By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Thursday May 18, 2023
When it comes to being a cut above the rest, Rafael Nadal has hit all the high marks at Roland-Garros.
Daniil Medvedev certainly agrees. The Russian was asked on Thursday, after being informed of the Spaniard’s withdrawal from the event in 2023, if he felt that Nadal’s record at Roland-Garros (112-3 with 14 ungodly titles!) was the best record in tennis. The Russian, always game for an honest conversation on any topic, did not mince words.
“In tennis, for sure,” he said. “I think Novak won Australia, what, nine times, 10 this year? Still, Rafa won 14. Maybe Novak, if he makes 14 in Australia, then we going to have more talking…
“For the moment, Rafa on clay in general, but especially in Roland Garros, is just unreal. I honestly don’t know how this is possible. I feel like I’m a good tennis player, but you can always have a bad day, or your opponent has a very good day. Like in Madrid I felt like I was not playing that bad against Karatsev. But I lost, and after the match I was like, ‘He played well. Okay, that’s it.’
“Rafa didn’t have these matches in Roland Garros, except maybe the match with Soderling where Robin played the match of his life and managed to win. This is unbelievable. I think in tennis, at least for the moment, there is no comparison.”
The book isn’t closed on this conversation, however. As Medvedev alluded, Novak Djokovic is at ten Australian Open titles, and counting…
Stay tuned, but don’t be surprised if Rafa’s Roland-Garros heroics stand the test of time and go down as the best record we have ever seen in our sport.
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