The day after losing the Madrid Master Series final, Ivan Ljubicic was probably still wondering what happened. He’d been two sets up, fired 32 aces in all but that didn’t stop him from losing. Considering that indoor courts are his favorite surface and that he’d just strung together 16 wins, including two tournament victories at Metz and Vienna, it’s not hard to understand Ljubicic’s bemusement.

But there is a simple explanation for Ljubicic’s defeat and it has a last name and a first name too. Nadal. Rafa Nadal. The 19-year-old Spaniard has turned tennis on its head and taken the rest of the world along for the ride. With his charisma and seemingly inexhaustible energy, Nadal has been a breath of fresh air in a sport that is always looking for new and strong personalities.

The first indications that Nadal was on the verge of explosion came in the 2004 Davis Cup final that opposed the USA and Spain in Seville. Nadal played the supporting role to Carlos Moya’s lead, bringing home a crucial point with his victory over Andy Roddick who was world number 2 at the time. The win over Roddick was a sign of things to come, but few could have imagined exactly how high Nadal would fly in the months that followed.

After pushing Aussie Llyeton Hewitt to a hard fought five set match in the fourth round of the Australian Open, Nadal won two minor titles on the South American clay circuit. He then reached his first Masters Series final on the hard courts of Miami‘s NASDAQ Open. Playing against world number one Roger Federer, Nadal came within two points of victory and only Federer’s talent and experience stopped Nadal claiming his first major title.

The oversight would soon be corrected as Nadal claimed not one, but two Masters Series titles on Europe’s clay courts, first at Monte Carlo and then at Rome. Only 18 years old at the time, Nadal was the favorite to win the trophy at the French Open and he handled the pressure almost as if it wasn’t there.

He settled his score with Federer in the semi final of the Parisian Grand Slam, imposing his tennis on the world number one to win the match in four sets. He then went on to beat Argentinean surprise finalist, Mariano Puerta also in four sets to become the only player since Mats Wilander to win Roland Garros at his first attempt.

Nadal then went on to add five more titles to his haul for 2005, two of them on clay courts. His most impressive triumphs post Roland Garros, however came at Montreal and Madrid. In the Canadian final, Nadal played and beat a living legend and one of the players he most admires in the person of Andre Agassi. It was the first hard court title of his career which would be followed by the triumph in Madrid, his first on indoor courts.

Aside though from the incredible number of victories that Nadal has accumulated, 79 and counting, it is his physical presence and mental toughness that have made such an impression this year.

The physical maturity that Nadal has at his young age can be attributed to DNA. He comes from a family of athletes including his uncle and coach, Toni Nadal, who played tennis but especially his uncle Miguel Angel who was a professional football (soccer) player at the highest level. Miguel Angel played for Barcelona FC, won several titles with them and represented Spain in three World Cups.

Rafa Nadal imposes a physical challenge on his adversaries, knowing that the longer the match lasts the more chance he has of winning it. He is tennis’ answer to the Energizer Bunny. Even the most formidable clay courters weren’t able to wear him out, as Guillermo Coria can attest after he lost to Nadal in a final that lasted five hours and fourteen minutes in Rome.

In tennis, like in many sports, physical conditioning and resistance is only part of the deal. Mental fortitude is always key to success and Nadal has it in spades. From the way he dealt with weight of expectations at Roland Garros to the incredible comeback he staged against Ljubicic in Madrid, Rafa is never down and out until the umpire announces game, set and match to his opponent.

Again, family has much to do with Rafa’s determination and will to win. The Nadal’s are a close knit unit and they share an apartment building in their native Manacor on the island of Mallorca. Toni Nadal has been Rafa’s coach since he was a kid and with the rest of the family, (Rafa’s dad is one of five) they made sure that he was raised in a supportive and affectionate environment. The result is a polite, hard working and humble young man that hasn’t let his speedy rise to stardom go to his head.

Beyond tennis, Rafa Nadal has become a massive celebrity in his native Spain and the world over. He has his own sense of style and is comfortable in his own skin. His trademark three quarter length pants, known as clam diggers or piratas, depending on where you come from, are an example. Nadal is not the sort to leave people indifferent.

What’s astonishing is that off the court, he is more soft spoken and shy than you would imagine. When you see him, jumping three feet high, fists pumping and cries of Vamos! echoing in the air after a forehand winner, it doesn’t occur to you that asking whether or not he has a girlfriend would cause him to blush.

Nadal is exactly what tennis needed. He is a fierce competitor who has a lot of pride but not in an arrogant sort of way. His good looks and Spanish charm make the sponsors, among others, happy as clams and even Federer is happy to have found a player that can and wants to be his main rival.

That’s no small role to fill. Federer has disposed of all challenges to his supremacy so far. Those that do want to compete with him consistently like Roddick and Hewitt don’t have the game to do it and the one that does have the game, Marat Safin, doesn‘t seem to have the inclination. Enter Nadal, center stage.

In the two matches he played against Federer this season, Nadal showed that he could cause the Swiss star considerable trouble, even on Federer’s favored hard courts. On clay there was no and is no contest. Nadal took Federer down in four sets without ever playing his very best tennis.

Nadal and Federer have both won 11 titles this season. Between them they account for three of the four Grand Slams and more impressively they have split the eight Masters Series events that have taken place so far exclusively between them. Monte Carlo, Rome, Montreal, Madrid for Nadal and Indian Wells, Miami, Hamburg and Cincinnati for Federer.

It’s been an extraordinary year for Nadal, who has shot up the rankings from 51st when he played in 2004’s Davis Cup final to the number two spot after his post Roland Garros victory at Stuttgart. Rest assured, if Federer wasn’t an extraterrestrial with a tennis racquet, Nadal would rule the world.