Rafael Nadal bagged his second win over the clay court this season prior to the upcoming Roland Garros. Thus the French maestro Jo-Wilfried Tsonga said Rafa is the favorite to win the Grand Slam.
Rafa holds the record of winning the French Open 13 times. He further holds the record of 20 Grand Slam titles, which he shares with his Swiss rival Roger Federer. However, Roger is out of the sport for over a year, whereas Nadal and the present World No.1 Novak Djokovic is dominating the courts.
In the recently concluded Italian Open, Nadal and Djokovic showcased some phenomenal performances on the clay court. However, Djokovic failed to bring down the ‘King of Clay’ and Nadal won with a score of 7-5, 1-6, 6-3.
Rafael Nadal of Spain celebrates with the trophy after winning the final over Novak Djokovic of Serbia during the men’s final at Foro Italico on May 16, 2021 in Rome, Italy. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
Therefore, many fans and pundits believe looking at Nadal’s record that he will lift the title this year at Roland Garros. Even the French veteran Tsonga reported, “Rafa is an inevitable favorite at Roland Garros. No one can doubt that at the moment; even those who can beat him on clay have to agree with that.”
Rafael Nadal can’t be at ease as Djokovic gave quite a hard time to the Spaniard. Currently, the Serbian maestro aces the ATP Ranking whereas Nadal is in third place behind the Serbian and the Russian pro Daniil Medvedev, who is also a great threat for the Spain’s Raging Bull.
Rafael Nadal (R) of Spain and Stefanos Tsitsipas (L) of Greece pose with their trophies after their final match during day seven of the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell 2021 at Real Club de Tenis Barcelona on April 25, 2021, in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)
Nadal has already accepted that the next generation of players will soon replace the ‘Big Three’ however, he will not go down without a fight. However, the Espanyol already tasted defeat at the hands of the younger player this year.
Rafael Nadal needs to pull up his socks even if he’s going to play in his comfort zone. As Djokovic, Federer, and the next generation will be a constant threat for the Spaniard at the Roland Garros.
