After not playing since June of the previous year, his season began on February 5 with the Chile Open, where he finished as the runner-up.

Nadal next finished runner-up to Novak Djokovic at Monte-Carlo, breaking his consecutive win streak for the first time in nine years.

[citation needed] However, a strong hardcourt summer saw Nadal sweep Montreal, Cincinnati, and then the US Open (def.

[3] Two weeks later Nadal played the Mexico Open, where he beat David Ferrer in the final to win his second title in a row.

Nadal defeated del Potro in three sets, winning his record-breaking twenty-second ATP Masters 1000 event and his third Indian Wells title.

[5][6] Nadal subsequently withdrew from the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami in order to rest and prepare for the clay court season.

[9][10][11] Nadal capped off his streak with a ninth straight final this year at the 2013 French Open, defeating Djokovic in an epic match that finished 9–7 in the fifth set.

In the final Nadal thrashed an in-form Ferrer in straight sets, breaking his own record and winning an unprecedented 8th French Open Championship.

[12] During the European clay season, Nadal earned a total of 5,100 points, making it (as of 2023) its most successful year in his entire career.

Thus Rafael Nadal won his second US Open Championship, and his 13th Major overall, putting him third on the all-time list behind Federer (17) and Sampras (14).

He became the 3rd player after Patrick Rafter and Andy Roddick to win the Summer Slam (Won Canada, Cincinnati, and the US Open in the same year).

He had a noteworthy comeback in the quarter-finals against Fabio Fognini, where he fought back from a set and break down to secure the victory.

In the semifinals Nadal faced long time rival Roger Federer, and recorded his first indoor win against the Swiss at the ATP World Tour Finals in straight sets.

3 Since Rafael Nadal withdrew from the Swiss open in the final part of the season this tournament became countable and the points were eligible for rankings.

Ordered by number of wins Rafael Nadal took part in the annual BNP Paribas Showdown, where he faced Juan Martín del Potro in a rematch of their 2009 US Open semi-final.