On this day: Rafael Nadal announces his arrival at the age of 15
Seventeen years ago on this day, the 15-year-old Rafael Nadal had made an ATP debut at home ATP 250 event in Mallorca, with the organizers giving an invitation to one of the most promising youngsters in the world! Rafa needed no second chance to show his full potential, toppling the top-100 player Ramon Delgado from Paraguay 6-4, 6-4 in an hour and 23 minutes, joining an exclusive list of only nine players who have managed to score an ATP win before turning 16 (Richard Gasquet did that in Monte Carlo a few weeks earlier).
At the age of 15, ordinary players are only starting their junior careers but Nadal was in some different world, embracing the professional journey at the age of 14 and earning the first pro victory at Sevilla Challenger in September 2001 for a debut on the ATP list. By April 2002, Rafa already cracked the top-800 and a wild card for the ATP 250 event at his home in Mallorca was a natural step in his swift development. The young Spaniard grabbed it with both hands, breaking Delgado's serve five times from seven opportunities and saving six out of nine break points he faced to overpower almost ten years older opponent with steady and consistent groundstrokes that were the sign of what is about to come in two or three years.
Juniors often struggle to find their first serve but Rafa landed in 59 out of 66 first serves versus Delgado and that certainly helped him to control the pace and enter history books. Olivier Rochus ousted the young Mallorcan 6-2, 6-2 in the second round although he was more than happy with the way he performed in his first ATP tournament, looking eager to show even more in the rest of the season. Nadal turned 16 in June and grabbed his first Futures title in Alicante just a month later, followed by jaw-dropping five by the end of the year, a feat that was hard to repeat for much stronger, experienced and better-ranked players than him!
Also, Rafa advanced into the first Challenger semi-final in Barcelona and ended the season inside the top-200 still way before the 17th birthday, hoping for an even bigger run in 2003! In that following season, Nadal was already a well-established clay-courter, conquering Challenger titles and scoring Masters 1000 wins, still at the age of 16, and almost reached the first ATP final in Umag in July. The rest is pretty much history and it all started in Mallorca at the end of April 2002, playing with the same energy and motivation 17 years later despite already achieving almost everything he could in our sport, a true testimony of his unmatched spirit and determination that has made him one of the greatest tennis players of all time.
from Tennis World USA http://bit.ly/2ZJFYOj
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