Born and raised in Mallorca, he still calls the Spanish island home during the offseason. He is one of the few players on the ATP Tour still living in their hometown.
His uncle, Toni Nadal introduced the champion to tennis when he was only 3 years old and also pushed him to be left handed because he played forehand shots with both hands.
In 2002, as a 15 year-old, Nadal had his first ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) victory after defeating Ramon Delgado in the Mallorca Open.
At the age of 17, he joined the list of the 100 Best Tennis Players in the ATP ranking.
At the age of 19, he played his maiden French Open and won it -- a feat which wasn't accomplished in Paris in the preceding 20 years.
In 2004 Miami Masters, Nadal had his first game against his big rival, Roger Federer. Moreover, in this same year he won his first ATP Tour event.
In 2005, Nadal won 16 consecutive matches along with 3 consecutive tournaments.
There is an Asteroid which has been named after Rafael Nadal and it was discovered in 2003.
Regarding his personal life, the player has said that he is a fan of Real Mallorca and Real Madrid.
Nadal started a school at Anantapur, Andhra Pradesh, India. It is known as Nadal Educational and Tennis School (NETS). It was started in the year 2010 and aimed at holistic development of underprivileged boys and girls.