Nadal started the year winning Mubadala Title defeating Milos Raonic in straight sets.
After that, he entered the Doha, Qatar, where he reached the finals, losing to Djokovic in straight sets.
This was their 47th match, after which Djokovic led their head-to-head rivalry with 24 matches won.
At the Australian Open, Nadal was defeated in five sets by compatriot Fernando Verdasco in the first round.
The defeat marked his first opening round exit at the Australian Open.

In April he won his 28th Masters 1000 in Monte Carlo.

He went on to win his 17th ATP 500 in Barcelona, winning the trophy for the ninth time in his career.

He continued the clay court season in Madrid, falling to Murray in the semifinal.

The following week, Nadal played in Rome Masters where he reached the quarterfinal.
Nadal was again defeated by Djokovic in straight sets, although he had a break advantage in both sets and served to win the second.

Following Federer's withdrawal due to injury, Nadal was named the fourth seed at the French Open.
On 26 May, he became the eighth male player in tennis history to record 200 Grand Slam match wins, as he defeated Facundo Bagnis in straight sets in the second round of the Slam.
Following the victory, however, Nadal had to withdraw from competition owing to a left wrist injury initially suffered during the Madrid Open, handing Marcel Granollers a walk-over into the fourth round.
On 9 June, Nadal announced that the same wrist injury that forced him to withdraw from  the French Open needed more time to heal, and that he would not play at the 2016 Wimbledon Championships.
At the Rio 2016 Olympics, Nadal achieved 800 career wins with his quarterfinal victory over the Brazilian Thomaz Bellucci.
Partnering Marc López, he won the gold medal in men's doubles event for Spain by defeating Romania's Florin Mergea and Horia Tecau in the finals.
This made Nadal the second man in the open era to have won gold medals in both singles and doubles.
Nadal also advanced to the bronze medal match in the men's singles but was defeated by Kei Nishikori.

At the US Open Nadal was seeded #4 and advanced to the fourth round but was defeated by 24th seed Lucas Pouille in 5 sets.
The defeat meant that 2016 was the first year since 2004 in which Nadal had failed to reach a Grand Slam quarter-final.
He played the Shanghai Masters and was upset in the second round by Viktor Troicki.
He subsequently ended his 2016 season to let his wrist recover.
Nadal started the year winning Mubadala Title defeating Milos Raonic in straight sets. After that, he entered the Doha, Qatar, where he reached the finals, losing to Djokovic in straight sets. This was their 47th match, after which Djokovic led their head-to-head rivalry with 24 matches won. At the Australian Open, Nadal was defeated in five sets by compatriot Fernando Verdasco in the first round. The defeat marked his first opening round exit at the Australian Open.
In April he won his 28th Masters 1000 in Monte Carlo.
He went on to win his 17th ATP 500 in Barcelona, winning the trophy for the ninth time in his career.
He continued the clay court season in Madrid, falling to Murray in the semifinal.
The following week, Nadal played in Rome Masters where he reached the quarterfinal. Nadal was again defeated by Djokovic in straight sets, although he had a break advantage in both sets and served to win the second.
Following Federer's withdrawal due to injury, Nadal was named the fourth seed at the French Open. On 26 May, he became the eighth male player in tennis history to record 200 Grand Slam match wins, as he defeated Facundo Bagnis in straight sets in the second round of the Slam. Following the victory, however, Nadal had to withdraw from competition owing to a left wrist injury initially suffered during the Madrid Open, handing Marcel Granollers a walk-over into the fourth round. On 9 June, Nadal announced that the same wrist injury that forced him to withdraw from  the French Open needed more time to heal, and that he would not play at the 2016 Wimbledon Championships. At the Rio 2016 Olympics, Nadal achieved 800 career wins with his quarterfinal victory over the Brazilian Thomaz Bellucci. Partnering Marc López, he won the gold medal in men's doubles event for Spain by defeating Romania's Florin Mergea and Horia Tecau in the finals. This made Nadal the second man in the open era to have won gold medals in both singles and doubles. Nadal also advanced to the bronze medal match in the men's singles but was defeated by Kei Nishikori.
At the US Open Nadal was seeded #4 and advanced to the fourth round but was defeated by 24th seed Lucas Pouille in 5 sets. The defeat meant that 2016 was the first year since 2004 in which Nadal had failed to reach a Grand Slam quarter-final. He played the Shanghai Masters and was upset in the second round by Viktor Troicki. He subsequently ended his 2016 season to let his wrist recover.
Rafael Nadal