Rafael Nadal's FIRST CAREER TITLE - Sopot 2004 Final Highlights

Highlights of Rafael Nadal's final match at the 2004 Orange Warsaw Open, Sopot vs Jose Acasuso. The date is August 15, Nadal has 18 years, 2 months and 11 days. He opened 2004 with his first ever ATP Final (in Auckland) which he lost to Dominik Hrbaty in a tough 3-set match (6-4 2-6 5-7).
Nadal became the youngest player to lift his maiden ATP title since Lleyton Hewitt in Adelaide 1998. In 2004 Nadal also stunned Roger Federer in Miami in two sets. Nadal suffered a left ankle injury in Estoril against Richard Gasquet and was forced to miss almost 3 months, coming back in Bastad in July and missing all the big events on clay.
As of June 3rd, 2018 Nadal has won 16 Grand Slam titles and has set an immense amount of records, a very high ledge for the tennis players of the future. Nadal is the first man to lift 10 Men's Singles titles at one Major (Roland Garros), to have 10 consecutive years of winning 1+ major title (2005-2014), to have won the same tournament 11 times (Monte Carlo Rolex Masters, Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell).
Nadal also has a record of 32 ATP World Tour Masters 1000 titles, a record 20 ATP World Tour 500 tournaments, and won the 2008 Olympic gold medal in singles. He became the youngest in the Open Era to achieve the Career Grand Slam at age 24.
He also owns the longest single-surface winning streak in the Open Era, having won 81 consecutive matches on clay from April 2005 to May 2007. In 2018 Rafael also broke John Mcenroe's long-standing record of most consectutive sets won on a single surface (50 sets in a rown on clay compared to John's 49 consecutive sets on carpet).
Rafael Nadal has a net worth of 160 million dollars.

[@mateoagustinbrouchy5941]

Rafa's trophy position on his serve was pretty good!!

[@suyogv5631]

And thus one of the greatest players emerged

[@jezzaus2124]

Now it is 2020 and he is still winning Roland Garros without dropping a single set. Unreal.

[@julioquezada8473]

Ya en el 2023 y no jugó este Rolland Garros por lesión

[@WivoRN]

Beautiful find! Thank you

[@lilbird2734]

Thanks! Made my day! Always love watching young Rafa! So bold and strong! Nobody could beat him! VAMOS to the King! 👑

[@paulvera690]

Sopot,OMG,I did not know.I am from Gdansk10 km south.Great tennis

[@rostorik_abc]

Came back here after touring Rafa Museum in Mallorca - this title holds a special place in his trophy room, as the first ATP win ever. Must be a sweet feeling for someone who was there at the match, not knowing that they're witnessing the rise of the best clay player in tennis history.

[@pinkballoon8181]

Thanks for uploading! Great to see young Rafa

[@lexi6693]

I love this. Who would have thought that he's playing against the future goat of tennis.

[@vicvic553]

Who is here today after 13 RG won?

[@MrLukasz15]

14*

[@eswarrao688]

He was a clay court monster in men's tennis at 17 only.... Amazing player....

[@Introverder]

He may be a good player someday. He has some potential this Nadal fellow.

[@vosharap]

Great to see Nadal! as well as Acasuso

[@norkoc7621]

TVN?! Hahahha XD kiedyś to było

[@vjegabijuprakash]

Even at that age he had a strapping around the knee....he always had knee problems...

[@josegiklk3198]

yes, in this year . Nadal suffered a left ankle injury in Estoril against Richard Gasquet and was forced to miss almost 3 months, If he had played in Roland Garros, I have no doubt that he could have won it.

[@telmolicious]

@@josegiklk3198 Def. could.... but would he? He lost to some dude I've never heard of before his stress fracture and then lost to Gaudio (the 2004 FO winner) and Ferrer. The last 2 are obviously great players and that happened after the stress fracture but he still lost to some random dude before that. At the end of the year he also lost a set and was pushed to a tiebreak in another set against Roddick on clay (Roddick sucks on clay) Now obviously the Davis cup final is nerve racking for a young guy but so would winning the FO have been.... Who knows if he coulda already handles Coria, Gaudio and Guga but I would never write him off. Not even then.

[@jezzaus2124]

@@josegiklk3198 Doubtful. Coria was the main guy on Clay at this time and if we are being honest, would have won at RG if he didn't start to cramp up. Nadal needed another year to let his game evolve a little more.

[@josegiklk3198]

@@jezzaus2124 coria was very good, but coria lost that final of roland against a normal player called gaudio. coria choked, coria lost to gaudio, gaudio with all due respect he was a very normal player, even in his best years.

[@lylianemanquest2323]

déjà !!!!

[@rodrigosygua4478]

Y así nació la leyenda llamada Rafa Garros!

[@dawid15893]

Takie coś na TVN szok

[@dusanstanisic7567]

This was a really good match. A lot tougher than it seems. But even at just 18 it seems barely anyone could match rafa on clay. Acasuso played great and he would become a decent player himself in a couple of years but he wasn't all that mentally.

[@telmolicious]

Nadal has 18 years? I know u are Spanish for that but thanks for the upload :D !

[@RossBayCult]

I’m watching this after I saw Carlos Alcaraz beat Tsitsipas. He’s a right handed Nadal.

[@marcosgonzolez2912]

of course its on clay :P

[@marcosgonzolez2912]

your name took the feelings right out of my life lol

[@lonbra2012]

And all tennis specialists like you believed Nadal would never win anything other then clay court's tournaments.

[@marcosgonzolez2912]

That is incorrect. Why the hostility?

[@NLLeFa]

Federe's and Djokovic's first titles were also on clay. At least for Novak I'm sure. Roger's first masters 1000 titlte was on clay.

[@menon_ji4984]

Both Federer and Djokovic won their first ever titles on clay

[@LucasEmanuelSerrano]

Since that year, he never choose another racket...

[@JiraiyaSama86]

Lucas Emanuel Serrano if you mean babolat, I was under the impression he always had that since his first year. But that was funny, cuz I could imagine the movie announcer guy saying that line lol

[@LucasEmanuelSerrano]

I mean that model, the brand was never in discussion, Babolat Aeropro Drive Original, he only change the paint job... Of course he tried the new models but always came back to this.

[@_someone_7247]

My mamy taki obiekt w Polsce?

[@ElMatadorRafaelNadal]

Rafa usaba la Pure Drive !??

[@RossBayCult]

El Matador Aero Pro Drive

[@kiltropablinho79]

El drive de xuxo es muy similar al de moya

[@telmolicious]

00:00 Gulbis? :D

[@szymonwdziekonski6953]

Atp sopot, xddd