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Tap into a heart-to-heart between Kevin and Stacey about persistence in the face of difficulties. Eight players battle on The Tournament in nail-biting tug-of-war quiz matches, hosted by Alex Scott. Rafael Nadal won his first French Open aged 19 in , claiming his 13th title in This is an updated version of an article published after Nadal won his 11th French Open title in June Top Stories.
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And he does this against the likes of Djokovic, Federer, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Alexander Zverev and some of the younger and fitter players on the tour. The clay courts add even more bounce to his forehand making it extremely tough for any player to wrest the initiative from him.
Unlike many athletes, he has not been afraid to change or to make changes. The biggest decision and one that must have been heart wrenching was to ask his uncle and coach Toni Nadal to step down as travelling coach and get Carlos Moya, a former World No 1 on board. He structured creative practice sessions, gave him no special importance and attached huge emphasis on hard work and perseverance which has stood Nadal in good stead over the years and is surely the single biggest contributor to his success.
A crucial change Nadal has made is to his serve. Slower tennis, we must remember, makes for longer points, and longer points make for longer matches, so the fitness and durability of players is never tested more than on clay, especially at the best-of-five sets French Open. The big serves come booming in and skid off the surface. It gives players more thinking time between strokes and adds a chess-like element to the contest.
He knows when to attack, he knows when to defend, and he knows how and when to manoeuvre himself into winning positions on the court. They have the ability to slice serve from the advantage side of the court, forcing their right-handed opponent wider than they are used to, which opens up the court for the lefty to aggressively take control of the point.
Most of this comes down to simple mathematics. Topspin Speaking of topspin, Rafa has the added advantage of being ale to generate a ridiculous amount of it. With each team nearing its 80th game of the year, it is safe to say that fans have seen enough to The first time Andy Yip, 27, picked up a lacrosse stick, he was fascinated. It was his first year Athleticism One of the things that has always made Rafael Nadal stand out from the rest of the field is his athletic ability.
Why is Rafa Nadal so good on clay? Left-handed topspin Left-handers have always given trouble to right-handed people in many sports. Persistence Nadal will not give up on any shot on any surface, but where that attitude is needed most is on the clay.
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