King of Clay Nadal eyes 12th crown as French Open begins today
NADAL EYES 12TH TITLE AT ROLAND GARROS WHILE CONTENTED HALEP SEEKS TO DEFEND HER TITLE
If there is one name that is inextricably woven into the rich fabric of the French Open, tennis’ only Grand Slam to be played on an unyielding clay-court surface at Roland Garros, it is the incomparable Rafael Nadal.
It was fifteen years ago when the Spaniard, a 19-year-old bundle of energy, power and bravura, burst on to the world stage to win the French showpiece on his debut. He would lift the iconic Coupe des Mousquetaires trophy on ten more occasions including last year when he overwhelmed Austria’s Dominic Thiem in straight sets to equal the legendary Margaret Court’s all-time record of 11 Grand Slam singles titles won at a single tournament.
Against this backdrop Nadal, launches his title defense as the overwhelming favourite.
This despite having fallen at the semi-finals of three of his four warm-up events on his beloved red dirt this campaign, with his lone win in last week’s Italian Open final.
While questions were being raised over his form this season, Nadal silenced his detractors with a hard-working victory over Djokovic It was Nadal’s first clay court final victory over the Serb since the 2014 French Open and improved his overall headto-head record with Djokovic to 26-28 from 54 meetings.
Following the win Nadal posted a positive message on his Facebook page.
“I always work with a goal, and the goal is to improve as a player and as a person. Ready for ROLAND-GARROS.
Babolat #PureAero #WeLiveForThis.”
It is well documented that Paris’s red clay plays to Nadal’s strengths, perhaps more than it does to the likes of Djokovic, Roger Federer, Juan Martin Del Potro or Stan Wawrinka. The reason?
Nadal’s ball-hitting skills are legendary — how often have we seen the balls just jump off the court after being blasted across the net by the Spaniard who uses a Western grip to generate extreme topspin.
Great athleticism
In addition his diet is balanced, he trains hard (6 hours, 6 days a week) and prepares physically for every tournament. Add to that his great athleticism which is the key to performing well on clay.
All of this will be seen to good effect when he confronts several exciting players like an improved Thiem and Stefanos Tsitsipas, who lost to Djokovic in the Madrid Open last week.
Djokovic, the reigning world No 1 has said that he looking forward to playing against an in-form Nadal should the pair meet in the French Open final on June 9.
The Serb outplayed Nadal in straight sets in the Australian Open final at the start of the year and is looking forward to continuing his dominance over the Spaniard, on clay.
Roland Garros may be the slowest surface of any of the Grand Slams but it never fails to serve up exhillerating tennis, and that could come from someone like Tsitsipas, who has being touted as a future star ever since he defeated Federer in the Australian Open and could be the player to watch in Paris this fortnight.
If Simona Halep retains her French Open title in a fortnight’s time, do not be surprised if one of the first people she name-checks is aged three-and-a-half.
The Romanian, who has often been shackled by inner demons and a negative mindset on court, has portrayed a more relaxed outlook in recent weeks and the youthful company she is keeping has helped her find a new serenity.
Encouraging children to play sport is one of her biggest passions, while her niece, Tania, has also been having a positive influence on the 27-year-old’s career. Halep’s 1.1 million Instagram followers are frequently treated to images and videos of the youngster, a mini-me of the dogged right-hander. “I talk to her almost every day on FaceTime,” Halep said.
The Romanian player is back in Paris to defend her title, a situation she’s never been in before. And she likes it.
“It’s much better and much easier, because I have the title already,” Halep said on Friday at Roland Garros. “It doesn’t matter anymore what is going to happen. Everything now comes as a bonus. So I just want to take the positive and to be in this position, I think, is the best thing.”
A more laid-back approach was evident in her high-fiving of Kiki Bertens during the Madrid Open final trophy presentation, despite losing 6-4, 6-4.
The clay often provides that sense of calm for Halep, who finally won her maiden major at Roland Garros last year after coming from a set and a break down against Sloane Stephens.
Off-court ventures are further reason for her contentment and whether that is supporting young Romanian players in their drive to turn professional, Halep is desperate to make a difference in her homeland.
“I’m more recognised now,” Halep, who had lost three previous Grand Slam finals, said. “When you win a grand slam, you feel like you are a complete player. I feel thankful for everything. But my life is the same, nothing is changed.”
Change of coach
Halep has dealt with her long-term coach Darren Cahill’s decision at the end of last year to take a 12-month hiatus. After they teamed up in 2015, Halep became world No 1 at the end of 2017 and finished top of the WTA rankings for a second successive year on the back of her maiden major.
The abundance of young talent on the women’s tour is also making Halep, who appointed compatriot Daniel Dobre as her full-time head coach in March, sit up and take notice of her own fragilities.
From 18-year-old Bianca Andreescu, to 21-year-olds Naomi Osaka and Aryna Sabalenka, the top 25 is awash with fearless abandon. She says: “The young generation is very powerful. They look like they don’t have emotions — they look very strong mentally. I’m working hard to be as good as possible. I work on myself to get better”
With no one player dominating this season — Bertens, Karolina Pliskova and Petra Kvitova have each won two titles — the women’s game remains a wideopen field.
I always work with a goal, and the goal is to improve as a player and as a person.” Rafael Nadal »on his twitter account @RafaelNadal
Mentally, I am pretty relaxed. So I just want to take the positive and to be in this position.” Simona Halep » Defending champion