Three of Rafael Nadal’s greatest triumphs at the French Open

When you think of the French Open tennis championship, one name automatically springs to mind. Rafael Nadal has enjoyed a special relationship with the Paris-based tournament, having won it a mammoth 13 times. 

With Roland-Garros approaching once again, Nadal is a strong favourite in the French Open winner odds, and will be looking to regain his title after losing to Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals last year. He can take motivation from his past triumphs, and here we’ve taken a look at three of his most memorable French Open triumphs.  

2005

There’s nothing like the first time, and Nadal will always look back at his maiden French Open win as one of the best of his career. Indeed, it was the first Grand Slam title he won, and that means the triumph will always hold a special place in his heart.

Nadal enjoyed a relatively easy run to the semi-finals, setting up a crunch clash with Roger Federer in the last four. The pair shared the first two sets, before Nadal stepped up a gear and dispatched of the Swiss player with a set to spare. This was the first true indication of just how deadly Nadal was on clay.

The reward was a clash against Mariano Puerta in the final, and despite losing the first set on a tiebreak, Nadal eventually found his form to win three sets on the spin and claim the title. At just 19 years of age, the Spaniard had truly announced himself, although it’s fair to say no one could have predicted the wave of dominance on clay that would follow. 

2011

The rivalry between Nadal and Federer is one of the great enduring tussles in the history of sport, so it’s only right that we include one of their French Open final clashes. The most dramatic of the four French Open finals they contested was probably the 2011 showpiece, which also happens to be the most recent occasion they locked horns in the final. 

Nadal had been pushed hard in the very first round of the tournament, requiring five sets to down John Isner, but after that he did not drop a single set en route to the showpiece match. Federer had also had a straight-forward path to the final, overcoming an in-form Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals.

Federer was chasing his second French Open title after winning it two years prior, but Nadal seized the early initiative, winning two lengthy sets to establish a lead. Federer hit back to win the third set 7-5, but after such a hard-fought contest up until that point, the Swiss player seemed to tire. Nadal took full advantage, winning the fourth set 6-1 to get his hands on the trophy once more.

2020

It also feels right to include a clash between Nadal and Djokovic on the list, as the Spaniard has so often been the man to deny his rival at Roland-Garros. Nadal defeated the Serb in the final in 2012 and 2014, before the pair met again in 2020 with revenge at the forefront of Djokovic’s mind. 

However, Nadal was in inspired form, dominating the first two sets and dropping just two games. That left Djokovic with a mountain to climb, and although he made things closer in the third set, Nadal was just too strong, winning it 7-5 to earn his 13th and most recent French Open title. 

Djokovic would gain a semblance of revenge by knocking out Nadal in the semi-finals a year later, but there is simply no disputing who the King of Clay is. Now and forever.