Top 3 Rafael Nadal Matches At Roland Garros

Rafael Nadal has been the undisputed man at Roland Garros. Thousands of players have tried to get through the “Kind of Clay” at Roland Garros. However, all of them proved to be unsuccessful. The 38-year-old has collected 14 Roland Garros titles and boasts a record of 112-4 at the event.

Many players have come close, and many players have tested his limits, but eventually, Nadal prevailed in all of his encounters. That said, there were a few performances in which Nadal showcased his best version on clay. Here, we show the three matches defining the Spaniard at Roland Garros.

3. 2022 Roland Garros Quarterfinals vs Novak Djokovic

The 2022 Roland Garros quarterfinal wasn’t just another big match for Nadal on clay. It meant something personal to him. After a four-set beatdown in the previous year’s semifinal, Djokovic had proved to have had his number at Roland Garros. The Serb became the first and only player to beat Nadal and win Roland Garros in the same season. However, the 2022 season provided another episode between the two on the French clay.

This time, it was Nadal who was at his majestic best. He nullified Djokovic’s strengths to win 6-2, 4-6, 6-2, 7-6. The Serbian had a few set points to level the match in the fourth set. However, the Spaniard once again showed why he is the man to beat on French dirt. The win brought him to a 15th semifinal, which he won before winning his 14th Roland Garros title against Casper Ruud.

2. 2020 Roland Garros Final vs Novak Djokovic

Before the start of the 2020 Roland Garros, many mind games came from Djokovic’s camp. The Serb’s coach, Goran Ivanisevic, said that the Serb could have the edge against the Spaniard as it was the first Roland Garros during the night session. The balls tend to bounce less high during the night session than Nadal likes.

Fast-forward a few hours, and the “King of Clay” had destroyed the Serbian 6-0, 6-2, 7-5 to register his 20th Grand Slam title. The French Open win put him equal with Roger Federer for most Grand Slam titles in history. This was also the fourth time that Nadal had conquered the Paris slam without dropping a set after achieving that feat in 2008, 2010, and 2017.

1. 2008 Roland Garros Final vs Roger Federer

By 2008, Nadal was officially in Federer’s head. If 2008 was the year that the Spaniard finally managed to take away the Wimbledon crown from his great rival, it was mainly because of what had happened in Paris a month earlier. Nadal had destroyed Federer 6-1, 6-3, 6-0 to create the most lopsided match in their historic rivalry.

Eventually, that played a part at SW19 where Nadal won his first Wimbledon title to become the first man since Bjorn Borg to win Roland Garros and Wimbledon in the same season. 2008 was also the last season where Nadal maintained his unbeaten streak on the Paris clay as he was defeated for the first time in his Roland Garros career by Robin Soderling in 2009.