(CNN) — When Rafael Nadal leaves Roland Garros as a player for the last time, one of the greatest loves in all of sport will come to an end.
Since making his winning debut at the 2005 French Open as an 18-year-old and beating Roger Federer in the semifinals on his 19th birthday, Nadal has lost just three times on Parisian clay in the intervening 19 years.
Nadal’s win-loss record in the French capital is 112-3, an impressive 97.4% win rate, although he also had to withdraw before his third round match in 2016 due to injury.
The Spaniard’s name has become synonymous with the French Open; The statue of the ‘King of Clay’, posed after hitting one of those famous forehands, has stood at the entrance to the venue since 2021.
“You win it five times, that’s a lot,” tennis great Boris Becker told CNN. “You win it 10 times, it’s impossible. Nadal has won it 14 times. “I don’t know of any other record in any other sport that matches that.”
Becker points to some of the tennis greats, including himself, who failed to win the French Open to further highlight the absurdity of Nadal’s record in Paris.
“[Bjorn] Borg won it six times, which at the time was unheard of, but [Pete] Sampras never won it, [Stefan] Edberg never won it, Becker never won it. So there is no shame in not winning the French Open,” said the 56-year-old German.
“Believe it or not, I liked playing in Paris. I had great support, they liked my style. I know I never won it, the only major I didn’t win. I made it to the semi-finals several times, but I did the best I could with my style,” added Becker, known for his serve and volley.
Nadal’s game is almost tailor-made for clay. The strong topspin on his groundstrokes means the ball grips the surface and bounces high towards the opponent, something that plagued Federer’s backhand over the years.
Nadal won the first Grand Slam of his career at the 2005 French Open. (Credit: Christophe Ena/AP)
Nadal’s speed and agility not only allows him to hit more balls than many other players, forcing opponents to take more shots to win a point, but it also puts him in position sooner and allows him to glide gracefully through the ball. red dirt in his shots.
The loose clay also absorbs some ball speed, making shots slower and rallies longer, something in which Nadal’s excellent fitness gave him an advantage, but which will now likely work against him given the conditions. injuries he has had to deal with.
“The ultimate goal on clay, the mentality is to make one less mistake than the opponent, which is different from all other surfaces,” explains Becker. “So if you look for more winners than your opponent on clay, you’re going to lose in the end.
“Clay is physically very demanding. You have to have a special sliding technique that is different from other surfaces.
“A good forehand or backhand topspin helps, but nowadays players practice a lot of drop shots, a lot of kick serves and even enter [a la red]so versatility is also very important on clay.”
There is a lot of talk about the French Open crowd each year, some good, some bad, but it provides perhaps the most boisterous atmosphere of any tennis tournament in the world.
Whether a supportive crowd decides to support you as a player or cheer you on can have an impact on the outcome of a match, Becker says.
Nadal, needless to say, is always the French Open crowd favorite and enjoyed vociferous support in some of his toughest matches.
The French Open was the only Grand Slam that Becker failed to win. (Credit: Getty images)
“Playing Philippe Chatrier in front of a Parisian audience is something unique and very challenging,” says Becker. “The court is probably the biggest clay court in tennis, you can get intimidated very quickly.
“There is no other city in the world that resembles the Parisian crowd. It’s very, very unique, it’s very loud. If they support you, great. If they don’t support you, you don’t have a chance.
“That’s why I think the crowd almost matters more in Paris than anywhere else in the world.”
2024-05-26 07:10:00
#dont #record #sport #matches #Rafael #Nadals #success #French #Open #Boris #Becker
