Rafael Nadal dominated at the French Open during his career winning more titles at the event than any other player in the history of the sport.
When fans discuss ‘unbreakable’ sporting records, they often bring up Nadal’s Roland Garros record, as he picked up 14 titles in 19 appearances.
The Spaniard was dominant at the French Open, losing just four matches at the tournament throughout his entire career.
Two of his four losses came at the hands of his rival Novak Djokovic, who got the better of him in 2015, and 2021.
Having lost in the 2021 semi-finals Nadal was out for revenge when he made the trip to Paris one year later, as many predicted he would lift the title.
One American ATP legend disagreed, however, as he picked the Serbian star to come out on top once more.
John McEnroe ‘picked’ Novak Djokovic to win the 2022 French Open over Rafael Nadal
In 2022 former world number one John McEnroe shared his thoughts on Djokovic’s tumultuous season ahead of the French Open.
“I’m not sure he’s at his best level but he’s getting closer to it, what he went through down in Australia, Novak [Djokovic] has a way of fuelling those types of situations into something positive,” he said.
“It took him a while, I’m sure he was in a foul mood for a few months, that’s part of why he didn’t do well at these lead in tournaments like Monte Carlo.
“Then he went to his home country Serbia, lost in the finals to Andrey Rublev, uh oh, all of a sudden loses to Carlos Alcaraz, what’s happening?”
Djokovic wasn’t allowed to compete at the 2022 Australian Open due to COVID-19 vaccination rules, as he was forced to skip the first Slam of the season.
He struggled in the following months before bouncing back at the Italian Open, winning the Masters 1000 tournament in Rome.
- 2022 Dubai Tennis Championships – Novak Djokovic lost to Jiri Vesely in QF
- 2022 Monte-Carlo Masters – Novak Djokovic lost to Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in 2R
- 2022 Serbia Open – Novak Djokovic lost to Andrey Rublev in F
- 2022 Madrid Open – Novak Djokovic lost to Carlos Alcaraz in SF
“Then he wins Rome, there’s Novak Djokovic, he’s back,” said McEnroe.
“35 [years old], in incredible shape, to me if I had to pick a guy I’d still pick him, very slight favorite.”
McEnroe may have picked Djokovic but he wasn’t underestimating the task at hand, as he recognized Nadal’s talents on the clay.
“I don’t think we have to worry a whole lot about Rafa [Nadal] at Roland Garros, if you look at his record it’s crazy, it’s insane how good it is, 13 times he’s won this, it’s all about if he’s feeling good physically, he said.
“Even Novak [Djokovic] has said he’s the favorite, obviously, he wants to take a little pressure off himself.
“Novak’s won here twice, Rafa 13, it’s going to be tough to beat him.”
Both players advanced to the quarter-finals without too much trouble, setting up a mouth-watering quarter-final clash on Court Philippe Chatrier.
What happened when Novak Djokovic played Rafael Nadal at the 2022 French Open?
Nadal and Djokovic’s tenth French Open meeting came in the 2022 quarter-finals, in one of the tournament’s most anticipated matches.
The Spaniard dominated the first set winning 6-2 before his Serbian rival fought back to claim the second 6-4.
In a competitive encounter, Nadal then took the third before Djokovic took his game to another level in the fourth as the pair headed to a tiebreaker.
Coming through a 6-2, 4-6, 6-2, 7-6 [7-4] winner, Nadal booked his place in the French Open semi-finals with a thrilling four-hour victory over Djokovic.
The Spaniard extended his lead in the Roland Garros head-to-head with Djokovic to 8-2, as he began preparations for his semi-final match.
It was there that he beat Alexander Zverev who suffered a horror injury during the second set tiebreaker, booking his place in the final.
Norway’s Casper Ruud was no match for the 13-time champion, as Nadal dispatched the youngster in straight sets, 6-3, 6-3, 6-0, to win his 14th title in front of the adoring Parisian fans.
McEnroe got it wrong, as Nadal proved once again, he was the best of the best at the French Open.
Only time will tell if someone can match the Spaniard’s achievements in Paris, but it’ll certainly be interesting to see who comes out on top this year when Roland Garros begins on Sunday, May 25.
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