Can Nadal defend his US Open Series titles? In what is an abbreviated, jam-packed ATP season in the coming months, due to the coronavirus pandemic. Or will Nadal make the tough decision to forgo the North American swing in favour of the European swing, in order to improve his chances and, crucially, further his legacy at his beloved French Open?
The ATP Tour’s gruelling new schedule, which features a major event almost every week, offers little wiggle room to players, prompting many to speculate whether players might skip events. And as the restart of the ATP tennis season in August fast approaches, one player that faces some tough decisions is none other than World No.2 Rafael Nadal. Decisions about which titles he will compete for and/or defend in the next few months.
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The Spaniard is the defending champion in three of the four tournaments scheduled to get underway in August and September: French Open, Rogers Masters, Cincinnati , and US Open. (The only event Nadal didn’t win in the aforementioned list is Cincy).
However, with these events running in quick succession, presenting a scenario in which players will get little rest in between tournaments, face extensive international travel and have to contend with the grueling day-to-day demands of match-play, it’s a daunting ask of Nadal to defend his titles in such a short space of time.
As one of the Big Three of tennis – Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer being the other two – Nadal is fiercely competitive, a merciless opponent and one of the toughest players to beat. One can never count the Spaniard out of any tournament, on any given surface. If Nadal isn’t the favorite going into an event, he’s certainly one of the top bets in the field to begin with. Not for nothing, he has 19 Grand Slam titles (12 French Open, 4 US Open, 2 Wimbledon, 1 Australian Open).
That said, Rafael Nadal is the undisputed King of Clay, having won 12 French Open titles (2005 to 2008, 2010 to 2014 and 2017 to 2019). No other player on the ATP tour has dominated an event – or a surface, for that matter – as Nadal has at the French Open, reigning supreme on the red dirt.
It follows, therefore, Nadal is the favorite to win the French Open title in 2020, which is set to get underway – assuming the pandemic continues to slow down in Europe and, mainly, in France – late in September. It also follows the French Open is his best shot at a Grand Slam title in 2020.
Nadal, at 34 years of age, has the opportunity to potentially draw level with Roger Federer on 20 Grand Slam titles, if not go one better. The US Open is going ahead as planned, and the rescheduled French Open will follow soon thereafter – both of which Nadal is the defending champion. And yet: by all accounts, winning another title at Roland Garros is his easiest – likeliest – route to match the all-time record in men’s tennis, held by the Swiss maestro.
Most recently, Nadal made it known that he has committed to playing the Madrid Masters – a clay-court event that was rescheduled from May to September, due to draconian coronavirus lockdown measures implemented in Spain.
Tournament director and former ATP player Feliciano Lopez made the announcement on Twitter. “I talked to my friend Rafael Nadal and he has confirmed his participation in Madrid next September! We wait for you as always with open arms in the Magic Box.” With Nadal
He hablado con mi amigo @RafaelNadal y me ha confirmado su participación en Madrid el próximo mes de septiembre! ❤️ ¡Te esperamos como siempre con los brazos abiertos en la Caja Mágica! pic.twitter.com/ZWywVEQstO
— Feliciano López (@feliciano_lopez) July 7, 2020
Is the writing on the wall then? Doesn’t committing to Madrid effectively take Nadal out of contention for a second straight and fifth overall US Open title?
With Nadal confirming his participation in Madrid it does raise some questions about his ability to play at the US Open, or, even, any of the US Open series events. Madrid is scheduled to begin on September 12, a day after the US Open is expected to finish. One thing it does serve, is that it underscores his commitment to play the French Open later in September, in which he’s the favourite to win.
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