Rafael Nadal - The scratched nimbus of the clay court king
Rafael Nadal has played three tournaments on clay in 2019 - and haven't won one yet. Also at the ATP Masters 1000 tournament in Madrid, the Spanish matador ended in the final round.
by Jörg Allmeroth
last edit: May 13, 2019, 10:45 am
It was actually the typical arrangement for a brilliant comeback by the clay court king. Rafael Nadal had won 13 of 16 points at the end of the second set of semi-finals against his young Greek challenger Stefanos Tsitsipas, equalized to 1-1 - now the end goal of the robust Mallorcan at the Masters tournament in Madrid seemed to be only a matter of form. But the Nadal of the 2019 season is not the Nadal of almost all other tennis years, especially not on sand, his other territory.
Nadal, the otherwise overwhelming fighter in the red ashes, got back on the defensive against Tsitsipas after the intermediate sprint, was 2: 5 in set 3, got another break, only to then serve himself and the match with 4: 6, 6: 2 and 3: 6 to lose. It was an astonishing, if not a sensational ending, because Madrid, the Masters venue, was part of a chronicle of failure for Nadal in this game series. "I've won a lot, a lot in the past few years," said Nadal later, after failing at midnight, "that was abnormal. What happens now is more normal. "
Signs of wear at Nadal
In fact, the tennis world had gotten used to a reign, to Nadal's dominance on his special surface, which broke all previous boundaries. Whenever the professional caravan set up its tents in the sand boxes, the bullfighter from Manacor was quickly in control. In some seasons Nadal won all the important trophies, of course always in the "terre battue" at the French Open - the traditional highlight of the attrition duel. Nadal’s eleven successful title missions at the “Stade Roland Garros” would have referred anyone to the realm of utopia two or three decades ago, as an impossibility. "No one has mastered any surface like Nadal has sand," says old master Boris Becker, who has remained on this surface without a title throughout his career.
Two days after his 19th birthday, Nadal won his first title in Paris (opponent: Mariano Puerta / Argentina) on June 5, 2005, when he celebrated his very first victory at the French Open against a certain Lars Burgsmüller. But now, at almost 33 years of age, the signs of wear are becoming more and more noticeable in the matador, injuries, forced breaks and constant comeback attempts have left their mark. Nadal still has the fewest physical problems on the clay courts, for example with his often inflamed patella tendons, but in the current series he somehow lacks the usual punch, also this last conviction in his own game. This was also evident against Tsitsipas, his conqueror in Madrid. "I actually knew what I had to do," said Nadal, "but I didn't get it on the court."
Mats Wilander does not copy Nadal
Not yet a clay court title for Nadal, nor a final on the favorite surface in 2019 - did this indicate the end of Nadal's rule in this special discipline, the descent from the throne? "It would be far too early to write off Nadal," says Sweden's ex-star Mats Wilander, "but one thing is certain: we are experiencing a more open competition." Also because it is alongside established competition, such as in the form of number one man Novak Djokovic or Dominic Thiem now gives youthful rebels like Tsitsipas or Alexander Zverev. The German had been Nadal's most serious adversary in 2018 over long stretches of clay court weeks before leaving the French Open quarter-finals too early before a possible final against the Spaniard.
But in 2019 the application race in Paris is also one of the unknown, namely Roger Federer, the clay court returning. Against Thiem, currently the most consistent clay court player, the 37-year-old Maestro had two match balls on the racket on Friday before the end in three sets. Thiem in turn lost to Djokovic in the semifinals in two exciting tie-break acts. It showed what is possible this year, how close it is in the big, outstanding matches. Nadal's twelfth Roland Garros title, the fabulous dozen - that's just one of the many opportunities for the major spectacle from the end of May.