The Monte Carlo Masters proved to be one of the greatest events of Rafael Nadal’s legendary career.
‘King of Clay’ Nadal won 11 titles at the Masters 1000 tournament and won a staggering 73 matches, tasting defeat just six times.
Here, we take a look at the select group of players who managed to beat Nadal at the Monte Carlo Country Club.
Guillermo Coria – 2003
Nadal made his Monte Carlo debut as a qualifier in 2003, beating Karol Kucera and fourth seed Albert Costa – the reigning Roland Garros champion – to reach the third round.
It was a breakout run for the 16-year-old Spaniard, though he was then beaten 7-6(3), 6-2 in the third round by Coria.
Coria would go on to lose the final to Juan Carlos Ferrero, but then captured the title in 2004 and reached a third straight final in 2005 – where he lost to Nadal in four sets.
Defeat to the Argentine would remain Nadal’s only Monte Carlo loss for ten years.
Novak Djokovic – 2013 & 2015
Djokovic held a narrow 31-29 lead over Nadal in their epic head-to-head by the time the latter retired, and the Serb is the only man to have beaten the Spaniard twice at this tournament.
After defeats to his rival in the 2009 and 2012 finals, Djokovic ended Nadal’s run of eight straight titles and 46 consecutive match wins with a 6-2, 7-6(1) victory in the 2013 final.
Two years later, the 24-time Grand Slam champion beat Nadal 6-3, 6-3 in the 2015 semi-finals, before claiming his second title with a win over Tomas Berdych.
The pair ultimately finished with a 2-2 record in their Monte Carlo rivalry.
David Ferrer – 2014
Nadal was often Ferrer’s foil in terms of winning big titles on the dirt, with the ‘King of Clay’ beating Ferrer in his compatriot’s only Grand Slam final at the 2013 French Open.
However, less than 12 months later, Ferrer was able to get a significant win over his nemesis in the Monte Carlo quarter-finals.
After sealing a tight opening set, the former world No 3 went on to seal an impressive 7-6(1), 6-4 victory – though he was beaten by eventual champion Stan Wawrinka in the last four.
This was the first time since his 2004 withdrawal that Nadal had not made the Monte Carlo final.
Fabio Fognini – 2019
Perhaps Nadal’s most surprising Monte Carlo loss came to Fognini, with the Italian picking up one of the biggest wins of his career in the last four of the 2019 tournament.
Second seed Nadal was the only player inside the top eight to make the semi-final and, as the three-time defending champion, was an overwhelming favourite to down Fognini.
However, the 13th seed produced the performance of his life at the Monte Carlo Country Club, stunning the Spaniard 6-4, 6-2.
Fognini went on to beat Dusan Lajovic in a surprise final, claiming his only Masters 1000 title.
Andrey Rublev – 2021
The sixth and final man to beat Nadal in Monte Carlo was Rublev, who ended Nadal’s astonishing Monte Carlo career in 2021.
Having won his two previous meetings against the Russian, Nadal would have fancied his chances in his quest for a record-extending 12th title.
However, in one of the biggest results of his career at that point, Rublev battled his way to a 6-2, 4-6, 6-2 triumph in their quarter-final clash.
