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Roland Garros Daily Preview: Rafael Nadal Faces Toni Nadal’s New Pupil

Published

2 years ago

28/05/2022

Rafael Nadal keeps his eye on the ball (twitter.com/rolandgarros)

Last April, the tennis world was stunned when Toni Nadal began working with Felix Auger-Aliassime. A year later, it is still quite odd to see Uncle Toni sitting in a player’s box for anyone other than his nephew. While Toni has stated he will not be in Felix’s box when he faces Rafael Nadal on Sunday, it will still be fascinating to watch his new player take on Rafa.

And we are perhaps just one round away from the highly-anticipated quarterfinal between Nadal and Novak Djokovic. But first, Nadal must overcome Auger-Aliassime, and Djokovic has to beat Diego Schwartzman. And for the second straight round, 19-year-old sensation Carlos Alcaraz gets the spotlight of the night session, as he plays Karen Khachanov.

Sunday is also filled with many enticing women’s singles matchups. In a rematch of an emotional affair in Indian Wells, US Open runner-up Leylah Fernandez takes on Roland Garros semifinalist Amanda Anisimova. And US Open champ Sloane Stephens faces Jil Teichmann, who survived a nearly three-and-a-half hour battle against Victoria Azarenka on Friday.

Throughout the tournament, this preview will analyze the day’s five most prominent matches, while highlighting the other notable matches on the schedule. Sunday’s play begins at 11:00am local time.

Leylah Fernandez (17) vs. Amanda Anisimova (27) – 12:00pm on Court Philippe Chatrier

Three months ago in Indian Wells, Anisimova was leading Fernandez 6-2, 5-4 when the match completely turned around. Amanda failed to convert four set points, eventually losing the second set tiebreak 7-0. A distraught Anisimova promptly retired without playing the third set, packing her bags and leaving the court in tears. Amanda later explained she had been feeling sick for several days heading into that match. The sudden exit of her new coach Darren Cahill just days prior, citing burnout and flying back to Australia, certainly couldn’t have helped her state of mind. Yet the American has persevered and performed extremely well this clay court season. She’s gone 13-3, and has reached the quarterfinals at every clay event she’s played. By contrast, Leylah had a losing record this season on clay ahead of this tournament. But as she often she does, the 19-year-old Canadian has fought her way to this stage, gritting out a tight match on Friday against Belinda Bencic 7-5 in the third. Yet on this surface, Anisimova is the favorite to avenge what was a painful loss in tennis paradise.

Novak Djokovic (1) vs. Diego Schwartzman (15) – Second on Court Suzanne Lenglen

Five years ago in the third round of this event, Schwartzman thoroughly tested Djokovic, and was up two-sets-to-one. But Novak prevailed in the end, as he has every time they’ve played. Overall Djokovic leads their head-to-head 6-0, which includes three matches on clay. These players have been two of the ATP’s best on clay for many years now, and a compelling contest with dynamic rallies is almost guaranteed. But another thing which seems almost definite is another Novak victory on Sunday. There’s just not much Diego has in his arsenal that can threaten the world No.1 and defending champion.

Rafael Nadal (5) vs. Felix Auger-Aliassime (9) – Third on Court Philippe Chatrier

Their only previous encounter also occurred on clay, when Nadal was victorious 6-3, 6-3 at the 2019 Madrid Masters. And of course, the King of Clay is a huge favorite to defeat Auger-Aliassime again on Sunday. Clay is not Felix’s strong suit, as he owned a losing record on this surface prior to this season, and was winless at this tournament until this past week. Even if Uncle Tony dispenses some sage wisdom regarding how to combat Rafa’s game, it would be shocking if Felix can upset the 13-time champion.

Jil Teichmann (23) vs. Sloane Stephens – Fourth on Court Suzanne Lenglen

Stephens arrived in Paris on a five-match losing streak, but the 2018 runner-up is now just one win away from reaching her third French Open quarterfinal. Teichmann is vying for her first quarterfinal at any Slam, as she was 3-10 lifetime at the Majors prior to this tournament. However, the 24-year-old from Switzerland has enjoyed much success outside of the Slams this past year. She was a surprise finalist last August in Cincinnati, and is now a stellar 11-3 on clay this season. She reached the quarters in Rome, and the semis in Madrid. Jil is currently at a career-high ranking of No.24, and would move into the top 20 with a victory on Sunday. Stephens and Teichmann have never played before. Sloane is the much more experienced player at big events, and should be the fresher player on the day, as Jil is coming off her third-set tiebreak victory over Azarenka. But Teichmann is the player with so much more confidence this clay court season, and should be favored to make her Major breakthrough.

