Andy Roddick reveals what Rafael Nadal did at the 2008 French Open that was ‘depressing’ to watch

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Rafael Nadal dominated at the French Open during his career, winning a record 14 titles in Paris.

When Nadal retired from tennis in 2024, he did so as the greatest clay-court player the sport has ever seen.

His excellence on clay was most evident in the French capital, where Nadal won Roland Garros a record 14 times.

Each of his 14 wins were special in their own right, but one particular French Open run stands out above the rest.

One of Nadal’s rivals, Andy Roddick, now reflects on the Spaniard’s dominance in 2008, where he took home the title without dropping a set.

Andy Roddick says Rafael Nadal’s 2008 French Open title ‘could be’ the greatest-ever Major performance

During his Served with Andy Roddick podcast, Roddick responded to claims Nadal’s 2008 French Open run was the ‘Best Grand Slam performance ever’.

“It could be,” he said.

“I remember watching that year, I’m watching this going, Oh god this is a nightmare, but I’d also played him and beaten him two months earlier, but he gets to clay…

“I remember watching going, how many of his shots are crossing the side boundary before they cross the baseline, so not going through the court, the first time it goes through the boundary isn’t the backline, someone would go big inside out, he would sling it to where it’s crossing the side-line before the baseline a lot of the time.

“He makes the court 47 feet wide, and it’s above your head.”

Roddick then looked back on how Nadal managed to dominate some of the sport’s best clay-court players.

“Unbelievable, I don’t know, people couldn’t win games, like really good clay courters,” he said.

“I remember him playing [Nicolas] Almagro, I don’t know if it was the quarters or something, it was like 6-0, 6-1, 6-1, guy was having a hard time winning points. It was a beating.

“I remember watching that match, going, Nicolas Almagro is a really good clay court player, top ten player in the world, can create speed, can try to hit it through him. He couldn’t hold serve. It was depressing.”

Nadal dropped just 37 games en route to the 2008 final, dominating the field in Paris.

• 2008 French Open SF – Rafael Nadal beat Novak Djokovic, 6-4, 6-2, 7-6
• 2008 French Open QF – Rafael Nadal beat Nicolas Almagro, 6-1, 6-1, 6-1
• 2008 French Open 4R – Rafael Nadal beat Fernando Verdasco, 6-1, 6-0, 6-2
• 2008 French Open 3R – Rafael Nadal beat Jarkko Nieminen, 6-1, 6-3, 6-1
• 2008 French Open 2R – Rafael Nadal beat Nicolas Devilder, 6-4, 6-0, 6-1
• 2008 French Open 1R – Rafael Nadal beat Thomaz Bellucci, 7-5, 6-3, 6-1

His dominance continued into the final, where he took on his greatest rival, Roger Federer.

Dispatching the Swiss star in straight sets, Nadal took home the title with a 6-1, 6-3, 6-0 victory.

What happened when Rafael Nadal returned in 2009 to defend his French Open title?

After such a convincing display in 2008, many were expecting more of the same when he returned to Paris one year later.

Three rounds in, it looked as if that would be the case, as Nadal advanced past Marcos Daniel, Teymuraz Gabashvili, and Lleyton Hewitt without dropping a set.

It was in the fourth round, where things fell apart, when Nadal came face to face with Sweden’s Robin Soderling.

Shocking the world, Soderling beat Nadal, 6-2, 6-7, 6-4, 7-6, handing the Spaniard his first career defeat in Paris.

Soderling went on to reach the final in 2009, where Federer stood between him and a maiden Grand Slam title.

It wasn’t to be, as Federer took advantage of Nadal’s absence, winning his one and only Roland Garros title.

The Swede returned to the final one year later, to take on Nadal in one of the most highly anticipated Grand Slam rematches the sport has ever seen.

Nadal exacted his revenge, clinching the title with a comfortable 6-4, 6-2, 6-4 win.

The 38-year-old added nine more trophies to his collection before calling it quits in 2024, retiring with more French Open titles than any other player in tennis history.

Only time will tell who will win this year’s French Open, but it’ll certainly be worth tuning in for when the tournament begins on Sunday, May 25.