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2014 Rafael Nadal tennis season

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2014 Rafael Nadal tennis season
Full nameRafael Nadal
Country Spain
Calendar prize money$6,066,446 (singles & doubles)
Singles
Season record48–11
Calendar titles4
Year-end rankingNo. 3
Ranking change from previous yearDecrease 2
Grand Slam & significant results
Australian OpenF
French OpenW
Wimbledon4R
US OpenA
Doubles
Season record1–1
Calendar titles0
Current rankingNo. 306
Ranking change from previous yearIncrease 70
Injuries
InjuriesBack Injury (January)
Wrist Injury (August)
Last updated on: 17 March 2014.
2013
2015

The 2014 Rafael Nadal tennis season officially began on 30 December 2013 with the start of the 2014 Qatar ExxonMobil Open. This season saw Nadal suffer from injuries that included a back injury, a wrist injury, and appendicitis. After losing in the final of the Australian Open where he suffered from a back injury, Nadal failed to defend his titles at Indian Wells, Barcelona, and Rome. He rebounded by claiming his 9th French Open. Prior to the North American hardcourt season, Nadal would experience another injury, this time a wrist injury which forced him to withdraw from the Rogers Cup, the Western & Southern Open and the US Open where he was the defending champion. Nadal announced on 24 October that he would not be competing for rest of the season due to appendicitis and eventually underwent surgery.[1] Despite an injury plagued season, Nadal still ended the year at No. 3 with four titles.

Year summary

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Early hard court season and Australian Open

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Qatar Open

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Rafael Nadal won the title at 2014 Qatar Open after defeating Gaël Monfils in the final on January 4.[2]

Australian Open

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Nadal reached his third final Down Under by dispatching his old rival Roger Federer in the semi-finals with a straight set victory and by dropping only one set on the way, against Grigor Dimitrov in the quarter-finals. Victory in the final would have seen Nadal equal Pete Sampras's total of 14 major titles and also become only the third man to win all four grand slams at least twice, Roy Emerson and Rod Laver being the other two. In the final, though, he was unexpectedly beaten by Stanislas Wawrinka, who had previously never beaten Nadal or even won a set against him in 12 previous meetings. At a set and a break down, Nadal sustained a back injury that saw him swiftly lose the second set. He recovered enough to win the third and fought hard before Wawrinka prevailed in four sets.[3]

Rio Open

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Nadal won the inaugural Rio Open after beating Alexandr Dolgopolov in the final on February 23. In the semifinal a day earlier, he had to save two match points in the 3rd set tie breaker to win against Pablo Andújar.

Indian Wells Masters

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Nadal next competed in the Indian Wells Masters. He received a bye in the first round and fought back from a set down to overcome Radek Štěpánek in the second round. His tournament ended in the next round, though, as Alexandr Dolgopolov exacted a measure of revenge for his Rio Open final loss by dispatching Nadal in a third set tie break.

Miami Masters

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After not competing in 2013, Nadal returned to Key Biscane for a chance at his first Miami Masters title. He dominated his first three opponents, losing a total of nine games combined. He then fought back from a set down to overcome Milos Raonic in the quarter-finals. In an unprecedented event both Novak Djokovic and he received walkovers from their semi-final opponents to set up their 40th clash. It was Nadal's fourth Miami final, following runner-up finishes in 2005, 2008, and 2011. Nadal would once again fail to lift the trophy, though, as Djokovic displayed near perfect form and eased his way to a two-set victory.

Spring clay court season and French Open

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Monte-Carlo Masters

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After finally relinquishing his Monte-Carlo crown to Novak Djokovic in 2013, Nadal returned to the red clay in an attempt to reclaim the title that had been his from 2005 to 2012. As expected the King of Clay won his first two matches with ease. His victory against Andreas Seppi in the third round brought his career clay court wins to 300, a feat achieved by only ten other players. In the quarter-finals, though, Nadal would succumb to the relentless attack of David Ferrer. It was the first time Ferrer had beaten Nadal on clay in ten years and the first time Nadal failed to reach the Monte-Carlo final since his first stint in the tournament as a qualifier in 2003.

