Rafael Nadal makes finishing touches at his Academy before Paris assault
World no. 2 Rafael Nadal was the dominant figure in April and May for 15 years, having the upper hand over his rivals at three Masters 1000 events and Barcelona to forge his clay-court greatness and become the best player in the history of the game on the slowest surface. That all changed this season, though, with Nadal losing in the semi-final in three consecutive tournaments on clay and mounting a massive pressure on himself ahead of Rome, the last stop before Roland Garros. The 32-year-old Spaniard was forced to delay the start of the season in Brisbane due to a thigh strain and was back at his best at the Australian Open, scoring six commanding wins before a severe loss in the title match against Novak Djokovic, his worst in Major finals.
Rafa wasted match points in Acapulco against Nick Kyrgios and was forced to withdraw before the semi-final clash at Indian Wells with Roger Federer, troubled by a knee injury that kept him away from Miami Masters as well. Making a comeback on his beloved clay in Monte Carlo, Nadal suffered the semi-final loss to Fabio Fognini after one of his worst performances on clay since 2005, heading to Barcelona where Dominic Thiem ousted him 6-4, 6-4, overpowering the great rival who lost the crown at another event that he won 11 times in the past. Twelve months ago, the Austrian defeated Rafa in the quarter-final in Madrid and the Spaniard left empty-handed again at Caja Magica, scoring three easy triumphs before the semi-final defeat to Stefanos Tsitsipas who became the youngest player with a win over Rafael Nadal on clay.
With no room for errors in Rome, Nadal finally delivered his 'A game' to topple all the rivals and grab a significant victory over Novak Djokovic in the title match, lifting the first crown since the summer of last year and building confidence ahead of Roland Garros where he celebrated 11 times in the previous 14 years! After a successful affair in the Italian capital, Rafa was back at his Academy where he worked hard ahead of Paris trip, looking good to fight with Novak Djokovic and Dominic Thiem for the crown at Roland Garros and seeking the 18th Grand Slam title. Rafa lost only two matches in Paris and claimed the last 16 wins there after two heartbreaking campaigns in 2015 and 2016, shaping up his game for another historic run at Bois de Boulogne.
from Tennis World USA http://bit.ly/2K1C9P2
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