Rafael Nadal outstrips rivals in Paris but injury makes for uncertain future

In the buildup to Rafael Nadal’s French Open quarter-final clash with Novak Djokovic last Tuesday, some doubt surrounded Nadal ahead of his greatest challenge. He was not in particularly good form, barely surviving Félix Auger-Aliassime in the fourth round. He was playing catch up after his recent rib stress fracture and competing after his chronic foot ailment flared up. The match was scheduled at night where his heavy topspin could be neutered in cold, slow conditions.

The outcome of that match and everything that followed, with Nadal rising to win his 14th French Open title and 22nd grand slam title, further underlines what he has shown for long. No matter his age, his own preparations, nor the revelation that he played a two-week tournament with part of his foot under anaesthetic, Nadal’s dominance at Roland Garros transcends all.

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At the end of last season, when Djokovic stood one match from winning his fourth grand slam of the year at the US Open, he had optimally positioned himself to break the three-way tie of 20 majors and establish himself as the men’s all-time leader. Instead, Nadal has now created a clear buffer between himself and his rivals, and he is halfway to the single-season grand slam.

This would be a significant talking point if not for how Nadal has continually played it down. When he was trailing Roger Federer, he used the same analogy dozens of times. “You can’t be frustrated all the time because the neighbour has a bigger house than you,” he said three years ago.

To his credit Nadal has been consistent, even now that his own grand slam haul is greater than that of those neighbours. He now says that these