Barcelona Open

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Nadal hadn't lost a match at the Barcelona Open since 2003 and hadn't lost a set at the tournament since dropping one against David Ferrer in the 2008 final. These streaks seemed destined to continue and did against his first two opponents, both of whom he dispatched in straight sets. In the quarter-finals, Nadal's set streak ended at 44 when Nicolás Almagro took the second set of their match in a tight tiebreak. Almagro would also put an end to Nadal's win streak at 41 when he clinched the match by winning the third set as well.[4]

Madrid Open

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Nadal claimed his fourth Madrid Open crown (third on clay) by defeating Kei Nishikori in the final. Nadal was down a set and a break in the final when Nishikori began showing signs of injury. This injury aided Nadal as he fought back to win the second set and take a three-game lead in the third before Nishikori retired.

Italian Open

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Nadal made his ninth final at the Italian Open and was vying for his eighth title, but was beaten in three sets by his rival Novak Djokovic in the final. In the second round, Nadal played the longest three set match of the year (thus far) by battling Gilles Simon for 199 minutes. In the third round and quarter-final, he was forced to rally from a set down to claim victory against Mikhail Youzhny and Andy Murray respectively. His loss marked the first time in ten years that he would enter into the French Open with fewer than two European clay court titles.

French Open

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Despite a sub-par European clay court season, Nadal entered the second Major of the year with a 59–1 record at the event. By the end of the tournament Nadal would extend this record to 66–1 by claiming his record fifth consecutive and record ninth French Open title with a four set victory over Novak Djokovic. He won his first four rounds against Robby Ginepri, Dominic Thiem, Leonardo Mayer, and Dušan Lajović, respectively, without dropping a set. In the quarter-finals, he faced last year's finalist, David Ferrer. He dropped the opening set, his first of the tournament, but went on to win in four sets. In the semi-finals, he put on a devastating display and lost only six games as he dispatched Andy Murray in straight sets. The final was a rematch of last year's semifinal and the 2012 final as well as his 42nd match against Novak Djokovic. In winning his 9th Roland Garros title, Nadal became the only player to have won one Grand Slam for ten consecutive years.[5]

Grass court season and Wimbledon

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Halle Open

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Nadal received a bye in the first round and then lost to Dustin Brown in the second round. The loss marked Nadal's third consecutive defeat on grass and dropped his record on the surface to 2–5 since he reached the 2011 Wimbledon final.

Wimbledon

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Having been bounced in the second round by Lukáš Rosol in 2012, the first round by Steve Darcis in 2013, and riding a three match grass losing streak, Nadal entered the 2014 edition of Wimbledon looking for redemption. His first match started off rocky as he dropped the opening set against Martin Kližan, but he recovered to win in four and snap his losing streak. Up next was his 2012 conqueror, Rosol. Rosol looked capable of pulling out the upset once again as he led by a set and a break, but Nadal righted the ship and got revenge for his 2012 defeat by pulling the match out in four. Nadal again recovered from a set down against Mikhail Kukushkin in the third round, marking the first time in his career that he won three consecutive matches after dropping the first set. Nadal went on to face 19-year-old wildcard Nick Kyrgios in the fourth round and once again dropped the opening set, but was unable to recover this time and succumbed to Kyrgios in four sets. It was Nadal's first defeat to a player born in the 1990s and the first time a teenager had beaten the World No. 1 at a Grand Slam since Nadal himself beat Roger Federer at the 2005 French Open.

Summer hard court season

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Canadian Open, Cincinnati Masters, and US Open

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Nadal was the defending champion of all three tournaments, but had to withdraw from each because he was unable to recover from a right wrist injury that he suffered while practicing on July 29.

Asian Swing

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China Open

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Nadal returned to action from his wrist injury after three months away from the tour with a dominant two set victory over Richard Gasquet. He won the next round as well, but rust and lack of training became apparent as he fell to Martin Kližan in the quarters.

Shanghai Masters

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Before his opening match, Nadal announced that he had been receiving aggressive medical treatment for appendicitis in hopes of avoiding surgery until the end of the tennis season. The effects of this ailment, though, could be seen in his movement and play in his opening match as Feliciano López handed him a straight set defeat.

