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Rafael Nadal became the first player to win 400 Masters 1000 matches on Monday after beating Dan Evans in straight sets at Indian Wells.
The Spaniard, who pulled off a miraculous escape against Sebastian Korda in the second round, started slowly and was broken early by the Brit. But the 35-year-old hit back strongly and broke twice to take the opening set 7-5.
Nadal pulled away in the second set, taking it 6-3 to confirm his spot in the fourth round of the Masters 1000 event and achieve a new milestone. The Spaniard's 400 wins at Masters 1000 events place him well ahead of Roger Federer, who has 381 victories to his name.
Nadal's first victory in the category came against Karol Kucera in the first round of the 2003 Monte-Carlo Masters. He beat the Slovak 6-1, 6-2 before defeating fourth seed and reigning French Open champion Albert Costa to reach the third round. The Spaniard lost to eventual runner-up Guillermo Coria.
Nadal's 100th Masters 1000 win came against Tomas Berdych in the semifinals of the 2008 Miami Masters. The Spaniard reached the last four of the competition following victories over Benjamin Becker, Nicolas Keifer, Paul-Henri Mathieu and James Blake.
The second seed then dismantled Berdych 7-6(6), 6-2 to advance to the final, where he lost to Nikolay Davydenko in straight sets.
Nadal's 200th win came in the semifinals of the Monte-Carlo Masters in 2011. The Spaniard entered the competition as the six-time defending champion and reached the semifinals without dropping a single set.
Nadal won the opening set of his semi-final clash against Andy Murray, but the Scot rallied to take the second 6-2. The King of Clay was not to be denied a victory though as he claimed the third set 6-1 to notch up his 200th Masters 1000 win and advance to the final.
The Spaniard beat compatriot David Ferrer 6-4, 7-5 to win the Monte-Carlo Masters for the seventh consecutive year.
The Spaniard's 300th Masters 1000 victory came against Stan Wawrinka in the 2015 Shanghai Masters. Seeded eighth, Nadal reached the quarterfinals of the competition after beating Ivo Karlovic and Milos Raonic.
He then dismantled Wawrinka 6-2, 6-1 to book his place in the semifinals, where he lost to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.
Rafael Nadal is 17-0 in 2022
Nadal has enjoyed his best-ever start to a season, winning 17 matches in a row. The Spaniard won the Melbourne Summer Set 1 title and followed it up by claiming his second Australian Open crown and a record 21st Grand Slam title. The Spaniard then won the Mexican Open in Acapulco without dropping a single set.
Nadal's 17-0 start to 2022 is the joint-third best since 1990, matching Pete Sampras and Roger Federer's tallies from the 1997 and 2018 season respectively.
But he still trails Novak Djokovic by a significant margin. The Serb went 26-0 at the start of 2020 and an astonishing 41-0 in 2011.
Given his current form and the exits of players like Daniil Medvedev, Alexander Zverev and Stefanos Tsitsipas, Nadal has a good shot at winning the Indian Wells Masters for the fourth time in his career. The 35-year-old will take on 17th seed Reilly Opelka in the last 16.
If the Spaniard wins the tournament, he will improve to 21-0.
Also Check Out: Indian Wells Masters 2022 Results
