Boris Becker remarks, "Rafael Nadal's French Open achievements are unparalleled in any other sport's history."
As an 18-year-old with a promising future, Nadal started out strong in the 2005 French Open, impressively defeating Roger Federer in the semifinals on his 19th birthday. This event marked the beginning of an incredible winning streak for him on Parisian clay.
Over 19 years, Nadal's undefeated record on this surface has only yielded three losses. His exceptional winning percentage, at 97.4%, speaks volumes about his dominance on this surface. However, it should be noted that he had to withdraw before his third-round game in 2016 due to injury.
Indeed, Hispania's star player is now so emblematic to the French Open that a "King of Clay" statue was even erected at the venue entrance in 2021, portraying him as he performs one of his famous forehands.
Legendary tennis player Boris Becker shared his take with CNN about Nadal's unparalleled success at the French Open. While he noted that when one wins the game five times, it's already a lot, he added that reaching a whopping 14 victories in the French Open is incomparable to any other record in any other sport.
He empathized with other tennis legends like Bjorn Borg, who could only manage to secure six wins at the French Open and Pete Sampras or Stefan Edberg, who never won it, highlighting the magnitude of Nadal's records.
“It’s not someone who won it one time, someone who won it twice, someone who won it 10 times; I can't think of any other record. Yeah, Bjorn Borg won it six times. That was unheard of, but then Sampras never won it, Edberg never won it. So there's no shame in not winning the French Open,” Becker stated.
The German star added a personal anecdote as well, saying, “Believe it or not, I liked playing Paris. I had a big fan base, they liked my style. I know I never won it, the only major I didn't win. I made the semifinals a few times, but I did as good as I could with my style.”
Standing at an impressive height of 5'11", Becker was famously known for his powerful serve and volley game. His comments allude to Nadal's unrivaled performance on clay, making one mistake less than his competitors, distinguishing it from other surfaces.
According to Becker, on clay, the primary focus isn't on attaining more winners than the opponent but keeping your error count low. The surface requires a specific sliding technique and versatility; it is physically demanding and can even test a player's mental fortitude.
"The ultimate goal on clay is to make one less mistake than the opposition. It's different from all the other surfaces," Becker elucidated. "If you seek out more winners than your opponent on the clay court, ultimately you'll lose," he added.
Although clay can be a demanding surface, offering a unique challenge, the Parisian audience is equally, if not more, intimidating. "To play on Philippe Chatrier in front of a Parisian crowd is very unique, very challenging," Becker explained, noting its immense size in comparison to other clay courts.
The ecstatic crowd can either cheer for you or against you, which can potentially impact the outcome of the match. "There's no other city in the world that sounds like the Parisian crowd. It's very, very unique, it's very loud. If they support you, great. If they don't support you, you don't have a chance," he emphasized.
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Source: edition.cnn.com