Indoor hard court season and World Tour Finals

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Swiss indoors

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Nadal seemed to be back to his winning ways as he easily dispatched his first two opponents. In the quarter-finals, though, he ran into red hot 17-year-old Borna Ćorić and was beaten in straight sets.

Paris Masters and ATP World Tour Finals

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After his defeat in Basel, Nadal announced that he was not in a condition to be able to compete at the level necessary to win and opted out of both the Paris Masters and the ATP World Tour Finals to have surgery for his appendicitis. It was the third time that Nadal was forced to withdraw from the ATP World Tour Finals after he had qualified.

All matches

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Key
W  F  SF QF #R RR Q# P# DNQ A Z# PO G S B NMS NTI P NH
(W) winner; (F) finalist; (SF) semifinalist; (QF) quarterfinalist; (#R) rounds 4, 3, 2, 1; (RR) round-robin stage; (Q#) qualification round; (P#) preliminary round; (DNQ) did not qualify; (A) absent; (Z#) Davis/Fed Cup Zonal Group (with number indication) or (PO) play-off; (G) gold, (S) silver or (B) bronze Olympic/Paralympic medal; (NMS) not a Masters tournament; (NTI) not a Tier I tournament; (P) postponed; (NH) not held; (SR) strike rate (events won / competed); (W–L) win–loss record.
To avoid confusion and double counting, these charts are updated at the conclusion of a tournament or when the player's participation has ended.

Singles matches

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Tournament Match Round Opponent (seed or key) Rank Result Score
Qatar ExxonMobil Open
Doha, Qatar
ATP Tour 250
Hard, outdoor
30 December 2013 – 5 January 2014
1 / 788 1R Czech Republic Lukáš Rosol 47 Win 6–2, 7–6(9–7)
2 / 789 2R Germany Tobias Kamke 74 Win 6–3, 6–7(3–7), 6–3
3 / 790 QF Latvia Ernests Gulbis (7) 27 Win 7–5, 6–4
4 / 791 SF Germany Peter Gojowczyk (Q) 162 Win 4–6, 6–2, 6–3
5 / 792 W France Gaël Monfils 31 Win (1) 6–1, 6–7(5–7), 6–2


Australian Open
Melbourne, Australia
Grand Slam tournament
Hard, outdoor
13–26 January 2014
6 / 793 1R Australia Bernard Tomic 57 Win 6–4, ret.
7 / 794 2R Australia Thanasi Kokkinakis (WC) 570 Win 6–2, 6–4, 6–2
8 / 795 3R France Gaël Monfils (25) 32 Win 6–1, 6–2, 6–3
9 / 796 4R Japan Kei Nishikori (16) 17 Win 7–6(7–3), 7–5, 7–6(7–3)
10 / 797 QF Bulgaria Grigor Dimitrov (22) 22 Win 3–6, 7–6(7–3), 7–6(9–7), 6–2
11 / 798 SF Switzerland Roger Federer (6) 6 Win 7–6(7–4), 6–3, 6–3
12 / 799 F Switzerland Stanislas Wawrinka (8) 8 Loss (1) 3–6, 2–6, 6–3, 3–6


Rio Open
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
ATP Tour 500
Clay, outdoor
17–23 February 2014
13 / 800 1R Spain Daniel Gimeno Traver 84 Win 6–3, 7–5
14 / 801 2R Spain Albert Montañés 72 Win 6–1, 6–2
15 / 802 QF Portugal João Sousa 48 Win 6–1, 6–0
16 / 803 SF Spain Pablo Andújar (8) 40 Win 2–6, 6–3, 7–6(12–10)
17 / 804 W Ukraine Alexandr Dolgopolov 54 Win (2) 6–3, 7–6(7–3)


BNP Paribas Open
Indian Wells, United States
ATP Tour Masters 1000
Hard, outdoor
3–16 March 2014
1R Bye
18 / 805 2R Czech Republic Radek Štěpánek 50 Win 2–6, 6–4, 7–5
19 / 806 3R Ukraine Alexandr Dolgopolov 31 Loss 3–6, 6–3, 6–7(5–7)


