Even before Rafael Nadal claimed his 13th historic French Open title this year, it was long known that the Spaniard is the ‘King of Clay’.
Nadal’s victory in Paris got him level with Roger Federer in terms of Grand Slams. They both are proudly the only winners of 20 Grand Slams in men’s tennis.
2020 has been a roller coaster of a year with all the unpredictable turn of events it made the world endure. Similarly, Rafa Nadal not being in this win-loss statistic on clay is something that the tennis fans were not ready for.
As shocking as it is, the fact remains true as young Norwegian Casper Ruud leads the list with 17 wins and 6 losses. None of the ATP top five ranked players make it to the Top 3 of the list.
Nadal Nowhere To Be Found In This Stat List!
Apart from his Roland Garros triumph, Rafa could not get his hands on any trophies this season probably because he did not play as many matches this year as he plays every year which also accounts for a reason behind his low rank in the above mentioned clay-court stat.
The World No. 2 only played two clay-court tournaments this year, the Italian Open and the French Open. At the Italian Open, Diego Schwartzman defeated the Spaniard in the quarterfinal.
World No.1, Novak Djokovic won the Italian Open but faced Nadal in the French Open final, who prevented him from having a clean sweep on his territory.
That resulted in the 20 time Grand Slam champion’s win-loss record being 9-1. The Serbian is fourth with a win-loss record of 11-1.
”The Celebration Wasn’t As Cheerful As It Was,” Admits Nadal About His Victory In Paris
Rafa Nadal’s unleashed his ultimate potential in clenching his 20th Grand Slam, bringing him par with friend and foe, Roger Federer.
However, it was quite disheartening for the Spaniard to not have his fans celebrate the special moment with him on the court following the COVID-19 drama.
“It meant a lot for me to win again at Roland-Garros and reach the number of titles there that I did. But I also can’t deny the fact that in the end, the celebration wasn’t as cheerful as it was after my other victories,” he said.
Nadal is considered a favorite like always at the upcoming Australian Open although he has won only once in Melbourne.
The Spaniard, in a bid to increase his tally, is seen training with maximum intensity in his academy ahead of the new season.
