Rafael Nadal was not a professional tennis player
The Barcelona Open ( currently sponsored by Banc Sabadell ) is an annual tennis tournament for male professional players . The Monte-Carlo Masters is an annual tennis tournament for male professional players held in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin , France , a commune that borders on Monaco . Rafael `` Rafa '' Nadal Parera ( [ rəfəˈɛɫ nəˈðaɫ pəˈɾeɾə ] , [ rafaˈel naˈðal paˈɾeɾa ] ; born 3 June 1986 ) is a Spanish professional tennis player . He beat Guillermo Vilas 's Open Era record of 49 clay-court titles by winning the Monte-Carlo Masters in 2017 .