'Very, Very Special': Rafael Nadal Reveals the Roland Garros Moment He Cherishes Most

While he is one of only four men’s players in the Open Era to win multiple major titles on all three surfaces, Rafael Nadal’s name will always be synonymous with red clay—a surface he ruled for over a decade and a half, amassing an otherworldly winning percentage of over 90 percent in more than 500 total matches played.

The crowning jewel of his clay-court dominance was the French Open, the only Major contested on clay, where Nadal amassed a record 14 titles from 2005 to 2022, winning 112 of his 116 matches on the Parisian clay.

Nadal’s Most Cherished Roland Garros Moment

The daunting part about Nadal’s 14 Roland Garros titles is that he reached the final 14 times as well, meaning he never lost when the Coupe des Mousquetaires was just three sets away. And now, over a year removed from his retirement from tennis, the former World No. 1 has revealed what he considers to be his magnum opus on Court Philippe-Chatrier.

“Maybe the first two sets of the 2020 final. Very, very special. It was the year of COVID. We played Roland Garros later on the season with much colder conditions, against Novak in the final. With the feeling that it was probably the year that I was less favourite. I was able to get in the final, and then in the final, I was able to increase my level of tennis in a very special way.”

Out of all fourteen finals he played at the French Open, it was the first two sets of an indoor final late in October, under unusual and almost alien conditions, that Nadal regards as closest to his heart. And it is easy to see why.

Why the 2020 Final Stands Apart

The colder conditions late in the season meant the ball would not bounce as high as it traditionally does on clay—an advantage Nadal has used throughout his career with his signature spin-heavy game. It also meant Djokovic’s groundstrokes stayed lower and more penetrating, giving the Serb more favourable patterns in theory. With Djokovic having played more matches that season, many believed a slower, grinding battle would swing the match his way.