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Rafa Nadal.
- Rafa Nadal could smash a 34-year-old tennis record should he maintain his winning ways at the Madrid Open this week.
- Nadal has won two titles on clay this season and is in seemingly unstoppable form as he has won 46 consecutive sets.
- Should he extend that streak to 49 consecutive sets, he will tie an ATP record set by John McEnroe in 1984.
- If Nadal extends his streak to 50 sets, then he will leapfrog McEnroe completely.
- And that's not the only McEnroe record Nadal can beat this week.
Rafa Nadal could smash a long-standing tennis record at the Madrid Open this week.
Nadal has enjoyed incredible form throughout the 2018 clay season having won the Monte-Carlo Masters and the Barcelona Open in dominant fashion.
What makes his form even more impressive is that he won both competitions without losing a single set. His winning streak on clay is currently 19 matches and 46 consecutive sets, according to Tennis Mash.
Should Nadal win a further three consecutive sets, he will tie a long-standing ATP tennis record which dates back to 1984, when former world number one John McEnroe went 49 sets unbeaten during a remarkable season.
If Nadal wins a further four consecutive sets, then he will eclipse McEnroe completely and smash a record that has, so far, lasted an extraordinary 34 years.
Nadal can best McEnroe twice
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John McEnroe and Rafa Nadal.
Extending his consecutive sets winning streak is not the only chance Nadal has to best McEnroe - he can also beat him in total trophies won.
Nadal has already won two ATP titles this year and could triumph in Madrid to secure a 78th ATP title.
A 78th trophy would put him fourth in the all time men's trophy list, nudging McEnroe - who won 77 titles - into fifth place.
Nadal has a long way to go to match his main rival Roger Federer (97 titles), while Jimmy Connors stands alone at the top with 109 titles.
Nadal is next in action on Wednesday, when he taks on Gael Monfils in the Round of 32 at the Madrid Open.