Rafael Nadal is a tennis player.
Rafael `` Rafa '' Nadal Parera ( [ rəfəˈɛɫ nəˈðaɫ pəˈɾeɾə ] , [ rafaˈel naˈðal paˈɾeɾa ] ; born 3 June 1986 ) is a Spanish professional tennis player . He is widely regarded as the greatest clay-court player in history , and owing to his dominance and success on the surface , he has been called `` The King of Clay '' . He was also a member of the winning Spain Davis Cup team in 2004 , 2008 , 2009 , and 2011 . Nadal is the only male player in tennis history to win one Grand Slam and at least one Masters 1000 title for ten consecutive years from 2005 -- 2014 .