Nadal's greatest rival was probably not across the net, but his own body. "The only question with Rafa is physically how much his body can handle the pounding with how hard he works for every point," said American 14-times Grand Slam winner Pete Sampras in a 2010 interview with Reuters.

Nadal endured repeated injuries over his two decades, some substantial with long delays, but he always found his way back to familiar, brilliant

"The truth is that nobody ever wants to arrive at this moment," said Nadal, who had announced his plans for retirement in October.