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Nadal's ascension to world No. 1 ranking just the beginning

By Greg Garber
ESPN.com

Sunday, August 17, 2008

He was a 15-year-old kid playing in his first ATP-level tournament, but already you could see the power -- that left arm was freakishly muscular, reminiscent of another lefty, Rod Laver -- the quickness, the ball-striking ability. Oh, and the hunger. It burned in his brown eyes with a startling intensity. Rafael Nadal's first-round opponent on April 29, 2002, was Ramon Delgado of Paraguay, a legitimate pro ranked No. 81 in the world. Four years earlier, Delgado had stunned No. 1 Pete Sam ...

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