Mats Wilander and John McEnroe give their verdicts on Rafael Nadal’s latest French Open win
Former world No 1 Mats Wilander believes Rafael Nadal could still get better on a clay court, despite claiming a remarkable 12th French Open title by beating Dominic Thiem in Sunday’s final in Paris.
Nadal’s mastery of the red clay has put him in a league of his own on the surface for more than a decade, yet Eurosport analyst Wilander suggests there could still be more to come from the Spaniard.
“Rafa didn’t even have the perfect clay court season which is scary,” stated Wilander. “The way he hit his backhand in the final tells me he’s still working at his game and developing another way of playing.
“I thought after the second set maybe Rafa’s feeling a little tired, so he just started stepping in and taking his backhand early which surprised Dominic a little bit. The match was over from that point.
“The first two sets against Thiem were insane. It lived up to expectations which, to me, were by far the best two sets of the men’s tournament. It was crucial for Thiem to get a good start. After the second set I thought the momentum was with Thiem and somehow Nadal just grabbed it out of his hands.
“Maybe the bathroom break helped but there was a big difference in the third set. I think Thiem ran out of steam in the third set, he just relaxed a little bit and lost his intensity. Maybe he was just happy to have won a set in a Grand Slam final and he lost the creativity that he had in the first two sets.”
Wilander’s fellow Eurosport analyst John McEnroe suggested he was surprised by Nadal’s tactics in the final, as he suspected the King of Clay might shake uphill game to combat the threat of Thiem.
“I actually thought Rafa would go back to what he used to do earlier in his career and play it safer,” stated former Wimbledon champion McEnroe.
“Only because Dominic had been so much the last few days and it’s the fourth day in a row he’s played, but the fact that Nadal has that backhand in his back pocket, I’ve always wondered when he hits his backhand so good it’s a great shot.
“We are not talking about an average shot here and he’s ripping in cross court. He was moving so amazingly, forward and cutting balls off and making points easier.”
Meanwhile, Wilander went on to suggest Thiem has what it takes to win a major, despite losing in the final of the French Open for the last two years to Nadal.
“I think he’s closer in his mind to Federer, Nadal and Djokovic than anyone else and I think he’s the one that is going win Roland-Garros when Nadal is finished,” he added.
Watch Grand Slam tennis live and exclusive on Eurosport and Eurosport Player.
Follow us on Twitter @T365Official and like our Facebook page.
More from Tennis365:
-
-
Tennis365’s Legends of Roland Garros number one: Rafael Nadal
-
-
Comment: Serena Williams’ dismissal of Dominic Thiem damages tennis’ equality cause
-
Comment: Kei Nishikori must work harder on his fitness and make tactical improvements
-
T365 Recall: How Roger Federer magically won the 2009 French Open title
-
Latest
-
ATP Tour
WATCH: Tennis star collapses during Miami Open qualifier as opponent admits ‘I didn’t see him falling’
Arthur Cazaux left the court in a wheelchair.
-
Tennis News
Tennis great Martina Navratilova sympathises with frustrated Andy Murray – ‘It’s exhausting’
“It’s exhausting to have to deal with the press like that for Andy,” says Martina Navratilova.
-
Tennis News
Aryna Sabalenka’s boyfriend Konstantin Koltsov dies as club confirms tragic news
Our thoughts go out to Aryna Sabalenka.
-
WTA Tour
Emma Raducanu suffers huge injury setback on the eve of Miami Open
Raducanu forced to make a tough decision ahead of WTA 1000 tournament in Miami.
-
Tennis News
Carlos Alcaraz hailed for ‘chasing Rafael Nadal’ by pundits as injury concern highlighted
“It adds to the quality of Alcaraz that he can play at this level at the age of 20.”
-
Tennis News
Miami Open draw: Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner learn their fate as Andy Murray gets enticing opener
Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, Daniil Medvedev and co. have learned their draws for 2024 Miami Open.
-
Tennis News
Tim Henman gives his verdict on Novak Djokovic’s ‘revealing’ Miami Open withdrawal
“It probably does lead a little bit more to speculation when you’re talking about your professional and personal life.”
-
Tennis News
Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer compared to Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi by legendary coach
“Rafa can do the same thing that Federer does, while Cristiano cannot do what Messi does.”
-
Tennis News
Martina Navratilova makes Novak Djokovic ‘doubt’ claim as she highlights age factor
“What happens when you get older is the bad days are worse. You have to have it (doubt) no matter what.”
-
WTA Tour
WTA Rankings: Dominant Iga Swiatek practically assured of big feat ahead of Roland Garros
This way for your post-Indian Wells WTA Rankings.