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Rafael Nadal admitted Friday that he faces his “toughest Roland Garros” as he prepares for an assault on a 13th French Open title.
The 34-year-old needs one more slam to match Roger Federer’s record of 20, but the great Spaniard’s mood was as dark as the skies over Paris when he addressed the media two days before the major. end of the season.
“Conditions here are probably the most difficult for me at Roland Garros because of so many different events,” said the world number two.
“The ball is completely different. It is super slow, heavy. It is also very cold and slow conditions.
“And of course, the preparation has been less than usual.”
Nadal, who won his first French Open 15 years ago and has been defeated only twice in 95 matches at the tournament, arrives in a worryingly undercooked cold and wet Paris.
He skipped his US Open title defense out of fear of the coronavirus and played just three games on clay in Rome last week, where he came out in the quarterfinals.
That was his first tournament since February and he now faces the prospect of playing a French Open four months behind his traditional May-June schedule.
The early summer heat and fast conditions, in which it thrives, have been replaced by rain, wind, autumn chill and even a brief deluge of hail on Friday.
“The weather is so cold,” said Nadal, who lives in Mallorca and quickly realized that his practice session on Friday took place when the temperature was nine degrees (48F).
New concerns about the ball
Nadal said he was unhappy that the tournament switched to a new ball supplier this year.
He even believes it could pose physical problems for players.
“I think it’s not the right ball to play on a clay court,” he said.
“I really think that the organization should analyze that over the next few years, also for the health of the players, because the ball is very heavy and it becomes dangerous for the elbow and shoulders.”
Nadal is seeded to face world number one Novak Djokovic in the final.
The Serbian is one of only two men to have defeated the Spaniard in Paris in 15 years.
However, Nadal still has a 6-1 lead over the 2016 champion and 17-time Major winner at Roland Garros.
Djokovic arrives in Paris with a 31-1 record in 2020; his only ‘loss’ comes by default at the US Open.
He also claimed the Italian Open title at the weekend for a record 36th Masters crown, beating Nadal on the all-time list.
Djokovic hinted that this year he could see Nadal dethroned as champion at Roland Garros.
“Yes, 100% true,” Nadal admitted. “I have always been beatable on clay. It hit me many times.
“But at the same time, it is true that I was very successful on this surface.”
Nadal will start his 2020 French Open campaign on Monday against Egor Gerasimov, the 83rd-ranked Belarusian.
If he reaches the semi-finals, he is qualified to face Austrian Dominic Thiem, whom he has defeated in the last two Roland Garros finals.
However, Thiem arrives in the French capital encouraged by capturing his first Grand Slam title at the US Open.
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