That Rafael Nadal is the greatest of all time on clay is undeniable – even Borg’s own mother must have come to terms with it by now. 

No one, man or woman, has ever managed to win the same Slam 12 times. No one, except for him, who managed the feat in Paris, ça va sans dire.

Without the pandemic, the Spaniard could have celebrated his birthday, as usual, in his home away from home (a home with a roof now, and retractable too), and perhaps he could have taken another step forward, tasting that Slam-tally supremacy (albeit shared) he’s been chasing his entire life. Who knows whether fate will give him other chances – only time will tell.

There is another statistical nugget though, more subtle and neglected, that asserts, with even greater emphasis, his might and his undisputed dominance on the surface. Said nugget is that, over a 15-year span, Rafa has played 120 3-out-of-5 matches, including those at the Bois de Boulogne, the old Davis Cup (we miss you so!), a few Masters Series finals, and more.

Well, his record in these matches is the following: 118 wins and 2 losses. 118-2.

In my opinion, this is the most impressive achievement in the history of the game BC (Before Covid), and thus deserves to be handed down to posterity as my personal birthday gift.

To all fans, have a nice read!

2004

1. Davis SF Clement (65) W 64 61 62
2. Davis F Roddick (2) W 67(6) 62 76(6) 62

2005

1. Montecarlo F Coria (9) W 63 61 06 75
2. Barcellona F Ferrero (58) W 61 76(4) 63
3. Roma F Coria (11) W 64 36 63 46 76(6)
4. RG R128 Burgsmuller (96) W 61 76(4) 61
5. RG R64 Malisse (46) W 62 62 64
6. RG R32 Gasquet (31) W 64 63 62
7. RG R16 Grosjean (24) W 64 36 60 63
8. RG QF Ferrer (21) W 75 62 60
9. RG SF Federer (1) W 63 46 64 63
10. RG F Puerta (37) W 67(6) 63 61 75
11. Stoccarda F Gaudio (13) W 63 63 64
12. Davis P.O. Bracciali (92) W 63 62 61
13. Davis P.O. Seppi (78) W 61 62 57 64

2006

1. Montecarlo F Federer (1) W 62 67(2) 63 76(5)
2. Barcellona F Robredo (15) W 64 64 60
3. Roma F Federer (1) W 67(0) 76(5) 64 26 76(5)
4. RG R128 Soderling (50) W 62 75 61
5. RG R64 Kim (116) W 62 61 64
6. RG R32 Mathieu (32) W 57 64 64 64
7. RG R16 Hewitt (14) W 62 57 64 62
8. RG QF Djokovic (63) W 64 64 RET
9. RG SF Ljubicic (4) W 64 62 76(7)
10. RG F Federer (1) W 16 61 64 76(4)
11. Davis P.O. Seppi (69) W 60 64 63
12. Davis P.O. Volandri (38) W 36 75 63 63

2007

1. RG R128 Del Potro (59) W 75 63 62
2. RG R64 Cipolla (227) W 62 61 64
3. RG R32 Montanes (50) W 61 63 62
4. RG R16 Hewitt (16) W 63 61 76(5)
5. RG QF Moya (26) W 64 63 60
6. RG SF Djokovic (6) W 75 64 62
7. RG F Federer (1) W 63 46 63 64

2008

1. RG R128 Bellucci (76) W 75 63 61
2. RG R64 Devilder (148) W 64 60 61
3. RG R32 Nieminen (26) W 61 63 61
4. RG R16 Verdasco (23) W 61 60 62
5. RG QF Almagro (20) W 61 61 61
6. RG SF Djokovic (3) W 64 62 76(3)
7. RG F Federer (1) W 61 63 60
8. Davis SF Querrey (39) W 67(5) 64 63 64
9. Davis SF Roddick (8) W 64 60 64

2009

1. Davis 1st RD Tipsarevic (47) W 61 60 62
2. Davis 1st RD Djokovic (3) W 64 64 61
3. RG R128 M. Daniel (97) W 75 64 63
4. RG R64 Gabashvili (72) W 61 64 62
5. RG R32 Hewitt (48) W 61 63 61
6. RG R16 Soderling (25) L 26 76(2) 46 67(2)
7. Davis F Berdych (20) W 75 60 62

