Rafael Nadal will start the 2024 Italian Open main draw with an incredible 90% victory percentage at the ATP Masters 1000 event. This will be Nadal’s 19th appearance in the main draw of the tournament.

At the Foro Italico, the legendary tennis player has won ten times. His victories came in 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2018, 2019 and 2021.

Only six players have ever defeated him in the Rome tournament during his illustrious career; one player has accomplished the remarkable feat of defeating him three times. He has a 69–8 win–loss record there.

The following athletes have defeated Rafael Nadal in the Italian Open:

Juan Carlos Ferrero (2008)

The first player to beat Rafael Nadal in Italy was former world No. 1 Juan Carlos Ferrero, who triumphed against the fellow Spaniard in the second round.

As the three-time defending champion, Nadal had a 17-0 record going into the 2008 competition. Prior to the competition, he was really 105-1 in clay court matches, but he lost 7-5, 6-1 to Ferrero.

Stan Wawrinka, 2015

Stan Wawrinka became just the third player to defeat Rafael Nadal at the Foro Italico the following year, continuing Nadal’s “lean period” in Rome following his defeat by Djokovic in the 2014 final.

While Nadal dropped his fifth match on clay that year, Wawrinka prevailed 7-6 (9-7), 6-2. It was a sign of things to come at Roland Garros, when Djokovic defeated Rafael Nadal in straight sets in the quarterfinals, and the Serbian lost to Wawrinka in four sets in the championship match.

Dominic Thiem, 2017

Dominic Thiem became the latest player to overcome Rafael Nadal at the Rome Open, prolonging the player’s four-year title drought.

Eighth seed Thiem beat his respected opponent 6-4, 6-3 in the quarterfinals before falling to Djokovic in the next round. Before falling to Thiem, Nadal had won all 17 of his clay-court matches, so the loss was unexpected. However, a few weeks later, the Spaniard did go on to win the French Open.

Diego Schwartzman, 2020

After taking home the trophies in 2018 and 2019, Rafael Nadal was denied a second hat-trick when Diego Schwartzman of Argentina surprised him in the Rome quarterfinal, winning the Argentine’s first match against the Spaniard in ten tries.

After winning 6-2, 7-5, Schwartzman declared, “It’s my best match ever.” “I had a couple of matches against the three major tennis champions. Until now, I had never defeated them. I am overjoyed.

Denis Shapovalov, 2021

In the third round of the 2021 Italian Open, Canadian Denis Shapovalov defeated Rafael Nadal 1-6, 7-5, 6-2, to become the last person to defeat the Spaniard in that fashion.

Despite facing serious uncertainties about his participation in the French Open due to a rib injury he suffered during the competition, Rafael Nadal managed to compete in the big clay-court event and ultimately emerged victorious at Roland Garros,, taking home his 14th trophy.

Novak Djokovic: 2011, 2014, 2016

Nadal was denied a third hat-trick of championships in Rome when Novak Djokovic defeated him in the 2011 event final, following his victories in the 2009 and 2010 editions. The match itself fell short of expectations as Djokovic defeated the field 6-4, 6-4 to win the ATP Tour for the 39th time in a row and extend his 2011 unbeaten run to 37 games.

After losing to Roger Federer in the 2013 final, Nadal turned the tables on Djokovic the next year and won the title, but Djokovic once more showed why he was his archenemy in 2014, winning 4-6,6-3, and 6-3.

In the quarterfinals of the 2016 Rome Open, Djokovic upset his fierce adversary Rafael Nadal 7-5, 7-6 (7-4) to earn his third victory over the Spanish player.