Sony Open Tennis
Miami, United States
ATP Tour Masters 1000
Hard, outdoor
17–30 March 2014
1R Bye
20 / 807 2R Australia Lleyton Hewitt 44 Win 6–1, 6–3
21 / 808 3R Uzbekistan Denis Istomin 57 Win 6–1, 6–0
22 / 809 4R Italy Fabio Fognini (14) 14 Win 6–2, 6–2
23 / 810 QF Canada Milos Raonic (12) 12 Win 4–6, 6–2, 6–4
SF Czech Republic Tomáš Berdych (7) 7 W/O N/A
24 / 811 F Serbia Novak Djokovic (2) 2 Loss (2) 3–6, 3–6


Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters
Monte Carlo, Monaco
ATP Tour Masters 1000
Clay, outdoor
12–20 April 2014
1R Bye
25 / 812 2R Russia Teymuraz Gabashvili 58 Win 6–4, 6–1
26 / 813 3R Italy Andreas Seppi 35 Win 6–1, 6–3
27 / 814 QF Spain David Ferrer (6) 6 Loss 6–7(1–7), 4–6


Barcelona Open BancSabadell
Barcelona, Spain
ATP Tour 500
Clay, outdoor
21–27 April 2014
1R Bye
28 / 815 2R Spain Albert Ramos 103 Win 7–6(7–2), 6–4
29 / 816 3R Croatia Ivan Dodig 37 Win 6–3, 6–3
30 / 817 QF Spain Nicolás Almagro (6) 20 Loss 6–2, 6–7(5–7), 4–6


Madrid Open
Madrid, Spain
ATP Tour Masters 1000
Clay, outdoor
5–11 May 2014
1R Bye
31 / 818 2R Argentina Juan Mónaco 56 Win 6–1, 6–0
32 / 819 3R Finland Jarkko Nieminen 57 Win 6–1, 6–4
33 / 820 QF Czech Republic Tomáš Berdych (6) 6 Win 6–4, 6–2
34 / 821 SF Spain Roberto Bautista Agut 45 Win 6–4, 6–3
35 / 822 W Japan Kei Nishikori (10) 12 Win (3) 2–6, 6–4, 3–0 ret.


Italian Open
Rome, Italy
ATP Tour Masters 1000
Clay, outdoor
12–18 May 2014
1R Bye
36 / 823 2R France Gilles Simon 30 Win 7–6(7–1), 6–7(4–7), 6–2
37 / 824 3R Russia Mikhail Youzhny (14) 16 Win 6–7(4–7), 6–2, 6–1
38 / 825 QF United Kingdom Andy Murray (7) 8 Win 1–6, 6–3, 7–5
39 / 826 SF Bulgaria Grigor Dimitrov (12) 14 Win 6–2, 6–2
40 / 827 F Serbia Novak Djokovic (2) 2 Loss (3) 6–4, 3–6, 3–6


French Open
Paris, France
Grand Slam tournament
Clay, outdoor
25 May – 08 June 2014
41 / 828 1R United States Robby Ginepri (WC) 279 Win 6–0, 6–3, 6–0
42 / 829 2R Austria Dominic Thiem 57 Win 6–2, 6–2, 6–3
43 / 830 3R Argentina Leonardo Mayer 65 Win 6–2, 7–5, 6–2
44 / 831 4R Serbia Dušan Lajović 83 Win 6–1, 6–2, 6–1
45 / 832 QF Spain David Ferrer (5) 5 Win 4–6, 6–4, 6–0, 6–1
46 / 833 SF United Kingdom Andy Murray (7) 8 Win 6–3, 6–2, 6–1
47 / 834 W Serbia Novak Djokovic (2) 2 Win (4) 3–6, 7–5, 6–2, 6–4


Gerry Weber Open
Halle, Germany
ATP Tour 250
Grass, outdoor
9–15 June 2014
1R Bye
48 / 835 2R Germany Dustin Brown (WC) 85 Loss 4–6, 1–6