2010

1. RG R128 Mina (655) W 62 62 62
2. RG R64 Zeballos (44) W 62 62 63
3. RG R32 Hewitt (33) W 63 64 63
4. RG R16 Bellucci (29) W 62 75 64
5. RG QF Almagro (21) W 76(2) 76(3) 64
6. RG SF Melzer (27) W 62 63 76(6)
7. RG F Soderling (7) W 64 62 64

2011

1. RG R128 Isner (39) W 64 67(2) 67(2) 62 64
2. RG R64 Andujar (48) W 75 63 76(4)
3. RG R32 Veic (227) W 61 63 60
4. RG R16 Ljubicic (37) W 75 63 63
5. RG QF Soderling (5) W 64 61 76(3)
6. RG SF Murray (4) W 64 75 64
7. RG F Federer (3) W 75 76(3) 57 61
8. Davis SF Gasquet (15) W 63 60 61
9. Davis SF Tsonga (10) W 60 62 64
10. Davis F Monaco (26) W 61 61 62
11. Davis F Del Potro (11) W 16 64 61 76(0)

2012

1. RG R128 Bolelli (111) W 62 62 61
2. RG R64 Istomin (43) W 62 62 60
3. RG R32 Schwank (192) W 61 63 64
4. RG R16 Monaco (15) W 62 60 60
5. RG QF Almagro (13) W 76(4) 62 63
6. RG SF Ferrer (6) W 62 62 61
7. RG F Djokovic (1) W 64 63 26 75

2013 

1. RG R128 Brands (59) W 46 76(4) 64 63
2. RG R64 Klizan (35) W 46 63 63 63
3. RG R32 Fognini (29) W 76(5) 64 64
4. RG R16 Nishikori (15) W 64 61 63
5. RG QF Wawrinka (10) W 62 63 61
6. RG SF Djokovic (1) W 64 36 61 67(3) 97
7. RG F Ferrer (5) W 63 62 63
8. Davis P.O. Stakhovsky (92) W 60 64 64

2014 

1. RG R128 Ginepri (279) W 60 63 60
2. RG R64 Thiem (57) W 62 62 63
3. RG R32 L. Mayer (65) W 62 75 62
4. RG R16 Lajovic (83) W 61 62 61
5. RG QF Ferrer (5) W 46 64 60 61
6. RG SF Murray (8) W 63 62 61
7. RG F Djokovic (2) W 36 75 62 64

2015 

1. RG R128 Halys (296) W 63 63 64
2. RG R64 Almagro (154) W 64 63 61
3. RG R32 Kuznetsov (120) W 61 63 62
4. RG R16 Sock (37) W 63 61 57 62
5. RG QF Djokovic (1) L 57 36 16

2016 

1. RG R128 Groth (100) W 61 61 61
2. RG R64 Bagnis (99) W 63 60 63

2017

1. RG R128 Paire (45) W 61 64 61
2. RG R64 Haase (46) W 61 64 63
3. RG R32 Basilashvili (63) W 60 61 60
4. RG R16 Bautista Agut (18) W 61 62 62
5. RG QF Carreno Busta (21) W 62 20 RET
6. RG SF Thiem (7) W 63 64 60
7. RG F Wawrinka (3) W 62 63 61

2018

1. Davis QF Kohlschreiber (34) W 62 62 63
2. Davis QF A. Zverev (4) W 61 64 64
3. RG R128 Bolelli (129) W 64 63 76(9)
4. RG R64 Pella (78) W 62 61 61
5. RG R32 Gasquet (32) W 63 62 62
6. RG R16 Marterer (70) W 63 62 76(4)
7. RG QF Schwartzman (12) W 46 63 62 62
8. RG SF Del Potro (6) W 64 61 62
9. RG F Thiem (8) W 64 63 62

2019 

1. RG R128 Hanfnann (180) W 62 61 63
2. RG R64 Maden (114) W 61 62 64
3. RG R32 Goffin (29) W 61 63 46 63
4. RG R16 Londero (78) W 62 63 63
5. RG QF Nishikori (7) W 61 61 63
6. RG SF Federer (3) W 63 64 62
7. RG F Thiem (4) W 63 57 61 61

