The 2017 Rafael Nadal tennis season officially began on 3 January 2017, with the start of the Brisbane International, and ended on 13 November 2017, with a loss in the round robin of the ATP Finals and subsequent withdrawal from the tournament.
The season marked a resurgence for Nadal after an injury-shortened 2016 season. Nadal won two Majors (the French Open and US Open), six titles, and ended the year as the world No. 1 for the first time since 2013.
Year summary Early hard court season Brisbane International Having started the 2017 season defending his title in the World Tennis Championship, Nadal played his first competitive tournament of the season in Australia by taking part in the Brisbane International. His first match and win was against Ukrainian Alexandr Dolgopolov. He beat Mischa Zverev in the next round, before losing to top-seed Milos Raonic in the quarter finals. He next played a FAST4 exhibition tournament in Sydney, which was run concurrently with the Apia International Sydney. He lost to Nick Kyrgios in his only match.
Australian Open
Nadal was seeded ninth in the first major of the year, the Australian Open. After two relatively easy rounds against Florian Mayer, and former finalist Marcos Baghdatis, he faced 19-year-old Alexander Zverev in the third round. He prevailed in a five-set match, twice coming back from one set down, after the youngster began suffering cramps in the final set. He defeated the French number one, and world number nine Gaël Monfils in four sets in the fourth round to reach his first quarterfinal since the 2015 French Open. In a rematch against Raonic, he won in straight sets. In the semifinal, he defeated rising Bulgarian star Grigor Dimitrov in a five-set match that lasted just under five hours to reach his first major final since the 2014 French Open. The Australian Open final was the 35th meeting between him and former world number one and long-time rival Roger Federer. Due to their storied rivalry, the advancing age of both players in their respective careers, critical speculation of this being their last Grand Slam finals contest against one another, and the potential tennis history made from either victory and subsequent implications on their respective legacies, the match, referred by the moniker 'Fedal XXXV',How Roger Federer finally fought his way free of Rafael Nadal was one of the most highly anticipated finals in not only the tournament's history but also all tennis history. The match went to five sets, but despite leading by a break in the final set, Nadal lost the match to Federer (who won his record-extending 18th major title) losing 5 games in a row. It was the first time Nadal lost to Federer at a major outside of Wimbledon, and the first time he lost a Grand slam match to Federer since the Wimbledon 2007 final, won by Federer in 5 sets.
Mexican Open Nadal's first scheduled tournament after the Australian Open was to be the Rotterdam Open in Rotterdam. However, he pulled out of this tournament citing fatigue. He decided to play the Mexican Open in Acapulco, and continued his impressive form by reaching the final without the loss of a set. In the first round, he defeated Mischa Zverev for the second time, before winning his second round match against Italian Paolo Lorenzi for the loss of just two games. In the quarterfinal, he eventually closed out Japanese upstart Yoshihito Nishioka despite struggling in the first set. He played eighth-ranked Croatian, Marin Čilić, in the semifinal, winning with the loss of only three games. However, he lost his second consecutive final of the season in two sets to American Sam Querrey.
Indian Wells Masters In the first Masters 1000 of the season, the Indian Wells Masters, he was handed a difficult draw due to his low ranking, being placed in the same quarter as his closest rivals, Federer, and Novak Djokovic. He followed his opening round bye with relatively easy straight set victories over Guido Pella, and countryman Fernando Verdasco, before playing Federer once again; the Swiss winning in straight sets this time. He played his first competitive doubles matches of the year, partnering Bernard Tomic. They lost in the second round to the South African-American pairing of Raven Klaasen and Rajeev Ram.
Miami Open Nadal then stayed in the United States to compete in the Miami Open. He won in straight sets against Israeli Dudi Sela, and then beat Philipp Kohlschreiber in three sets, despite winning no games in the first set. Two straight set victories over French doubles-specialist Nicolas Mahut, and Jack Sock took him to his first Masters 1000 semifinal since the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters last year. In the semifinal, he played world number 40, Fabio Fognini; the Italian famous for his comeback victory against Nadal at the 2015 US Open. The two had split their last six matches, but Nadal outclassed him in the first set, before winning a close second set, thereby reaching his fifth Miami Open final and setting up a third meeting between himself and Federer this season.ATP:Nadal Talks About Reaching Fifth Miami Final In the final, Nadal lost to Roger Federer, marking his fourth consecutive loss to the Swiss and his fifth final loss in the Miami Open.BBC Sport: Miami Open: Roger Federer beats Rafael Nadal to continue fine season start
Spring clay court season Monte-Carlo Masters With the absence of Federer, the 5th-ranked Nadal, a nine-time former champion at the tournament, was seeded 4th. After an opening round bye, he played British rising star, Kyle Edmund, in his first competitive match on clay this season. Despite winning the first set comprehensively, Nadal had to overcome a shaky second set to win the match in three sets. Nadal fared better in his next match with Alexander Zverev, winning for the loss of just two games. Nadal took on Diego Schwartzman in the quarterfinal and despite a less-dominant display, rallied to win the match in straight sets. In the semifinal, Nadal made light work of David Goffin to reach his 11th Monte-Carlo final, with Goffin visibly affected by an incorrect line call. He won his first title of the year, and a record 10th Monte-Carlo Masters title by beating compatriot Albert Ramos Viñolas in the final in straight sets, and thus, became the first man in the Open Era to win a single tournament 10 times. The title was also his 50th on clay courts, surpassing the Open Era record for most clay titles previously held by Guillermo Vilas (49 titles). It was also his 29th ATP Masters 1000 title, one short of Novak Djokovic's all-time record of 30 ATP Masters 1000 titles.
