Former legendary Tennis player John McEnroe believes Rafael Nadal’s Roland-Garros tally will be impregnable in the future. Nadal clinched his 14th French Open title after beating Norway’s Casper Ruud 6-3, 6-3, 6-0 in the final at Phillippe-Chartier on Sunday.
Nadal continued his domination on clay and extended his record to 112-3 at Roland-Garros. The Spaniard had won his first Major title in Paris as a 19-year-old in 2005 and since then he hasn’t looked back.
Nadal’s tally of 14th Majors at the particular slam is the highest in the history of the sport. The World no.1 Novak Djokovic has won nine Australian Open titles.
Meanwhile, Nadal has been a force to reckon with on clay and he is almost invincible on his favorite surface. The Spaniard is known for his never-say-never attitude on the court and he has been the king of clay.
Nadal’s three losses at Roland-Garros have come against Robin Soderling (fourth round of 2009), Novak Djokovic (2015 quarterfinal), and Djokovic again in 2021 in the semifinal.
Speaking to Eurosport, McEnroe said, “It’s beyond belief. It took a player – [Pete] Sampras – 35 years to catch Roy Emerson. We were thinking it would be another 30 years [before the record was broken again], and now it’s one, two, three guys. “Most of us thought it would be Novak [Djokovic], but then there was that horrible debacle in Australia. I don’t think Novak thought that Rafa would go and win [the Australian Open].
“Djokovic came [to Roland-Garros] thinking ‘I’ve got to catch this guy’, and then Rafa stepped up to the plate again. If anyone comes close to this, I will stand on my head and do an entire telecast – if Eurosport invites me back in 15 years and Casper Ruud has just won his 14th straight French Open – I will stand on my head the entire telecast.
“This will never, ever, ever happen again in our sport, that one male – or female – will win as many of these events, so enjoy it while we can. [Rafa] has been giving signs that maybe he might not play anymore, possibly. I don’t know if that’s true, but it sounds conceivable that it’s going to be his last match. “He’s talked about not playing Wimbledon… why would he not play Wimbledon if he’s won the Australian and the French? He could win the Grand Slam, so we’ll see.”
There is no doubt it will be a herculean task for any player in the future to come even close to Nadal’s record at French Open. Nadal will now want to take part in Wimbledon if his foot injury doesn’t trouble him.
