French Open: Rafael Nadal - The champion is larger than life
After his first three matches, Rafael Nadal must be considered a big favorite for the title at the French Open in 2019.
by Jens Huiber
last edit: Jun 01, 2019, 11:24 am
By Jens Huiber from Paris
Rafael Nadal can do everything. Who knows better than his fans, who travel to the matador with flags and jerseys, let him live. On Friday afternoon, the stands of Court Philippe Chatrier were full of Spaniards or at least people who are very fond of the eleven-time champion. And who kindly returned the grand master's greeting after his four-set win against David Goffin. Yes, an aficionado high up on the front of the ranks under the TV booths even thought that Nadal had addressed it directly - and who can blame the fan? When Rafael Nadal enters his favorite stadium, the 32-year-old develops superpowers with great reliability.
Before his accident in 2017 with the Suzanne Lenglen accident, Goffin might have been a man who could have scratched Nadal's Teflon layer a little. Not so in the current constitution. The third round took an astonishing turn after Nadal failed to take his chances early. Goffin picked up the balls early, flattening the balls flat into his opponent's forehand. A flash in the pan, nothing more. And Rafael Nadal didn't even have to unpack the big bucket of water to put out the fire. Exactly ten years earlier, Nadal had lost to Roland Srosling against Robin Söderling, one of the major industrial accidents in tennis history.
No doubt about Nadal's favorite position
The doubts that many observers had scattered after the semi-final defeats in Monte Carlo, Barcelona and Madrid seem far away. The respective conquerors, Fabio Fognini, Dominic Thiem and Stefanos Tsitsipas are all still in the tableau, only the Greek could face Nadal before the final. But who would like to believe that the twelfth title for the record winner will not be played next Sunday?
# BETATHOMEFO #
Juan Ignacio Londero, Nadal's next opponent, is playing a very decent season - but has had problems with Corentin Moutet. Although he is also left-handed, the parallels to Nadal are also exhausted. The potential playmates for the quarterfinals, Kei Nishikori and Benoit Paire, have so far not been surfing smoothly through the tournament.
Difficulties for Federer and Wawrinka
Basically, you don't know what to ask Rafael Nadal's opponents. Especially since it is still getting warmer. The balls of the champion will jump off like flummies, the one-handed backhand artists Tsitsipas, Federer or Wawrinka, who could wait in the semifinals, must be extremely unhappy. Nadal moves like a weasel and, in case of doubt, shoots his points along the line with the forehand. Serves well enough for that and, as is often forgotten, prepares his attacks so perfectly that the success rate on the net is close to 100 percent.
Not to mention the look: on the really big Court Philippe Chatrier, all players seem really very small. Except Rafael Nadal. The champion is larger than life. No wonder that he also looks his fans in the upper tier directly in the eye.