Barcelona Open Fresh from a landmark victory in Monte Carlo, Nadal proceeded to the Barcelona Open where he was seeded 3rd, and received a bye into the second round. He defeated Brazilian journeyman, Rogério Dutra Silva, for the loss of just three games, before beating Kevin Anderson. In his quarterfinal match, Nadal initially struggled against the upstart Korean, Chung Hyeon, before pulling through. Rafa managed to reach the finals with a straight set victory over Horacio Zeballos in the semifinals. A week after clinching his tenth title at Monte Carlo, he replicated that achievement at Barcelona, dominating Dominic Thiem in the final, winning in straight sets to grab his 10th title in Barcelona. The title was Nadal's record 18th ATP World Tour 500 title, his 71st tour-level crown and 51st on clay.ATP World Tour: Nadal Notches 10th Barcelona Title
Madrid Open Unbeaten on clay so far, Nadal proceeded to participate in the Madrid Open where he was seeded 4th. After an opening round bye, his second round match against Italian Fabio Fognini lasted three hours, with Nadal winning in three tight sets. He won his third round match versus the big-serving Australian, Nick Kyrgios, fairly easily; the Australian playing his first competitive tournament on clay this year. In a rematch of their Monte-Carlo semifinal, Nadal played David Goffin in the quarterfinal. Nadal won in straight sets yet again, and booked a semifinal clash with longtime nemesis and rival, World No. 2 Novak Djokovic for the 50th time in their careers. Nadal was riding a seven-match losing streak (15 consecutive sets) to the struggling Serb coming into the match. Their contrasting form continued as Nadal won in straight sets, losing just six games, for a spot in the final. The win improved Nadal's head-to-head record with Djokovic to 24–26. In the final, Nadal played Dominic Thiem for the second straight final. After saving two set points in the opening set tiebreak, Nadal recovered to win his third straight title of the season, and his fifth Madrid Open title by winning the final in straight sets. With the win, Nadal tied Djokovic's record of 30 ATP World Tour Masters 1000 singles titles.
Italian Open Bidding for a 4th consecutive title of the season and riding a 15-match winning streak, Nadal was seeded 4th and received a bye into the second round in the Italian International. He reached the third round after compatriot Nicolás Almagro retired after three games with an apparent knee injury. A straight sets victory over American 13th seed, Jack Sock pushed him to his ninth consecutive quarterfinal in Rome. For the third tournament in a row, Nadal faced Dominic Thiem, this time in the quarterfinal, but his 17–match winning streak was put to an end with a straight sets loss to the young Austrian.
French Open Despite being seeded 4th, Nadal came to the second Grand Slam of the year possessing a 17–1 win–loss record on clay for the season, and as a heavy favourite to win his 10th Roland-Garros title. His strong form continued, as he easily defeated home favorite Benoît Paire, and Dutchman Robin Haase, in the first two rounds. In the third round against top-ranked Georgian Nikoloz Basilashvili, Nadal produced an absolute masterclass, winning the match for the loss of a sole game in the second set. In an all-Spanish affair in the fourth round, Nadal made light work of 17th-seed Roberto Bautista Agut, who managed to take just five games off the former champion. In the quarterfinal, another all-Spanish clash beckoned, Nadal facing Pablo Carreño Busta this time. After a dominant display in the first set, Nadal moved into the semifinals as his compatriot withdrew with an abdominal problem early in the second set. Bidding to reach his tenth final in Paris, and seventh final of the season, Nadal met Dominic Thiem in the semifinal. In the latest chapter to their budding rivalry, Nadal avenged his sole loss of the clay court season, as he beat the Austrian to reach the final. Having lost just 29 games on his road to the final, Nadal faced a Swiss for the second consecutive Slam final, this time World No. 3, Stan Wawrinka. In the final, Nadal continued his outstanding form, defeating Wawrinka to win La Décima (Spanish: the tenth; first used during Real Madrid's 2014 UEFA Champions League victory, and subsequently in the buildup to Nadal's 10th titles at Monte-Carlo, Barcelona, and Paris) at the French Open and consigning the Swiss to his first loss in a Slam final. With this landmark victory, Nadal became the first person in the Open Era to win 10 titles in single Grand Slam event. Nadal won the tournament for the loss of 35 games, thereby marking it as the second best performance, in terms of games lost, by a male tennis player in winning a Grand Slam singles title right after Björn Borg, who lost 32 games at the 1978 Roland-Garros. Nadal also passed Pete Sampras for sole second on the men's Grand Slam singles title list with the victory, his 15 titles only second to Roger Federer's 18 (since 20). It was also Nadal's 73rd Tour title, which ranks him 6th highest in the Open Era, one behind Rod Laver.
Grass court season