 47

Nadal made his debut in Canada in 2004 in Toronto ranked 62nd in the world, losing in the first round to two-time major champion Lleyton Hewitt. When he returned to Canada a year later, this time in Montreal, he was the top seed with a Grand Slam title under his belt.

While he had already won eight titles in 2005 (nine overall in his career), he had yet to lift a trophy off of clay.

He survived an early scare in the first round against fellow Mallorcan and future coach Carlos Moja before finding his stride. Nadal lost just 15 games in his next three matches and defeated Paul-Henri Mathieu in straight sets to book his place in the final.

Standing across the net was one of the greatest hard-court players of all time, the legendary veteran Andre Agassi. No easy task for a youngster trying to win his first title on a hard court.

But Nadal sent a message that he was not to be just a clay-court specialist, grinding past the eight-time major champion in three sets for his first title away from his favourite surface.

2008 – Toronto

Seeding: 2
Final: d. Nicolas Kiefer 6-3, 6-2
Seeds Beaten: 2
Sets Lost: 1
Games Lost: 38

Nadal arrived in Toronto in July 2008 on a 24-match winning streak and was contesting his first event since his historic victory at Wimbledon, defeating Roger Federer in what is widely considered to be the greatest tennis match of all time.

A surface change did little to slow the Spaniard down. His only blip that week in Ontario’s capital came in the quarter-finals when Richard Gasquet edged out a first-set tiebreak 14-12, but Nadal responded in dominant fashion by taking the next two sets 6-2, 6-1.

After beating Andy Murray in straight sets, the Spaniard easily defeated surprise finalist Nicolas Kiefer to win his second title in Canada. In the process, he became the first man in the 21st century and only active player at the time to have won the Canadian title in both Montreal and Toronto.

The victory also extended his winning streak to 29 matches. He would stretch it to 32 before finally falling in the semifinals of Cincinnati the following week. That streak began on clay in Hamburg, included a perfect season on the grass, and then extended onto the hard courts.

As of Nadal’s retirement in the fall of 2024, it remains the longest winning streak across three surfaces (with a minimum of eight wins per surface) by a man in tennis history.

2013 – Montreal

Seeding: 4
Final: d. Milos Raonic (11) 6-2, 6-2
Seeds Beaten: 3
Sets Lost: 1
Games Lost: 38

2013 was arguably Nadal’s best season overall, but it was certainly his peak on hard courts. He won his first 26 matches of the year on the surface, not suffering a defeat until October. The run saw him win his first four tournaments played on a hard court, all at the Masters 1000 or Grand Slam level, the second of which was in Montreal.

Nadal came into the National Bank Open having just failed to reach the final of a tournament for the first time in 2013 in his previous event (he had reached the title match in his first nine tournaments of the year, winning seven of them). He proved that his first-round loss at Wimbledon was just a blip as he stormed through the draw in Canada.

He only lost one set in the tournament and of the 11 sets he played, in five of them he dropped just two or fewer games.

His one true test came in the semifinals against the world No. 1 Novak Djokovic and was one of the greatest matches in the history of the National Bank Open. The Serb won the second set, the only set Nadal lost at the tournament, and the match came down to a third-set tiebreak. When the tension was at its highest, Nadal rose to the occasion, dominating the breaker to defeat his rival in a statement victory.

In the final, Nadal played the role of spoiler for the home nation, defeating Canada’s Milos Raonic in straight sets. It was a returning masterclass by the Spaniard as he broke one of the best serves on tour four times, converting every break point he had.

The victory in Canada kicked off a historic summer for Nadal as he became just the third man to complete the “Summer Slam” by winning Canada, Cincinnati, and the US Open in a row.

2018 – Toronto

Seeding: 1
Final: d. Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-2, 7-6(4)
Seeds Beaten: 1
Sets Lost: 1
Games Lost: 48

While Nadal had been his usual dominant self on clay in 2018, winning four titles in five events in the spring, he had barely played on hard courts, having retired at the Australian Open and not returning until the clay.

Still, he arrived in Toronto in form after an 11th title at Roland-Garros and a semifinal appearance at Wimbledon.

Little rust was visible for Nadal on the hard courts at Sobeys Stadium as he was able to grind through a draw full of challenging opponents including major champions Stan Wawrinka and Marin Cilic, who seemed primed to upset the top seed in the quarter-finals when he blasted him off the court in the opening set, only for the Spaniard to wear him down.

A clever tactical win over Karen Khachanov sent Nadal into the final where he met a young Stefanos Tsitsipas, who was contesting his first Masters 1000 final after having beaten four Top 10 opponents in a row.

Nadal was not about to become the fifth. He eased through the first set and seemed on his way to a routine victory when he led 5-3 in the second set on Tsitsipas’ serve. In a bizarre twist, the Spaniard’s own classiness broke his momentum as Tsitsipas missed a first serve at 30-15 when a fan shouted during his toss. The Greek appealed for a let to the umpire and Nadal jumped in to insist the youngster get his first serve back. The umpire agreed and Tsitsipas went on to hold serve.

That moment seemed to give Tsitsipas life as he broke the Spaniard when he served for the title in the following game. He was then able to force Nadal to a tiebreak, but that was where the upset bid ended as Nadal slammed the door for his fourth title in Canada.

With the win, Canada became Nadal’s most-successful hard-court event, breaking a tie with Indian Wells and the US Open. After the final, he said in press with a smirk, “Canada is a place that I feel comfortable. I play well. And I played with the Canada colours during the whole event,” referencing the red-and-white kit he donned at the 2018 event.

Toronto was the only hard-court tournament Nadal got through without injury in 2018. He did not lose a completed match on the surface that year, as he only played three tournaments and retired with injuries in the other two (Australian Open and US Open).

2019 – Montreal

Seeding: 1
Final: d. Medvedev (8) 6-3, 6-0
Seeds Beaten: 2* (plus one walkover)
Sets Lost: 1
Games Lost: 29* (plus one walkover)

2019 was Nadal’s 19th season as a professional tennis player but despite everything he had accomplished up to that point, there was still one thing he had never done: defend a title on hard court.

The National Bank Open provided him with an opportunity as he was the top seed at the event he had already won more times than any other non-clay tournament.

His run was similar to the previous year in Toronto, where he only dropped one set, that being the first set of his quarter-final against a veteran opponent 6-2, and then beating a rising star in the final.

Fabio Fognini gave the Spaniard trouble in the last eight, playing lights out in the opening set to create a potential upset. But Nadal was able to out-wait the volatile Italian and dropped just three games in the last two sets.

Gael Monfils was unable to contest their semifinal, granting the defending champion a walkover meaning he would be well-rested for his final against the in-form Daniil Medvedev. Nadal was not about to let his shot at finally winning back-to-back hard-court titles slip away. He easily defeated the future world No. 1 in just over an hour to complete his first and only non-clay title defence.

Like 2013, a title in Canada precipitated a victory at the US Open where he also defeated Medvedev, albeit in a far tighter final.

Nadal’s five titles in Canada are the second most by a man all time. He is one of six men to win Toronto and Montreal back-to-back. He won the National Bank Open 38 per cent of the times he played (5/13) and, as he has not played in Canada since winning back-to-back titles in 2018-19, he will retire on a nine-match winning streak in Canada.

Thanks for the memories, Rafa. VAMOS!

The ATP's best return to Toronto next summer for the National Bank Open July 27 to Aug. 7, 2025 at Sobeys Stadium. 2025 Tickets are on sale. Get your tickets today!

Feature Photo : Tennis Canada