Carlos Alcaraz (6) vs. Karen Khachanov (21) – Not Before 8:45pm on Court Philippe Chatrier

Alcaraz recovered nicely from a four-and-a-half hour, five-set battle in the second round, comfortably prevailing in straight sets on Friday over Sebastian Korda, who remains the only player to defeat Carlitos this year on clay. The Spaniard is now 31-3 in 2022, and 19-1 on this surface. Khachanov came into this tournament with little momentum. Karen was 15-13 on the year, and just 4-5 on clay. But the 26-year-old loves playing in Paris. He’s now advanced to the fourth round or better in four of the last five years. And his biggest career title also came in this city, at the indoor event in Bercy. But in their first career encounter, Alcaraz is a significant favorite to achieve his second Major quarterfinal. Carlitos is the far more in-form player, and he’ll be hyper-focused on avoiding another letdown after needing to save match point on Wednesday against Albert Ramos-Vinolas.

Other Notable Matches on Sunday:

Aliaksandra Sasnovich vs. Martina Trevisan – Sasnovich has already defeated twoMajor champions (Kerber, Raducanu), though has never advanced beyond the fourth round of a Slam. Trevisan is yet to drop a set, and was a quarterfinalist here two years ago. This is their first career meeting.

Coco Gauff (18) vs. Elise Mertens (31) – Gauff is vying for her second consecutive Roland Garros quarterfinal. Mertens has advanced to the third round or better at this event for six straight years, but is yet to reach the quarterfinals. Last June on the grass of Eastbourne, Coco defeated Elise 7-5 in the third.

Sascha Zverev (3) vs. Bernabe Zapata Miralles (Q) – After saving match point in the second round, Zverev prevailed in straights on Friday. Zapata Miralles is a 25-year-old qualifier from Spain who only owned one main draw win at a Major prior to this fortnight. This is another first-time matchup.

Sunday’s full Order of Play is here.

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Stefanos Tsitsipas Saves Two Match Points To Extend Winning Streak In Barcelona

Stefanos Tsitsipas survived a scare to reach the Barcelona semi-finals.

Published

1 hour ago

19/04/2024

Tony Fairbairn

(@atptour - Twitter)

Stefanos Tsitsipas saved two match points to defeat Facundo Diaz Acosta 4-6 6-3 7-6(8) in Barcelona.

The former finalist saved two match points against the inspired Argentinian as Tsitsipas reached the semi-finals.

It means Tsitsipas is 9-0 in the clay court season and has the chance to set up a potential rematch with Casper Ruud in the final.

The duo met in last week’s Monte-Carlo final where Tsitsipas claimed his third title in Monaco.

Speaking after the match Tsitsipas admitted it was difficult to sustain his level, “I was coming close [to losing] at certain moments in the match. It seemed like a mountain,” Tsitsipas stated to the ATP website.

“I reminded myself that I have a headband that I wear here that has a mountain and that I need to climb it, so it kept me going. It was difficult. It was extremely difficult to sustain the same level throughout the entire match and I think he played incredible.

“I think he left everything out there. He is a good clay-court player. He has a title on the ATP Tour for a reason and today it was a level he was able to bring out on the court that made it quite obvious.

“I got a little bit tense on my serve, I won’t lie. I think I started decelerating a lot, but once I got a hold of that I was conscious of that, it went back to where it belonged and helped me a lot in the tie-breaker because if I didn’t figure it out, I don’t know. It was very mental in general. I really had to go to uncomfortable places mentally and go over the limit at some point.”

Tsitsipas is currently seven in the world in the live rankings as the Greek is looking to claim his first title in Barcelona.

Next up for the Greek will be either Dusan Lajovic or Arthur Fils while Tomas Martin Etcheverry takes on Casper Ruud in the other semi-final.

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Elena Rybakina Looking To Adapt To Clay, Reaches Stuttgart Semi-Finals

Elena Rybakina has admitted it takes time to adapt to clay as she prepares for the semi-finals in Stuttgart.

