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Rafael Nadal of Spain celebrates during his Gentlemen’s Singles third round match against Mikhail Kukushkin of Kazakhstan on day six of the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club at Wimbledon on June 28, 2014 in London, England. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)
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Rafael Nadal of Spain celebrates during his Gentlemen’s Singles third round match against Mikhail Kukushkin of Kazakhstan on day six of the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club at Wimbledon on June 28, 2014 in London, England. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)
In a year which has seen him equal tennis rival and good friend Roger Federer for the most number of Grand Slam titles, Rafael Nadal has now reached another career milestone that ties him with the Swiss as well as Jimmy Connors.
Rafael Nadal the third player after Roger Federer and Jimmy Connors to stay in Top-20 for 800 weeks
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The Spaniard, who clinched his 13th French Open title this year, taking his career Grand Slam tally to 20, has now managed to stay in the Top-20 of the ATP men’s singles rankings for 800 consecutive weeks.
Nadal ranked inside the Top-20 for the first time on April 4, 2005 and hasn’t dropped out since.
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The milestone is significant as it testifies to his supreme skill and determination to stay at the top of his game for all these years.
The Spaniard will upstage both Federer and Connors if he holds his place inside the Top-20 over the next 14 months.
Connors tops tally with 860 consecutive weeks in Top-20
Connors tops the tally currently, having spent 860 weeks in the Top-20 between 1973 and 1990.
Apart from continuing his dominant run at the Roland-Garros, Nadal also picked up a Tour title win at Acapulco in Mexico this year.
The Spaniard finished the 2020 season ranked Number 2 and had a win/loss record of 27-7.
Nadal’s hard court blues in 2020
While he reaffirmed his supremacy and genius on clay, Nadal’s aversion to playing on hard courts came to the fore yet again as he couldn’t produce title-winning campaigns at the Rolex Paris Masters and the season-ending ATP Finals in London.
The Spaniard’s failure to end his trophy jinx at the elite London Masters stretched to the tenth year.
Nadal’s London campaign ended in the semifinals this year, as he was beaten in three sets by eventual champion Daniil Medvedev.
The Spaniard had won the first set and was up a break in the second before he surrendered the momentum to the Russian and eventually conceded the tie.
Read More: WATCH: Rafael Nadal’s Top Shots of 2020
However, not one to one to dwell on setbacks, Nadal will march into the season determined to get his nose in front of Federer in the race for most Grand Slams.
