Before the start of Roland Garros 2020, there were many doubts about Rafael Nadal’s chances of triumphing for the umpteenth time in Paris. The different placement on the calendar due to the pandemic and the use of the new Wilson balls had raised some questions that were compounded by the Spaniard’s premature defeat at BNL Internazionali d´ Italia.
The former world number 1 once again managed to silence his critics by winning the title, despite the unprecedented conditions that Rafa claims were not particularly congenial for his tennis.
In particular, the performance of the final against Novak Djokovic, who wanted to achieve his 18th Grand Slam and repeat the triumph in 2016, was stunned. The 34-year-old Mallorcan had one of the best performances of his career.
He destroyed the number 1 in the world with a score of 6: 0, 6: 2, 7: 5 and thus reached the record of 20 majors of eternal rival Roger Federer. In a recent interview with We Love Tennis, his coach Carlos Moya showed how incredibly high Nadal’s confidence was that day.
Moya: “He had never said anything like this before”
“They came to tell us that the final would be under the roof because of bad weather. We told ourselves it was difficult to get this news across to Rafa.
Fifteen minutes before the start of the game, Francisco Roig went to Nadal and told him about it. Nadal’s answer was: “I don’t care, it doesn’t change anything, I’ll win this match” – said Moya. “Rafa had never said anything like this before a game.
He knew he would not fail. Nadal is one of the most humble guys I know. It wasn’t arrogance but a feeling of trust and security ”- added Moya. Nadal also tried to break the final taboo in 2020 but his drive to London’s O2 arena stalled in the semifinals against future winner Daniil Medvedev.
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