Spanish great Rafael Nadal brought everyone to their feet with his 13th French Open glory last year. In doing so, he leveled his Grand Slam titles count with Roger Federer‘s 20. Rafa’s only other title in 2020 came at the Mexican Open.
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Even then, Rafa ended his 2020 season as World No. 2 for the seventh time in his career. However, his tough luck on the hard courts remained unchanged. He dropped out of Paris Masters and ATP Finals in the semifinals; the two titles he’s never won.
As he paces forward to start his 2021 season, the 34-year-old will have a lot on his mind. Apart from success on hard courts, Nadal will love to add a Slam outside France. Without further ado, let’s take a look at the tournaments ‘King of Clay’ will play this year.
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Rafael Nadal of Spain celebrates after winning championship point during his Men’s Singles Final against Novak Djokovic of Serbia on day fifteen of the 2020 French Open at Roland Garros on October 11, 2020, in Paris, France. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)
Schedule for Rafael Nadal in 2021
The list is only provisional and can change according to different circumstances.
| Date | Tournament | Location | Draw Size | Classification | Surface |
| 1 Feb – 5 Feb | ATP Cup | Melbourne, Australia | 12 teams | Team tournament with round-robin matches | Hard |
| 8 Feb – 15 Feb | Australian Open | Melbourne, Australia | 128 | Grand Slam | Hard |
| 15 Mar | Mexican Open | Acapulco, Mexico | 32 | ATP 500 | Hard |
| 12 Apr | Monte-Carlo Masters | Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, France | 56 | Masters 1000 | Clay |
| 19 Apr | Barcelona Open | Barcelona, Spain | 48 | ATP 500 | Clay |
| 3 May | Madrid Open | Madrid, Spain | 56 | Masters 1000 | Clay |
| 10 May | Italian Open | Rome, Italy | 56 | Masters 1000 | Clay |
| 24 May – 31 May | French Open | Paris, France | 128 | Grand Slam | Clay |
| 28 Jun – 5 July | The Championships, Wimbledon | London, Great Britain | 128 | Grand Slam | Grass |
| 26 Jul | Tokyo Olympics | Tokyo, Japan | 64 | Olympic Games | Hard |
| 9 Aug | Canadian Masters | Toronto, Canada | 56 | Masters 1000 | Hard |
| 30 Aug – 6 Sept | US Open | New York City, United States | 128 | Grand Slam | Hard |
| 20 Sept | Laver Cup | Boston, United States | 2 teams | Team tournament | Hard |
| 1 Nov | Paris Masters | Paris, France | 48 | Masters 1000 | Hard |
| 15 Nov | ATP Finals | Turin, Italy | 8 | Tournament with round-robin matches | Hard |
| 22 Nov | Davis Cup | Madrid, Spain | 18 countries | Team tournament with round-robin matches | Hard |
| Tba* | Indian Wells Masters | Tucson, California | 96 | Masters 1000 | Hard |
*Note: Indian Wells Masters has been postponed until further notice due to coronavirus spread in the USA.
Although Nadal only played seven tournaments throughout 2020, he will aim to play more this year. Additionally, his fighting mentality and hunger to win tournaments also seem to be growing every year. Therefore, it will be very difficult to keep eyes off him during the entire 2021 season.
Rafa Nadal’s defense and chances in 2021
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SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA: Novak Djokovic of Serbia shakes hands with Rafael Nadal of Spain after winning the match point during their final singles match daring day 10 of the ATP Cup at Ken Rosewall Arena in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Andy Cheung/Getty Images)
First of all, Nadal, along with Team Spain, will participate in the ATP Cup. They will look to go one step further this time as they lost in the finals in 2020. Team Spain will also defend its title at the Davis Cup.
For the Spaniard alone, there are three titles to defend, Mexican Open, French Open, and Canadian Open (2019). Other than that, he will look forward to drawing more titles towards him.
Considering the level of his competition, tennis fans are in for a show to see Nadal compete at his best. Hopefully, the entire season will run its course and we will get to see the left-handed magician of Spain.