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Roland Garros – Nadal’s Grand Slam fulcrum

ParisRafael Nadal hit three milestones of 100, 200 and 300 Grand Slam victories all at Roland Garros – where he dominated with 13 championships.

Roland Garros is the latest Grand Slam Nadal attend. After missing two tournaments in 2003 and 2004, Nadal had to wait until May 2005 to play his first match on the red dusty ground in Paris. He previously attended his first Grand Slam match of his career at Wimbledon 2003, defeating Mario Ancic in the first round in four sets. Nadal also attended the US Open the same year and appeared at the Australian Open in January 2004.





Nadal won Roland Garros for the first time in 2005, defeating world No. 1 Federer in the semi-finals and defeating Mariano Pueta in the final.  Photo: Roland Garros

Nadal won Roland Garros for the first time in 2005, defeating world No. 1 Federer in the semi-finals and defeating Mariano Pueta in the final. Image: Roland Garros

Nadal’s 100th Grand Slam win was in the first round of 2010 Roland Garros, beating Gianni Mina in three sets with a score of 6-2. In the second round of the 2016 clay-court Grand Slam, Nadal reached 200 wins when he defeated Facundo Bagnis in three sets. The 300-match milestone was reached by Nadal on the evening of May 25, winning Corentin Moutet 6-3, 6-1, 6-4.

“Winning milestones are always meaningful to motivate me,” Nadal shared after joining the “300 Grand Slam winning club” with Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic. “It shows how long I’ve come across in my career. There have been so many memorable victories over the past two decades. Every game has given me lessons and joy.”

Spanish newspaper AS The three most memorable matches of Nadal in these 300 wins are the 2008 Wimbledon final defeating Federer 9-7 in the fifth set, the 2013 Roland Garros semi-final, also beating Djokovic 9-7 in the fifth set, and the classic reverse victory. against Daniil Medvedev in the Australian Open final earlier this year. Those three victories best describe Nadal, a fighter who never gives up.





Nadal won Djokovic 6-4, 3-6, 6-1, 6-7(3), 9-7 in the semi-finals of Roland Garros 2013. Photo: Roland Garros

Nadal won Djokovic 6-4, 3-6, 6-1, 6-7(3), 9-7 in the semi-finals of Roland Garros 2013. Photo: Roland Garros

Nadal, Federer and Djokovic are three people who have reached 300 Grand Slam wins in history, far ahead of fourth person Jimmy Connors, who won 233 matches. In the “Big 3”, Nadal has the highest Grand Slam win rate of 88%, with 300 wins – 41 losses. He competed less than Federer (369 wins – 60 losses) and Djokovic (325 wins – 46 losses). More than a third of Nadal’s Grand Slam wins have been at Roland Garros (107 matches).

Nadal set a record of 21 Grand Slams at the Australian Open, where the audience witnessed 75 victories of the “Clay King”. Nadal’s number of wins at Roland Garros is twice as many as Wimbledon. The Spaniard has only won 53 matches on grass in London, the tournament he missed four times and failed to reach the quarterfinals seven times. Wimbledon is also the only Grand Slam that Nadal has gone blank in the past 11 years, since the last time he won it in 2010. During this period, Nadal won the Australian Open once, the US Open three times and Roland Garros eight times.

Roland Garros is Nadal’s fulcrum in the Grand Slam with 13 championships after 17 appearances. He lost only three games here, and once withdrew due to injury. In 17 years, the only two people who have beaten Nadal in a clay Grand Slam are Robin Soderling (4th round 2009) and Novak Djokovic (quarter-final 2015, semi-final 2021).

“What’s interesting is that despite the feeling that Nadal has relied on Roland Garros for his entire career, he has won each of the three Grand Slams left at least twice, something only Djokovic can do,” said former world number one Mats Wilander above argument Eurosport. “Nadal has reached a record 21 Grand Slams in Australia, where the courts are hard and the climate is harsh. That’s where he went empty-handed for 12 years, lost four finals in eight years.”

No player has won a Grand Slam as much as Nadal. His number of crowns in Paris is close to the old record of 14 Grand Slams of the legendary Pete Sampras. Federer is considered the “King of the grass” and has just won Wimbledon eight times, while Djokovic dominates the hard courts in Melbourne with nine finals won.





Nadal is the greatest champion at a Grand Slam, with 13 Roland Garros titles, and is also the person who has won the most Grand Slams with 21 titles.  Photo: ATP

Nadal is the greatest champion at a Grand Slam, with 13 Roland Garros titles, and is also the person who has won the most Grand Slams with 21 titles. Image: ATP

“What Nadal built at Roland Garros is a classic,” said American legend John McEnroe when commenting on Nadal’s victory over Moutet on May 25. “It’s hard to imagine someone losing only three matches in 18 years at a tournament. Nadal has played at Roland Garros continuously since 2005 and I don’t think anyone can repeat his feats in the future.”

In an interview with the newspaper AS, Nadal said perfecting his mind and strength helped him “extend his life” at Roland Garros. The soon-to-be 36-year-old says, “I usually find a way to free my mind, not to waste energy on things I can’t control. Instead, I think about my own progress. Stay focused, Pushing yourself to new limits is hard when you’re in a place filled with glory. I’ve won a lot at Roland Garros and it’s not easy to deal with that feeling of satisfaction. Every year, I have to find a new source of motivation, regenerate mind and body”.

Nadal’s former coach, his uncle Toni, once said that the Mallorca player had the natural ability to play tennis. But Toni Nadal insists his nephew has worked out more than anyone else he has ever seen to reach the best version of his mental and physical strength. Nadal’s success at Roland Garros is the result of that harsh training. Before making an impressive start to the season, Nadal also took four months to rebuild himself after serious injuries – something he has to deal with almost every year throughout his career.





Roland Garros – Nadal's Grand Slam fulcrum - 3




Roland Garros – Nadal's Grand Slam fulcrum - 4

Vy Anh

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