120 matches by the numbers

• Total sets played: 391
• Total sets won: 353 (90,28%)
• Total sets lost: 38 (9,72%)
• Total five-setters: 4 (3,33%, all wins, among which one went the distance and two to a deciding tie-breaker)
• Total tie-breaks played: 33 (8,44%, 24 wins and 9 losses)
• Total 6-0 bagels: 26 (6,65%, 25 for him and 1 against)
• Matches played at the French Open: 95 (93 wins e 2 losses)
• Davis Cup ties: 18 (all wins)
• Total matches against Top 10 competition: 35 (34 wins and 1 loss)
• Total matches against number 1-ranked opponents: 9 (8 wins and 1 loss)
• Number of finals played (excluding the Davis Cup): 19 (all wins)
• Number of finals played at the French Open: 12 (all wins)

The opponents

• 8 times: Federer (4 RG F, 2 RG SF, 1 Montecarlo F, 1 Roma F, all wins), Djokovic (2 RG F, 3 RG SF, 2 RG QF, 1 Davis, one loss)
• 4 times: Ferrer, Hewitt, Soderling (1 loss), Thiem, Almagro
• 3 times: Gasquet, Del Potro
• 2 times: Coria, Roddick, Wawrinka, Murray, Ljubicic, Seppi, Bolelli, Bellucci, Monaco, Nishikori
• 1 time: Verdasco, Fognini, Carreno Busta, Robredo, Berdych, Clement, Ferrero, Burgsmuller, Malisse, Grosjean, Puerta, Gaudio, Bracciali, Kim, Mathieu, Volandri, Cipolla, Montanes, Moya, Devilder, Nieminen, Querrey, Tipsarevic, M. Daniel, Gabashvili, Mina, Zeballos, Melzer, Isner, Andujar, Veic, Tsonga, Istomin, Schwank, Brands, Klizan, Stakhovsky, Ginepri, L. Mayer, Lajovic, Halys, Kuznetsov, Sock, Groth, Bagnis, Paire, Haase, Basilashvili, Bautista Agut, Kohlschreiber, A. Zverev, Pella, Marterer, Schwartzman, Hanfmann, Maden, Goffin, Londero.

 Some final considerations

• Of the 120 considered matches, 95 took place at the French Open, 18 in the Davis Cup (all wins), and seven were ATP finals (all wins);
• Of the 95 matches played at the French Open, 91 were wins in three or four sets. The others are his only two losses, one against Soderling in 2009 and one against Djokovic in 2015, and two five-set wins, one against Djokovic in 2013 and one against Isner in 2011;
• On his way to 12 French Open title, Rafa beat Roger and Nole six times each;
• Rafa is 12-0 in French Open semifinals (three against Nole, two against Roger) and finals (four against Roger and two against Nole). Therefore, the 12 times he’s reached the semis he’s always won the tournament.

FELIZ CUMPLEAÑOS CAMPEÓN!

Article translated  by Tommaso Villa

The United States Tennis Association (USTA) is continuing to work tirelessly to put in place a health protocol that would allow the US Open to start on 24 August as planned. But another alleged initiative by the USTA, reported by the New York Times reporter Christopher Clarey, is planning another shake-up of the traditional North American tennis summer line-up: some sources internal to the US Tennis Federation have confirmed the existence of a plan to relocate the Western&Southern Open from the Lindner Family Tennis Center of Mason, Ohio to the National Tennis Center at Flushing Meadows, New York City.

The Cincinnati area hosts every year a combined tournament that sees an ATP Masters 1000 tournament being played at the same time as a WTA Premier 5. The USTA has informed both the ATP and the WTA of the existence of a project that would see the event being played in its current calendar slot (17-23 August) but at the same location as the US Open. This would see the pro circuit “settle down” in the New York City area for a 4-week period that would include the Western&Southern Open and the US Open, which would start as scheduled on 24 August with the singles qualifying draws.

