When we talk about Rafael Nadal, we are most likely talking about the strongest tennis player, results in the history of tennis on clay, a result that we can see especially in Roland Garros, a tournament where the Mallorcan has achieved success over the years incredible results and where he is the tennis player who has won more titles including 13 a few months ago.
Nadal made his Roland Garros debut in 2005 when he was only 18 years old. Despite his age, the tennis player had just returned from victories in Monte Carlo, Barcelona and Rome and started as the main favorite in Paris.
Here he did not waste his expectations and managed to beat Roger Federer first and then the insidious Argentine Mariano Puerta, who was the last teenager to triumph in a Grand Slam tournament.
Rafa’s numbers in Paris are impressive: the tennis player has won 13 editions from 15 appearances and won 100 wins from 102 games. According to American coach Paul Annacone, Rafael Nadal lives off games – which he usually has plenty of before the US Open.
On the other hand, the Australian Open usually comes after a long hiatus for the Spaniard.
Annacone talks about Rafael Nadal
“This is one of those questions, why didn’t he win there?” Paul Annacone explained.
“Four US Open, it’s hard court in Australia too. And I’ve thought about it a lot. I think there is a really fine line Rafael Nadal needs between the right number of games and not too many games.
When he starts the year in Australia he has a long hiatus, he gets a few games, maybe the ATP Cup, here and there, but when the US Open comes he has a little hiatus after Wimbledon. He’s already played three majors so that works well for him.
“Nadal is no longer young. He will be 35 in 2021 and only have a few years left before he retires. Nadal is still an elite player, but when he gets older the record will be hard to beat.
On average, Nadal plays 30 to 40 clay court games a year. This means he will have to play at the highest level for the next six years to beat Vilas’ record of 681. With Nadal on the wrong side of the 30s, it’s difficult for Nadal to break the Vilas record.
The 2020 French Open champion could potentially break Manuel Orantes’ record and advance to 2nd place on the all-time list. Photo credit: Reuters – Charles Platiau
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