• ESPN Sports Personality of the Year

Rafael Nadal - On top of the world

Rafael Nadal completed his career Grand Slam in New York © Getty Images

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At 3 in our list for ESPN Sports Personality of the Year is a man who completed a career Grand Slam at the US Open in September.

The image of Spanish football captain Iker Casillas lifting the World Cup in South Africa as Spain were crowned world champions for the first time in their history was an iconic moment. However their achievement was overshadowed by a certain individual from Mallorca.

When Rafael Nadal retired from his Australian Open quarter final against Andy Murray, many wondered whether the Spaniard would ever get the better of his troublesome knees.

But he ended his year-long title drought in spectacular fashion in Monte Carlo, hammering Fernando Verdasco 6-0 6-1. If there was any doubt that the Spaniard had returned to form, he completed a clay-court hat-trick, claiming the Masters titles in Rome and Madrid.

Records tumbled - the first man to complete a clean sweep on the clay; a record 18th Masters title - the Rafa return rolled on, and by the time the tennis circus arrived in Roland Garros, his fifth French Open title seemed to be an inevitability.

The Spaniard is no stranger to silverware - he was already well acquainted with the Coupe des Mousquetaires, but this particular win - his first grand slam title in nearly 18 months clearly meant the world to him - in what he claimed was the most emotional day in his career.

It was fitting that, at Roland Garros, the home of clay-court tennis, the King of Clay was restored to the top of the world rankings. Nadal's stunning 25-match winning streak finally came to an end at the hands of a surprise opponent - Feliciano Lopez at Queen's Club. But he soon returned to winning ways to reclaim the Wimbledon title he won two years previously.

The US Open was the one major that eluded Nadal - it took Roger Federer, arguably the greatest player to have graced a tennis court - until he was 27 to finally win the French Open. Nadal became only the seventh man in history to complete a career Grand Slam, and by the age of 24.

Having achieved everything he could have hoped to and more by September, Nadal could have been forgiven for calling it a day there and then. But the man who never plays at less than 100% claimed another title in Tokyo.

He missed Paris with a shoulder injury, but undoubtedly with half an eye on the ATP World Tour Finals in London a fortnight later. And what a difference a year makes. Twelve months after failing to win a single match in London, Nadal stormed into the semi-finals before showing the mark of a true champion to come out on top of a gruelling three-hour semi-final against Andy Murray.

He had nothing left against Federer in the final, but with seven titles, three grand slams, over $10 million in prize money and a year-end No. 1 ranking to his name, Nadal will probably not be too worried.

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