Wimbledon
London, United Kingdom
Grand Slam tournament
Grass, outdoor
23 June – 6 July 2014
49 / 836 1R Slovakia Martin Kližan 51 Win 4–6, 6–3, 6–3, 6–3
50 / 837 2R Czech Republic Lukáš Rosol 52 Win 4–6, 7–6(8–6), 6–4, 6–4
51 / 838 3R Kazakhstan Mikhail Kukushkin 65 Win 6–7(4–7),6–1, 6–1, 6–1
52 / 839 4R Australia Nick Kyrgios 144 Loss 6–7(5–7), 7–5, 6–7(5–7), 3–6


China Open
Beijing, China
ATP Tour 500
Hard, outdoor
29 September – 5 October 2014
53 / 840 1R France Richard Gasquet 22 Win 6–4, 6–0
54 / 841 2R Germany Peter Gojowczyk 122 Win 6–3, 6–4
55 / 842 QF Slovakia Martin Kližan 56 Loss 7–6(9–7), 4–6, 3–6


Shanghai Masters
Shanghai, China
ATP Tour Masters 1000
Hard, outdoor
5–14 October 2014
1R Bye
56 / 843 2R Spain Feliciano López 21 Loss 3–6, 6–7(6–8)


Swiss Indoors
Basel, Switzerland
ATP Tour 500
Hard, indoor
18–26 October 2014
57 / 844 1R Italy Simone Bolelli 77 Win 6–2, 6–2
58 / 845 2R France Pierre-Hugues Herbert 120 Win 6–1, 6–1
59 / 846 QF Croatia Borna Ćorić 124 Loss 2–6, 6–7(4–7)

Doubles matches

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Tournament Match Round Opponents (seed or key) Ranks Result Score
Qatar Open
Doha, Qatar
ATP Tour 250
Hard, outdoor
30 December 2013 – 4 January 2014
Partner: Spain Francisco Roig
1 / 165 1R Spain Pablo Andújar / Czech Republic Lukáš Rosol #170 / #72 Win 6–3, 2–6, 6–4
2 / 166 QF Croatia Ivan Dodig / Brazil Marcelo Melo (3) #7 / #6 Loss 4–6, 6–7 (1–7)
China Open
Beijing, China
ATP Tour 500
Hard, outdoor
29 September – 5 October 2014
Partner: Spain Pablo Andújar
3 / 167 1R Czech Republic Tomáš Berdych / United States John Isner (3) #190 / #143 Loss 5–7, 6–4, [4–10]

Exhibition matches

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Tournament Match Round Opponent (seed or key) Rank Result Score
Mubadala World Tennis Championship
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Exhibition
Hard, outdoor
26–28 December 2013
QF Bye
1 SF Spain David Ferrer (3) 3 Loss 4–6, 4–6
2 SF-B France Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (6) 10 Win 7–6(7–5), 6–3

Tournament schedule

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Singles schedule

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Nadal's 2014 singles tournament schedule is as follows:

Date Tournament Location Category Surface1 Outcome 2013 Outcome 2014 Prev. Pts New Pts2
30 Dec 2013–05 Jan 2014 Qatar Open Doha, Qatar ATP World Tour 250 Hard DNS W 0 250
13 Jan 2014–26 Jan 2014 Australian Open Melbourne, Australia Grand Slam Hard DNS F 0 1200
17 Feb 2014–23 Feb 2014 Rio Open Rio de Janeiro, Brazil ATP World Tour 500 Clay - W 0 500
06 Mar 2014–16 Mar 2014 Indian Wells Masters Indian Wells, United States ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Hard W 3R 1000 45
19 Mar 2014–30 Mar 2014 Miami Masters Miami, United States ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Hard DNS F 0 600
13 Apr 2014–20 Apr 2014 Monte-Carlo Masters Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, France ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Clay F QF 600 180
21 Apr 2014–27 Apr 2014 Barcelona Open Barcelona, Spain ATP World Tour 500 Clay W QF 500 90
4 May 2014 – 11 May 2014 Madrid Open Madrid, Spain ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Clay W W 1000 1000
11 May 2014 – 18 May 2014 Italian Open Rome, Italy ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Clay W F 1000 600
25 May 2014–08 Jun 2014 French Open Paris, France Grand Slam Clay W W 2000 2000
09 Jun 2014–15 Jun 2014 Halle Open Halle, Germany ATP World Tour 250 Grass DNS 2R 0 0
23 Jun 2014–06 Jul 2014 Wimbledon Championships London, United Kingdom Grand Slam Grass 1R 4R 10 180
04 Aug 2014–10 Aug 2014 Canadian Open Toronto, Canada ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Hard W DNS 1000 0
10 Aug 2014–17 Aug 2014 Cincinnati Masters Cincinnati, United States ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Hard W DNS 1000 0
25 Aug 2014–07 Sep 2014 US Open New York City, United States Grand Slam Hard W DNS 2000 0
29 Sep 2014–04 Oct 2014 China Open Beijing, China ATP World Tour 500 Hard F QF 300 90
05 Oct 2014–12 Oct 2014 Shanghai Masters Shanghai, China ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Hard SF 2R 360 10
18 Oct 2014–26 Oct 2014 Swiss Indoors Basel, Switzerland ATP World Tour 500 Hard (i) DNS 0
Total 13030 6745 (8105)