Published

5 hours ago

19/04/2024

Tony Fairbairn

(@WeAreTennis - Twitter)

Elena Rybakina is into the semi-finals in Stuttgart after a 6-3 5-7 6-3 win over Jasmine Paolini.

After surviving a three set match against Veronika Kudermetova in her first round, Rybakina continued to struggle on the clay against the Italian.

However the former Wimbledon champion produced some big tennis in vital moments in order to reach the last four in Germany.

Although she has had success in the past on the clay, Rybakina knows that it will take time for her to adapt on the surface.

Speaking after her win over Kudermetova Rybakina explained the reasons why it is difficult to have immediate success on clay, “Well, I always believed that I can play good on clay. My first win on the WTA was on clay,” Rybakina was quoted by tennis365 as saying.

“It’s just the season is quite short, and of course me, for example, I need a bit more time to get used, to adapt, to play some matches. But overall I think that I can play well on all the surfaces. Last year it was a great tournament in Rome, and then the French Open, I actually feel also well there.

“I like the courts. It’s just I was unlucky with sickness, so I think I’m doing pretty well for now. I like a faster surface, and I think in Madrid it’s quite fast. For now I was not successful there, but I think that’s a great tournament for me.

“Rome was nice. As I said, French Open, I like the courts. It’s just the question of good preparation and being healthy. And then it all depends on you and of course on the opponent.”

Last year Rybakina claimed the title in Rome and was one of the favourites for Roland Garros.

However the Kazakh had to withdraw in the third round due to illness which hampered her progress throughout the season.

Now Rybakina will look to make amends for that as she is into the semi-finals in Stuttgart where she will play either defending champion Iga Swiatek or Emma Raducanu.

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Rafael Nadal Takes Positives From Barcelona Exit Against Alex De Minaur

Rafael Nadal exited the tournament in Barcelona in the second round to Alex De Minaur.

Published

2 days ago

17/04/2024

Tony Fairbairn

(@bcnopenbs - Twitter)

Rafael Nadal believes that he can be competitive for Roland Garros despite his 7-5 6-1 defeat to Alex De Minaur in Barcelona.

The 12-time champion suffered a straight sets defeat to the in-form Australian in the second round.

There was a valiant comeback from Nadal in the opening set as he recovered from a break down to get back onto level terms.

However De Minaur was too strong for Nadal as the world number eleven won nine of the last ten games to set up a third round meeting with Daniel Altmaier or Arthur Fils.

After the match Nadal congratulated De Minaur on the victory and analysed his own performance, “I mean Alex is a great player but honestly no, in terms of tennis today he’s in better shape than me so he is playing at a really high level since the beginning of the season, I think he made a really important step forward in his level of tennis,” Nadal told reporters in Barcelona.

“So just happy for him and congratulate him for the level he played today. And I think I was able to show myself most important to show the world and show myself when I was really trying and showed a high percentage of intensity, my level was there to compete.

“And I didn’t practice a lot so that encourages me to keep going and tells me that if I spend the day on the tour and keep practicing with the players on this surface, I really hope and really believe that I can keep being competitive and my body will allow me to push the way that I know.”

The defeat to De Minaur was Nadal’s third match all season having struggled with injury with the Spaniard hinting this could be his last time playing in Barcelona.

Despite the loss Nadal admits he feels happier and more comfortable than he did a couple of weeks ago, “I feel much more comfortable and much more happier today than one week and a half ago,” Nadal explained.

“I managed to play two matches, playing against great players and I mean when I was able to play I was not very far without a doubt. And I feel myself that if I’m able to keep practicing days on the tour and if my body allows me to spend hours on court and have the practices the way that I need.”

Now the next goal for Nadal is to try to reclaim his Roland Garros title, a tournament he has won on 14 different occasions.

As for Roland Garros Nadal just hopes he can be competitive for the second Grand Slam of the season as he intensifies his preparations over the next few weeks, “I hope to be competitive, that’s the truth and I hope and believe that I can be competitive in a few weeks,” Nadal stated.

“That’s the way I need to perceive today and my final goal is to give myself a chance to be realistically competing at Roland Garros. In my tennis career I was able to compete at the highest level at every single tournament, trying to win tournaments and I was not able to do it today.

“But I hope to be ready in a few weeks.”

Before Roland Garros, Nadal will hope to play in Madrid which starts on the 25th of April.