French Open 2020: Rafael Nadal - serial winner as world champion of low-key
Rafael Nadal is aiming for his 13th title at the Stade Roland Garros at the 2020 French Open. Under new, for him probably more difficult conditions.
by Jörg Allmeroth
last edit: Sep 27, 2020, 08:58 am
The low-staple world champion was once again in top form. Rafael Nadal, the champion also of blatant understatement, had the usual dismissive, soothing, dampening phrases in his luggage when he appeared at the usual media palaver at the weekend before the first rally by Roland Garros. The French Open 2020? “Never that difficult.” The appointment in the approaching autumn? “It's very, very cold. It's going to be an extreme challenge. ”The new balls? "Too difficult. A big disadvantage for me. ”Your own favorite role? "There is not any. It will be the toughest road to the title for me. "
Nadal never sounds like the man he really is. Even after twelve successful trophy missions under the Eiffel Tower, the now 34-year-old matador prefers to calm down by downplaying his chances and perspectives. But even in this very special year, in which the world of tennis and the world in general is turned upside down, there is no way around him in the freestyle of the clay court king - the best player in the special discipline of this sport. “Rafa comes first, then nothing comes for a long, long time. And then there are others who can win the title, ”says Dominic Thiem . The 27-year-old Austrian is not just any market player in professional tennis who formulates his assessment. But the current US Open winner. And the man who, according to general industry assessments, is Nadal's congenial heir when it comes to sliding games.
Nadal most recently with a title hat trick
19 years after winning the first five world ranking points at the Seville ATP tournament, Nadal has become the most powerful clay court player of all time. No professional has ever mastered a single Grand Slam competition like the brawny Mallorcan the French Open, he won 93 of 95 matches in the Stade Roland Garros, out in the west of the French capital. Beyond his 30th birthday, he recently did a clean hat-trick, with final victories over Stan Wawrinka (2017) and Thiem (2018 and 2019).
In 2020, under the challenging Corona conditions, Nadal's attempt at the next triumph could be more difficult. But even after his not entirely unexpected mistake in Rome, the quarter-final defeat against the bustling Argentine Diego Schwartzman, he is still the big favorite - not least because of the best-of-five mode in the Grand Slam competitions. "As long as Nadal is playing tennis in Paris, there will be nothing more difficult in tennis than beating him there with three winning sets," says two-time French Open winner Jim Courier (USA). What turned out to be a disadvantage in Rome, the lack of competition practice and the extended tournament break, could still prove to be a plus in Paris, with the expected tough and protracted arguments on the difficult autumn courts.
Renouncing the Grand Slam bubble in New York
Nadal had paused for around 200 days in the wake of the corona pandemic and, after the lockdown, withdrew from the public as much as possible for professional tennis, you didn't hear or see much from him. And when you looked at how others stumbled around from scandals to problems and embarrassed themselves, this silence around the fighter who was only loud on the court was also very beneficial. The Mallorcan responded to the rush of appointments in late summer and autumn in his own way: Although he was about to defend his title at the US Open in New York, he decided not to travel into the unknown, to the Grand Slam bubble. He justified the decision with the "caution" he wanted to exercise in view of the conditions in America. The real background, however, was obvious: Nadal focused all his Grand Slam efforts on Paris, where he now expects the far better chances.
Since he raised the “Coupe des Mousquetaires” for the first time in 2005, at the age of 19, after beating Argentine Mariano Puerta in the final, the matador has become a horror and spoilsport for entire generations of players under the Eiffel Tower. Nadal won four times in the Paris final against his greatest career opponent and friend Roger Federer. Paris 2020, it could now also be a historic moment for Nadal: If he wins, he will draw level with Federer for the first time in his career after Grand Slam titles. Both would then have 20 trophies in their trophy cabinet - and for Nadal, unlike 39-year-old Federer, the end of the hunt is not in sight.
Here is the men's single tableau
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