John Isner and Steve Johnson agree on which ‘absurd’ Rafael Nadal record is the most underrated following his retirement
Rafael Nadal retired from tennis after Spain were knocked out of the 2024 Davis Cup Finals in Malaga.
Widely considered as one of the greatest players the sport has ever seen, Nadal’s retirement from tennis, is a sad moment for many.
Fans and players have sent tributes to Nadal, following his retirement, thanking him for his contributions to the sport.
Nadal won 22 Grand Slam titles during his career, including 14 at the French Open, a record that most agree will remain untouched.
Nadal holds a number of seemingly unbreakable records on the ATP Tour, with two former tennis stars in agreement on which is the most impressive.
John Isner and Steve Johnson agree on which Rafael Nadal record is the most underrated
Speaking following Nadal’s retirement at the Davis Cup, John Isner and Steve Johnson were asked which of the Spaniard’s records they think is the most underrated.
“Underrated might be a strong term here but I think it’s winning four French opens without dropping a single set,” said Johnson.
“That is absolutely mind blowing to me.
“I can’t remember off the top of my head if he had any withdrawals or retirements, but winning 21 sets in a row at a slam, against the best players in the world is ridiculous, and he did that four times.
“He never had a bad game, got broken, lost a set and then won, he won 21 straight sets, four times, it’s absolutely mind-blowing to me.”
Isner was in agreement, as he admitted that the 38-year-old holds so many records that he is starting to forget them.
“I think I would agree there,” he said.
“His stats are so mind-numbingly stupid that you often forget about some of these stats, and that’s one that I’d forgotten about.
“You hear about the 14 French Open titles, but I didn’t realize that four times he did that without dropping a set, that’s pretty absurd.”
Another of Isner and Johnson’s podcast co-hosts, Sam Querrey then chimed in, offering up another impressive record.
“I’m in agreeance, three for three, that’s the most impressive one,” he said.
“Actually, this might be my favorite Rafa [record], years spent in the top ten consecutively.
“17.4 years in the top ten, 912 weeks, 2005-2023, he never dropped out of the top ten.
“As we know, almost every other year he would skip a slam, not play Wimbledon, maybe a little injured so he’d miss a month or two here and there.
“That is nuts.”
Rafael Nadal’s four ‘perfect’ French Open titles
As Johnson and Isner discussed, Nadal won Roland Garros without dropping a set on four occasions, a remarkable achievement, but who did he beat along the way to win those titles?
2008 French Open
| Round | Opponent | Score |
| Final | Roger Federer (1) | 6-1, 6-3, 6-0 |
| Semi final | Novak Djokovic (3) | 6-4, 6-2, 7-6 |
| Quarter final | Nicolas Almagro (19) | 6-1, 6-1, 6-1 |
| Fourth round | Fernando Verdasco (22) | 6-1, 6-0, 6-2 |
| Third round | Jarkko Nieminen (26) | 6-1, 6-3, 6-1 |
| Second round | Nicolas Devilder (Q) | 6-4, 6-0, 6-1 |
| First round | Thomaz Bellucci (Q) | 7-5, 6-3, 6-1 |
2010 French Open
| Round | Opponent | Score |
| Final | Robin Soderling (5) | 6-4, 6-2, 6-4 |
| Semi final | Jurgen Melzer (22) | 6-2, 6-3, 7-6 |
| Quarter final | Nicolas Almagro (19) | 7-6, 7-6, 6-4 |
| Fourth round | Thomaz Bellucci (24) | 6-2, 7-5, 6-4 |
| Third round | Lleyton Hewitt (28) | 6-3, 6-4, 6-3 |
| Second round | Horacio Zeballos | 6-2, 6-2, 6-3 |
| First round | Gianni Mina (Q) | 6-2, 6-2, 6-2 |
2017 French Open
| Round | Opponent | Score |
| Final | Stan Wawrinka (3) | 6-2, 6-3, 6-1 |
| Semi final | Dominic Thiem (6) | 6-3, 6-4, 6-0 |
| Quarter final | Pablo Carreno Busta (20) | 6-2, 2-0 [retired] |
| Fourth round | Roberto Bautista Agut (17) | 6-1, 6-2, 6-2 |
| Third round | Nikoloz Basilashvili | 6-0, 6-1, 6-0 |
| Second round | Robin Haase | 6-1, 6-4, 6-3 |
| First round | Benoit Paire | 6-1, 6-4, 6-1 |
2020 French Open
| Round | Opponent | Score |
| Final | Novak Djokovic (1) | 6-0, 6-2, 7-5 |
| Semi final | Diego Schwartzman (12) | 6-3, 6-3, 7-6 |
| Quarter final | Jannik Sinner | 7-6, 6-4, 6-1 |
| Fourth round | Sebastian Korda (Q) | 6-1, 6-1, 6-2 |
| Third round | Stefano Travaglia | 6-1, 6-4, 6-0 |
| Second round | Mackenzie McDonald (PR) | 6-1, 6-0, 6-3 |
| First round | Egor Gerasimov | 6-4, 6-4, 6-2 |
Winning a Grand Slam without dropping a set once is impressive, never mind doing it four times at the same tournament.
Looking at the names he beat along the way only makes the achievement all the more astonishing; Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, and Stan Wawrinka just to name a few.
Another of Nadal’s many records, that may well stand the test of time.
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