In the pleasing kind of coincidence that delights storytellers, the city Roosevelt delivered the speech in was Paris. This, of course, is where Nadal most emphatically and literally left his footprints on tennis history, winning a mind-boggling record 14 men’s singles titles at Roland Garros. Let one of Nadal’s major rivals, Roger Federer, epitomize Wimbledon’s grass in all its velveteen elegance. Leave the man Nadal played more than any other, Novak Djokovic, to mesh perfectly with the hardcourts of Melbourne Park.
Give Nadal the earth—that finely crushed red brick that demands so much from body, mind and soul. In compiling a 112-4 record at Roland Garros, Nadal took clay-court tennis to new heights. Yes, there had been other superb lefthanders who’d combined topspin and fitness to win the title: Guillermo Vilas in 1977, Thomas Muster in 1995. Then there was Bjorn Borg, whose Swede’s supreme poise and innovative use of topspin carried him to six Roland Garros titles. Nadal went even further than those greats, dominating most of all with a forehand that commanded one rally after another. Unable to play Roland Garros in 2003 and 2004 due to injuries, Nadal won the title the first time he played it, in 2005, the same week he turned 19.
Of Nadal’s 60 matches with Djokovic (31-29 in Novak’s favor), 11 took place at Roland Garros, including one at this year’s Olympic Games. Nadal won eight. None was more dramatic than their 2013 semifinal. Though Djokovic served at 4-3 in the fifth set, Nadal fought back, in the end winning this 4-hour, 37-minute epic, 6-4, 3-6, 6-1, 6-7 (3), 9-7.
⬇️ TENNIS HONORS: Nadal’s ability to fight back always inspired Djokovic ⬇️
