TENNIS ROLAND GARROS – Yes, he may win Wimbledon again, too! The main obstacles at Wimbledon are the same ones Rafa Nadal faced at Roland Garros. Denying Novak Djokovic another Grand Slam title, and a back that seems determined to prevent Nadal from surpassing the great Roger Federer. It still may halt Rafa’s assault on immortality.By James Beck
Interviews, Results, OOP, Draws from the Roland Garros
Yes, he may win Wimbledon again, too!
The main obstacles at Wimbledon are the same ones Rafa Nadal faced at Roland Garros. Denying Novak Djokovic another Grand Slam title, and a back that seems determined to prevent Nadal from surpassing the great Roger Federer.
It still may halt Rafa’s assault on immortality. A bad back doesn’t go just away with another French Open title, even a ninth.
The potential back ailment — or cramps as the apparent problem Sunday — will be there when Rafa heads to Wimbledon, the same as in Australia when back problems probably cost him another Grand Slam title. But if he can fight as hard and as well as he did when he saw the finish line in Paris, his chances at winning Wimbledon look pretty good.
In fact, his chances are much better than they were six years ago when he did the unthinkable by going to London as a noted clay-courter and coming away with the first of his two Wimbledon championships.
French Open Wasn’t Very Pretty
This French Open final wasn’t a pretty one. Nadal played a mediocre first set, and Djokovic didn’t play much better.
After six lackluster and cautious games, Nadal decided to turn his huge, inside-out, cross-court forehand loose in the seventh game apparently without taking into consideration that new balls had been put into play. He missed the court with what may be a record three of his go-to shots in that game alone to fall behind 5-3.
Djokovic was glad to get the freebie, but Nadal harnessed his game, and for most of the last three sets was in charge of the court until he tossed in a service break while holding a 4-2 lead in the third set. Then there came the doublefault by Djokovic to give Nadal a 3-6, 7-5, 6-2, 6-4 victory.
Simply put, Nadal played well enough to win. That alone showed his unsurpassed supremacy of the red clay of Roland Garros.
Pressure On Djokovic May Have Played A Role
The fact Djokovic played under great pressure while trying to join the career Grand Slam circle that includes Nadal and Roger Federer had to play a role. At times, it looked as if Djokovic would follow David Ferrer’s example and simply give up.
Nadal wouldn’t let his fierce rival think about tossing in the towel. Nadal’s own inconsistent play and physical limitations kept leaving openings for Djokovic. The openings were there, and Djokovic took advantage of some of them, but each time Nadal closed the door just as it appeared the match might become another of the epic encounters between the two greats.
With 14 Grand Slam titles, Nadal trails Federer by three. If Nadal could win another one in London, his chances of catching Federer would soar. Turning 28 years old just last week, you’ve got to think the Spanish left-hander has at least two more French Open titles in him. Ferrer, perhaps Nadal’s strongest rival at Roland Garros, is an ancient 32 years old.
Novak May Need A Little Boost
Djokovic has to be a little down after what happened Sunday at Roland Garros. Just how much that affects his play at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open is impossible to measure. He’s 27 years old, and Grand Slam titles suddenly are getting much more difficult to win.
The Serbian “wonderstick” hasn’t won a Grand Slam title since the 2013 Australian Open, yet he’s been in three of the five finals.
Rafa Has Won Three Of Last Five Major Finals
Of course, Djokovic’s success of late doesn’t come close to what Rafa has accomplished in the same time period since returning to the tour.
Other than a couple bumps along the way — a first-round loss to Steve Darcis in 2013 Wimbledon and the back problems in this year’s Australian Open — Nadal easily has been the most dominant player in the men’s game over the last five Grand Slam tournaments. Or since Rafa returned to the game after missing the 2012 U.S. Open and 2013 Australian Open with injuries.
Nadal not only has played in four of the last five major finals, he’s won three of them.
Six Finals In Last Eight Tries
To go even farther back, Nadal has won four of the last eight Grand Slam tournaments he’s played, while making the final six of the eight times. He easily could have won two more Australian Open finals in that time, barring one barely wide short put-away backhand passing shot against Djokovic in 2012 and the back problems against Stan Wawrinka this year.
So, don’t count Nadal out of winning at least one more Grand Slam title in 2014.
—
James Beck is the long-time tennis columnist for the Charleston (S.C.) Post and Courier newspaper. He can be reached at Jamesbecktennis@gmail.com
—
See James Beck’s Post and Courier columns at:
