Revisiting All 14 of Rafael Nadal’s Roland Garros Wins

The 2024 French Open could be the tennis star’s last, ending a historic reign at the tournament.

Rafael Nadal has lifted the French Open trophy a record 14 times. / Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports

This year’s Roland Garros will likely be the last time tennis fans are fortunate enough to see Rafael Nadal grace the iconic clay courts in Paris.

The 14-time French Open champion has been struggling with injuries since the start of the 2023 season, causing him to miss last year’s tournament among many others. He’s missed some big events this season, too, but there’s no way he’s going to skip his beloved Roland Garros, especially if it is for the last time in his career.

Before fans grieve the end of Nadal’s tennis tenure, let’s take a trip down memory lane, revisiting all 14 of Nadal’s French Open title wins. (It’s important to note that Nadal’s Roland Garros haul is the record for the most titles at a single major tournament in tennis history.)

2005

Nadal’s first major title out of his 22 came back in 2005 during his first appearance at Roland Garros. He turned 19 during the semifinals of that year’s tournament, knocking Roger Federer out of the draw on his birthday. He kicked his 19th year off in a very special way, beating Mariano Puerta in the final after dropping the first set (6–7, 6–3, 6–1, 7–5). 

Nadal was playing extremely well before the 2005 French Open, but this win cemented his stardom in the tennis world. He only kept winning after this.

2006

Nadal dominated the 2006 clay season as he won the four tournaments leading up to the French Open. He notably faced Novak Djokovic for the first time in their careers in the Roland Garros quarterfinal. 

Nadal went on to beat Federer in a four-set match after losing the first set pretty dramatically (1–6, 6–1, 6–4, 7–6). It was the first time the iconic tennis players faced each other in a major final. Federer would get revenge a month later when he beat Nadal in the Wimbledon final. Before Federer’s retirement in 2022, the two stars played in nine major finals.

2007

Nadal’s French Open reign was starting to look more promising in the 2007 final as he beat Federer again on the main stage in another four-set match (6–3, 4–6, 6–3, 6–4).

This third consecutive title in Paris placed Nadal’s name in the history books alongside Björn Borg, as they became the only two men’s players in the Open Era to win three French Open titles in a row.

2008

The 2008 season was a huge turning point in Nadal’s career. He not only won his fourth consecutive French Open title (beating Federer for a third year in a row, this outing was the most dominating yet with a final scoreline of 6–1, 6–3, 6–0), but he also won Wimbledon a month later to add another major title to his ever-growing résumé.

These two major titles helped Nadal reach World No. 1 status at the end of the season for the first time in his career, snapping Federer’s long-standing hold of the top seed.

2010

Nadal won three major titles in his commanding 2010 season, starting with the French Open. After suffering his first loss ever at the major tournament in ’09 thanks to Robin Söderling, Nadal came back with a vengeance, crushing Söderling in a three-set final win (6–4, 6–2, 6–4).

Nadal went on to win Wimbledon for a second (and until now, his last) time and then reigned victorious at the U.S. Open for the first time in his career. It’s the only year in his career in which Nadal won three major titles. He came close to doing so again in 2022.

2011

Nadal and Federer met again in the 2011 French Open final, producing their closest championship battle to date. Nadal was victorious in four sets, winning 7–5, 7–6, 5–7, 6–1.

The Spaniard played in the next two major finals—Wimbledon and U.S. Open—losing to Djokovic in both matches.

2012

Nadal and Djokovic faced each other in the three major finals leading up to the 2012 French Open, making it just the second time in the Open Era—after Serena and Venus Williams—that two players competed against each other in four consecutive major finals. Djokovic had a chance to win four major titles in a row, that is until he faced Nadal at Roland Garros. Nadal won the battle 6–4, 6–3, 2–6, 7–5, which was played over two days thanks to multiple rain delays.

This was a historic win for Nadal in other ways, too, as his seventh French Open title broke Borg’s record of six French Open wins. Nadal’s domination at Roland Garros continued on.

2013

The semifinal match between Nadal and Djokovic is actually the most notable match from the Spaniard’s French Open victory run in 2013. The five-set battle went on for almost five hours, and it has since been regarded as one of the most famous clay matches in history, not just from that year.

After this face-off, Nadal’s final win seemed like a breeze. He beat fellow Spaniard David Ferrer 6–3, 6–2, 6–3 for the championship. His eighth French Open title marked his 59th win at the major tournament—the most matches won at Roland Garros by a single person in history. His 12th major title tied Nadal for third for the most majors won in men’s tennis history at the time, too.

2014

Nadal miraculously broke his previous record of winning the French Open four times in a row by winning a fifth consecutive year in 2014. He once again faced Djokovic in the final and won 3–6, 7–5, 6–2, 6–4 over the Serbian, who was quickly becoming one of Nadal’s biggest rivals.

This major title ended up being Nadal’s last until the 2017 season, the longest drought since he won his first in ’05.

2017

Nadal jumped back into the major winner’s circle with a dominating run at the 2017 French Open. He did not drop a single set on his way to beating Stan Wawrinka 6–2, 6–3, 6–1 in the final. This also marked the first major Nadal won after turning 30.

By the time he won his third U.S. Open title that September, Nadal regained the World No. 1 spot for the first time since 2014. Nadal remained in the top spot, or the No. 2 spot, until March ’21 when he was ranked No. 3.

2018

Nadal started another winning streak at the French Open when he beat Dominic Thiem, who is also set to retire later this year, 6–4, 6–3, 6–2 in the 2018 final. Nadal’s 11th French Open title tied him with Margaret Court for the most titles at a single major in tennis history. She held 11 Australian Open titles.

2019

It was a Nadal and Thiem final rematch in 2019, this time with the Spaniard winning in a four-set match 6–3, 5–7, 6–1, 6–1. His 12th French Open title broke Court’s record for most titles at a single major.

2020

Nadal’s 2020 French Open title was another one for the history books. His 6–0, 6–2, 7–5 final win over Djokovic was his 20th major title, which tied him with Federer for the all-time men’s record.

The Spaniard also achieved 100 French Open career wins during his 2020 run, only suffering two losses during a 16-year stretch starting when he won his 2005 title.

2022

The 2022 season was a huge year in Nadal’s career for many reasons. He started off the season with a 20-match winning streak, a career best for him, after winning the Australian Open. This major win put him ahead of Federer and Djokovic in the men's major titles race. That streak ended, though, when he had to miss around a month of playing time due to a rib injury. His chances of playing the French Open appeared slim.

But, Nadal charged back onto the clay courts at the 2022 Madrid Open just in time for the major tournament. He ended up beating Casper Ruud 6–3, 6–3, 6–0 in the French Open final and took a bigger lead in the major titles race—his 14th French Open and 22nd major title. At age 36, Nadal appeared to be on top of the world once again in his tennis career.

Nadal will enter his final French Open with a 112–3 record at the major tournament. He’s currently ranked No. 276 in the world, a bit different from the last time he played in Paris in 2022. He will be on the hunt to make history at Roland Garros, as he tends to do.

The first round of the 2024 French Open begins Sunday, May 26, with the men’s final scheduled for Sunday, June 9.