French Open 2014: Top Contenders to End Rafael Nadal’s Reign at Roland Garros

By
at Internationaled.org

Published: May 18, 2014

commentComment        

To say Rafael Nadal has dominated the French Open in the past decade would be an epic understatement, like saying Napoleon had a modest empire or that the Boston Celtics were pretty good when Red Auerbach was the coach.

Nadal has won eight of the last nine titles at Roland Garros, a stretch of dominance that is hard to fathom. The man is a master on clay, and he'll head into this year's French Open a resounding favorite to win his ninth title at the tournament.

Paul-Henri Mathieu, who lost to Nadal in 2006, told Guillaume Willecoq of RolandGarros.com about how difficult it was playing him in the French Open:

The depth on Centre Court give you so much space behind the baseline that it’s extremely difficult to get past him as he has so much room to run, get his racquet round the ball and find different angles on defence. Attacking shots end up being returned more often than they are from elsewhere on the court, in particularly from way back. You have to try again two, three, four times just to win a point. And of course you can’t make any mistakes, and you can’t go too far behind the baseline otherwise you’ll end up running left and right… The depth of Centre Court benefits defenders more than attackers, and so yes, it definitely plays in his favour.

So, can anyone end Nadal's reign of terror this year?

You might think the most likely player to beat him at Roland Garros is Roger Federer, who won the tournament in 2009 and was the runner-up in 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2011. But not only has Nadal won the last five matches between the two players, he also holds a 13-2 advantage on clay courts (and of course, a 23-10 advantage overall). 

If they cross paths, it's hard to imagine Federer winning this one.

What about Andy Murray?

Murray and Nadal haven't faced off much in recent years, but the former has taken two of the last three mat...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Tennis

Latest News


Comments

Comments are closed.

Sponsors

Bruins Tickets The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League.

Red Wings Tickets The Detroit Red Wings are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League.

Penguins Tickets The Pittsburgh Penguins are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League.

New York Rangers Tickets play their home games at Madison Square Garden, they are one of the oldest teams in the NHL, having joined in 1926 as an expansion franchise, and are part of the group of teams referred to as the Original Six.

San Jose Sharks Tickets The San Jose Sharks are a professional ice hockey team based in San Jose, California, United States.

Toronto Maple Leafs Tickets The Toronto Maple Leafs are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League.

New Jersey Devils Tickets The New Jersey Devils are a professional ice hockey team based in Newark, New Jersey. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League.

Washington Capitals Tickets The Washington Capitals are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C.

Buffalo Sabres Tickets The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League. Get the Sabres and all of your NHL Tickets here.

NASCAR season is on of the most attended sports in the world. NASCAR Tickets to the best tracks is a must every year. Some of these tracks are: Talladega Tickets, Lowes Motor Speedway Tickets, Pocono Raceway Tickets, located in Ridgeway Virginia you have Martinsville Speedway Tickets and southern US you have two of the most popular Atlanta Motor Speedway Tickets and Texas Motor Speedway Tickets. Don't miss all the racing events this year!

Boston Red Sox Tickets The Boston Red Sox are a member of the Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Since 1912, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park. This is one of the hottest MLB Tickets sales of any team in the major league.

New York Yankees Tickets The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the borough of the Bronx, in New York City, New York and are a member of Major League Baseball's American League East Division. Get tickets to one of the hottest games of the season Yankees Red Sox Tickets.

Chicago Cubs Tickets The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League.

Phillies Tickets The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883.

Orioles Tickets The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland.

Do you love wrestling? Get your WWE Tickets and WWE Survivor Series Tickets today!