Amazing! The only ones who have defeated Nadal on clay

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The Spanish tennis player has won more than 90% of the games played on brick dust, which sums 418 victories and 37 defeats. Even so, he is not invincible

Leer en español: ¡Fenómenos! Los únicos que han derrotado a Nadal sobre polvo de ladrillo

It is rare for the Spanish tennis player Rafael Nadal to lose a game on clay, as he is the best player in history on this surface. However, the current number two in the world recorded his 37th loss on clay after losing recently in the Monte Carlo Masters 1000's semifinals against the Italian Fabio Fognini.

Read also: Bianca Andreescu: the tennis player who appeared out of nowhere and is devastating

Nadal's worst obstacles on clay

Since his debut and entry into the top 10 of the ATP in 2005, the Spanish tennis player has maintained a supremacy on this surface. Nadal has won more than 90% of the games played in clay, which sums up 418 victories and only 37 defeats. Additionally, he has won 57 titles on this surface, including 11 Roland Garros.

With the triumph in the principality against the Iberian, Fognini was ratified as one of the three active tennis players who have beaten Nadal more than once on clay, along with the Serbian Novak Djokovic and the Austrian Dominic Thiem.

'Nole', currently number 1 of the world, is the player with the most wins against Nadal on this surface with 7 wins, as pointed out by Ángel Rigueira, head of the sports section of the Catalan newspaper Mundo Deportivo. "Djokovic achieved his first victory against Nadal in the Madrid 2011 final (7-5, 6-4), which was followed by the Rome 2011 final (6-4, 5-4), the Monte Carlo 2013 final (6-6). 2, 7-6), the Rome 2014 final  (4-6, 6-3, 6-3), the semifinal of Madrid 2015 (6-3, 6-3), the quarterfinals of Roland Garros 2015 (7- 5, 6-3, 6-1) and the quarters of Roma 2016 (7-5, 7-6)".

For its part, the Italian and Austrian have only beaten the Iberian on three occasions, which is the same amount of the former Argentinean tennis player Gastón Gaudio, who defeated Nadal in its beginnings between 2003 and 2005.

Can Nadal win this Roland Garros?

Although the race of the Iberian has been full of successes, it is undeniable that injuries and physical problems have caused that his performance at times is not the best, besides that he has been off the field for quite some time. So many have been the physical problems that Nadal has suffered lately, that the newspaper El Mundo notes that the Iberian tennis player had before Fognini one of his worst matches on clay of his career and that his physical condition is still in doubt.

"Nadal is still far from his best physical condition. The truth is that last year, in similar circumstances, with only two previous Davis Cup matches against Germany, he won the title (Monaco) with the usual authority to then make fourth in Madrid and prevail in Rome and Roland Garros, "said the Iberian newspaper.

On his current performance and physical condition, the Spanish tennis player spoke and is aware that it is difficult to be nowadays at the highest level. "We'll see how I am. At the physical level more or less well if we take into account that many physical problems are linked. There comes a time when it is hard to stay at the highest level. I hope to be ready to play well and, if it is not here, it will be in Madrid, in Rome or in Roland Garros. "The main goal of the season for Nadal is still the Roland Garros, the second Grand Slam of the year, which he hopes to win for the twelfth time.

LatinAmerican Post | Sebastián Castillo

Translated from "¡Fenómenos! Los únicos que han derrotado a Nadal sobre polvo de ladrillo"