Tennis · 2005 · Paris, France
Nadal's First French Open
A 19-year-old Rafael Nadal wins the French Open on his tournament debut, the first of a record 14 titles at Roland Garros over the following two decades.
Nadal def. Puerta, 7-5 in the 4th
Result
19
Age
14 (record)
Eventual French Open titles
Rafael Nadal arrived at the 2005 French Open as a rising 19-year-old already on a 24-match winning streak on clay that spring, having beaten Roger Federer in the semi-final on his 19th birthday to reach his first Grand Slam final on his tournament debut.
In the final, Mariano Puerta earned two match points serving at 5-4 in the fourth set, only for Nadal to save both with aggressive returns and close out the set 7-5, sealing a 6-7, 6-3, 6-1, 7-5 victory and his first Grand Slam title. It made him only the second man, after Mats Wilander in 1982, to win the French Open on his first appearance in the main draw.
The win began a run of dominance at Roland Garros without precedent in the sport, Nadal would go on to win the title a total of 14 times across his career, an achievement regularly cited as the single most dominant record by any player at any Grand Slam event in tennis history.
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