The idea behind this proposal is to create some economies of scope and scale as the same safety protocols being prepared for the US Open would not have to be replicated in Ohio a couple of weeks earlier, and players and their entourages would be able to remain at the same location for the entire duration of their stay in the United States, thus eliminating the risks connected to internal flights and getting in touch with more people as they change cities and accommodation.

The ATP Masters 1000 tournament in Cincinnati is owned by the USTA itself, while the WTA Premier 5 is owned by the sports management company Octagon.

As far as the US Open is concerned, there will be no junior or legend competitions, and the cancellation of the wheelchair tennis draws are still under consideration. It appears that the USTA has accepted the introduction of coaching, similarly to what happens in the WTA Tour, in order to increase the entertainment value of a product for which the ESPN is paying 75 million dollars a year until 2025 and that some sources seem to believe is not currently delivering as expected.

At the moment all professional tennis tournaments have been cancelled until the end of July, and the ATP Tour is expected to resume on 3 August with the ATP 500 Citi Open in Washington, DC, while the WTA Tour sees the Mubadala Silicon Valley Open in San Jose, California, as its first event on the schedule. On the following week, the tours were supposed to move to Canada for the annual appointment with the Rogers Cup, however the WTA version in Montreal has already been canceled by the organizers due to a decision by the Province of Quebec (where Montreal is located) to prohibit all mass events until the end of August. However, the ATP Masters 1000 version of the Rogers Cup, scheduled to take place in Toronto, is still officially on the calendar, and the organizer Tennis Canada has confirmed that no decisions pertaining its cancellation will be made before 15 June when both ATP and WTA will update their respective schedules.

In just over a week’s time the likes of Roger Federer and Co will know for certain what the future of the 2020 season will look like.

Spain’s top sporting newspaper Marca have confirmed that player’s have been sent emails from the ATP Tour inviting them to attend a zoom meeting. It is set to be held on Wednesday June 10th at 16:00 CET where they will be discussing the future plans of the men’s Tour. It is unclear how the WTA is addressing the situation or if they will take a similar approach.

All professional tennis tournaments have been either suspended or cancelled since March due to the COVID-19 pandemic. At present the Tour is suspended up until July 31st, but it is unclear as to what will occur beyond that date. Both the US Open and French Open are hoping to hold their tournaments later this season.

There has been no official word for the ATP to confirm the upcoming meeting, however it has emerged that it was meant to be kept confidential. Something that is no longer possible due to the Marca article.

The most significant aspect regarding the upcoming call will be surrounding the North American Tour and what events will or will not take place. For example the Rogers Cup in Canada has already cancelled their women’s event, but they are still hoping to stage the Men’s equivalent. There are also questions over the future of tournaments in Cincinnati, which is a Masters 1000 event, and the Citi Open in Washington.

“The chance of having 7,500 people a night at the beginning of August is extraordinarily low,” Citi Open tournament director Mark Ein told Tennisnow.com last month. “We haven’t ruled anything out at this point, but the chance of being able to pack a stadium, if you’re being realistic, is extremely low.
“Really we’re focused on scenarios where our hope would be that we can play it with some number of fans. We’re really thinking of hundreds to a thousand [fans].”

The New York Times has reported that the United States Tennis Association is considering moving the Washington event to the same venue of the US Open. Minimising the amount of travel that player’s would be required to do. It is understood that both the ATP and WTA are considering that proposal.

Another factor that will likely be discussed will be how different the Tour may look. There have been talks about potentially staging events behind closed doors, including the US Open, due to the ongoing pandemic. Furthermore, a more pressing matter will be travel requirements and if player’s will be exempt from going through quarantine when entering a new country.

In regards to coaches, it has been reported that they have been invited to attend a separate zoom meeting on June 18th. Torben Beltz, who is the coach of women’s player Donna Vekic, recently disclosed some of the approaches being considered by the WTA. Speaking to the Advantage Podcast, Beltz said the ideas include limiting players to only having one person travelling with them. It is still unconfirmed if this would occur or if the ATP would consider a similar approach.

ATP Tour chief Andrea Gaudenzi had previously said on May 11th that yesterday (June 1st) would be the deadline for making a decision regarding playing tournaments in August. However, they are yet to issue any statement concerning their plans.