Rafael Nadal has played 115 matches in Roland Garros and has won 112, which is equivalent to a 97.4 percent victory in French clay. Absolute madness. Only Robin Soderling (2009) and Novak Djokovic (2015 and 2021) have been able to knock down a man who has won the Parisian Grand Slam 14 times.
Going out on the court to play Philippe Chatrier against Nadal is practically a guaranteed defeat. Tennis-wise it is a martyrdom, but who wouldn’t like that challenge? The German Yannick Hanfmann (Karlsruhe, 1991), number 56 in the ATP ranking, experienced it firsthand in the first round of 2019, when he lost 6-2, 6-1 and 6-3, and he remembers it now in an interview with Clay reproduced in full on Relevo.
You played against Rafael Nadal at the Philippe Chatrier. Is it the most complicated thing that exists in tennis?
I think so. I think playing against Rafa on that court is probably the hardest job in tennis. Or it was, I don’t know. I felt strange when I saw that it was Rafa’s turn in the first round. Because I played very well in the qualifying phase and then the draw presented such a difficult challenge. It was, on the one hand, an incredible match, an incredible experience. But on the other hand I felt a little sad, because I knew that it was most likely the end.
How do you live that experience?
It made me suffer. I didn’t feel very good. He plays such a different type of ball than anyone else on the tour. And especially on that court, in these conditions, he multiplies by 10. And so, yes, it was difficult to adapt to his game. He gave me a very good tennis class.
How many times do you have to play him on that court to have a chance to win?
Don’t know. Well, you have to ask some of these other guys played with him there so many times. I only played against him once. That was enough. It takes a lot to beat him. Nadal lost, what, two matches there?
Three. Against Robin Soderling in 2009, and Djokovic in 2015 and 2021.
That’s not much. If you take into account that he played there about 20 times. He dominates the track, those conditions, and there is a reason he is the king of clay.
Does Nadal have a chance of winning Roland Garros this year?
What I saw from him in Australia is that he was very good in training. He was also good in the game. And then, of course, he had a setback with the injury. I don’t know what’s wrong with him, how bad his body is. But, you know, what we’ve seen from him over the years is that you can never count him out. If he feels dangerous again, then I believe it. Rafa must be considered a favorite, even though he is no longer at his best. He continues to play tennis very well.
“If Zverev is guilty, the ATP will have to do something; if he is innocent, we move on”
Yannick Hanfmann On the Zverev trial
Does your game feel different on hard court compared to clay?
I also played against him at Rod Laver Arena. I think I played better in Melbourne than in Paris, although hard court is not my favorite surface either. But I thought it was a little “easier” to play against him there, even though he beat me easily in three sets. But I think I played a good match against him and I had some opportunities here and there to win a set, to be close. On clay, I didn’t have them.
What is your relationship like with your teammate Alexander Zverev?
I’ve known him since the ATP Cup. I spent some time with him. Also in the Davis Cup. We practiced a couple of times. But yeah, it’s hard to have a real relationship, because in the end she spends most of his life in Monaco. My experience with him has always been friendly. He is an incredible worker. He trains very well and the practices are very intense. We have a friendly relationship. On the tour we don’t get to see each other much.
Most of the tennis players avoided speaking publicly about their situation with the German justice system. Regarding the process you are experiencing, do you think it is ethically right for you to represent the interests of the players on the ATP Council?
He has a trial in May. And I think once that trial passes, whatever verdict comes out, I think we have to respect it. It is a normal procedure… to wait if he is guilty or innocent. I don’t know anything about it. I know what he is accused of, but I don’t know if he is guilty or not. So let’s hope they figure it out. And then, if he is innocent, we don’t have to talk about it anymore and we move on. If he’s guilty, we’ll probably have to remove him from the Council. And the ATP will have to do something. It seemed a little unfair to talk about it so much in Australia because his trial is coming soon. It is not in progress right now. So, yes, making that distinction I think is important. And we’ll see what happens in May.
How urgent is it for the circuit to have a policy for domestic abuse cases?
It is a very difficult topic. Maybe the ATP can develop an independent area that deals with this type of thing, because we have had some problems with some players. But I trust the ATP, I trust that they investigate all these matters well. And that they solve it, that we no longer have these problems in tennis. Because it is a bad light for us. I don’t like it, of course not. But let’s hope that what’s happening with Sascha is nothing. I hope that the players are good guys.
Rafael Nadal
Roland Garros
2024-03-30 18:25:43
#Play #ball.. #multiplied #ten #Relief
