Baseline Awards of 2019: Player of the year

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Baseline Awards of 2019: Player of the year

Rafael Nadal added to his legendary career with an outstanding 2019 campaign.

ByVan Sias

Published Dec 28, 2019

Rafael Nadal’s 2019 campaign was the living embodiment of the “it’s not how you start, it’s how you finish” adage.

For the first time in more than a decade, the Spaniard failed to win a title through April, with even Barcelona and Monte Carlo—venues where he’s been particularly prolific—proving inhospitable.

The greatest male clay-court player of all time got back to his winning ways in Rome, which was the perfect preparation for the second Grand Slam of the year, the French Open. In Paris, Nadal only dropped one set through his first six matches to set up a final against Dominic Thiem, who recently beat him in Barcelona. Nadal topped the Austrian in four sets to extend his record-setting title run at Roland Garros to 12.

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An Australian Open finalist at the start of the year and now a French Open champion, Nadal set his sights on Wimbledon. The two-time champion fell in the semifinals to Roger Federer, but just by reaching the quarterfinals, he notched a personal accomplishment by reaching the last eight at the All-England Club in the same year he advanced to the finals at the year’s first two majors.

When the tour turned to the summer hard-court stretch, Nadal got off to a perfect start by winning the Masters 1000 event in Canada. As was the case earlier in the summer, he rode the momentum from a Masters title to Grand Slam glory as he won the US Open for the fourth time, topping Daniil Medvedev in what was arguably the match of the year.

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Despite his accomplishments, Nadal still trailed Novak Djokovic in the standings for most of the year, until he finally overtook him toward the end. Outside of his individual accomplishments, the year was also a good one for Nadal when others had his back, as he was part of title-winning teams at both the Laver Cup and Davis Cup.

At 33, Nadal doesn’t appear to be slowing down any time soon. And as he showed in 2019, knowing how to navigate the ups and downs of a long season can be rewarding in the end.

Follow Van on Twitter: @Van_Sias