1 The symbol (i) = indoors means that the respective tournament will be held indoors.

2 The ATP numbers between brackets = non-countable tournaments.

Head-to-head matchups

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Ordered by number of wins, then ranking at the time of the most recent match.

Finals

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Singles: 7 (4–3)

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Category
Grand Slam (1–1)
ATP World Tour Finals (0–0)
ATP World Tour Masters 1000 (1–2)
ATP World Tour 500 (1–0)
ATP World Tour 250 (1–0)
Titles by surface
Hard (1–2)
Clay (3–1)
Grass (0–0)
Titles by conditions
Outdoors (4–3)
Indoors (0–0)
Outcome No. Date Championship Surface Opponent in the final Score in the final
Winner 61 January 5, 2014 Qatar Open, Doha, Qatar Hard France Gaël Monfils 6–1, 6–7(5–7), 6–2
Runner-up 26 January 26, 2014 Australian Open, Melbourne, Australia (2) Hard Switzerland Stanislas Wawrinka 3–6, 2–6, 6–3, 3–6
Winner 62 February 23, 2014 Rio Open, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Clay Ukraine Alexandr Dolgopolov 6–3, 7–6(7–3)
Runner-up 27 March 30, 2014 Miami Masters, Miami, United States (4) Hard Serbia Novak Djokovic 3–6, 3–6
Winner 63 May 11, 2014 Madrid Open, Madrid, Spain (4) Clay Japan Kei Nishikori 2–6, 6–4, 3–0 ret.
Runner-up 28 May 18, 2014 Italian Open, Rome, Italy (2) Clay Serbia Novak Djokovic 6–4, 3–6, 3–6
Winner 64 June 8, 2014 French Open, Paris, France (9) Clay Serbia Novak Djokovic 3–6, 7–5, 6–2, 6–4

Earnings

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  • Bold font denotes tournament win.
# Venue Singles prize money Year-to-date
1. Qatar Open $188,600 $188,600
2. Australian Open $1,191,572 $1,380,172
3. Rio Open $316,400 $1,696,572
4. Indian Wells Masters $28,000 $1,697,572
5. Miami Masters $384,065 $2,081,637
6. Monte-Carlo Masters €68,890 $2,199,357
7. Barcelona Open €38,960 $2,263,337
8. Madrid Open €698,720 $3,227,472
9. Italian Open €269,150 $3,597,742
10. French Open €1,650,000 $5,845,702
11. Halle Open €12,340 $5,862,532
12. Wimbledon £117,000 $6,061,526
As of July 7, 2014

See also

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References

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  1. ^ BBSSport:Rafael Nadal: 14-time Grand Slam winner confirms his season is over
  2. ^ BBC Sport:Rafael Nadal beats Gael Monfils to win Qatar title
  3. ^ "Wawrinka wins Australian Open final". BBC Sport.
  4. ^ Rafael Nadal's Barcelona Open winning streak ended by Nicolás Almagro
  5. ^ "Home". atpworldtour.com.
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