Christophe Haena/AP
Rafael Nadal will win his 14th French Open title in 2022.
CNN
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When Rafael Nadal leaves Roland Garros for the last time as a player, it will mark the end of one of sport’s greatest love stories.
Since winning his first French Open title at age 18 in 2005, beating Roger Federer in the semifinals on his 19th birthday, Nadal has lost just three times on the clay courts of Paris in the 19 years since.
Nadal has a 112-3 record in the French capital for an astounding 97.4% win rate, although he was forced to withdraw before the third round in 2016 due to injury.
The Spaniard’s name has become synonymous with the French Open, and a statue of the “King of Clay” posing after hitting his famous forehand will stand at the venue’s entrance from 2021.
“Five times is amazing,” tennis great Boris Becker told CNN. “Ten times is impossible. Nadal has won 14 times. I don’t know of any other record in any other sport that matches that.”
Becker further highlighted the absurdity of Nadal’s record in Paris by pointing to other tennis greats who have never won the French Open, including himself.
“[Bjorn] Borg won six times, which was unheard of at the time. [of]but [Pete] Sampras didn’t win, [Stefan] “Edberg has never won it and Becker has never won it, so there’s no shame in not winning the French Open,” the 56-year-old German said.
“Believe it or not, I enjoyed playing in Paris. There were a lot of fans and they liked my style. I never won but it’s the only major I haven’t won. I was in the semi-finals a few times but I did the best I could with my style,” added Becker, who gained fame for his serve-and-volley.
Nadal’s game is almost entirely tailored to clay courts, and the heavy topspin on his groundstrokes means the ball tends to hit the surface and bounce high towards his opponent, something that has long plagued Federer’s backhand.
Christophe Haena/AP
Nadal won his first Grand Slam title at the 2005 French Open.
Nadal’s speed and agility not only allow him to reach more balls than many other players, forcing his opponents to take more shots to win a point, but also allows him to get into position quicker and glide gracefully across the red clay to hit his shots.
Loose clay absorbs some of the ball speed, resulting in slower shots and longer rallies – something that worked to Nadal’s advantage at the height of his fitness but is now likely to work against him given the injuries he has had to deal with.
“The ultimate goal on clay is to make one less mistake than your opponent, it’s different than other courts,” Becker explained. “So if you’re trying to win more matches on clay than your opponent, you’re going to end up losing.”
“Clay courts are very demanding physically. You need a special sliding technique that’s different from other courts.”
“It is advantageous to have spin on your forehand or backhand, but players these days tend to use drop shots and kick serves a lot. [to the net] So versatility is also very important on clay courts.”
Every year, much is said about the French Open crowd, both good and bad, but it produces perhaps the rowdiest atmosphere of any tennis tournament in the world.
Whether enthusiastic crowds support or oppose players can affect the outcome of a match, Becker said.
Needless to say, Nadal has always been a crowd favorite at the French Open and has been a fervent supporter in some of the toughest matches.
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The French Open was the only Grand Slam tournament Becker failed to win.
“Playing at Philippe Chatrier in front of the Parisian crowd is very unique and very challenging,” Becker said. “It’s probably the biggest clay court in tennis, so it’s easy to feel intimidated.”
“There’s no city in the world that makes the sound of a Parisian crowd. It’s very unique and very loud. If they’re cheering for you, great. If they’re not cheering for you, you don’t have a chance.”
“So I think the audience is more important in Paris than anywhere else in the world.”
