2020 was a year heavily marked by the global pandemic that forced the leaders of both tours to suspend competitions for nearly six months. Rafael Nadal used Roland Garros, who was celebrated extraordinarily in the fall, to achieve the record of 20 Grand Slam titles of his eternal rival Roger Federer.
For its part, the Swiss phenomenon only played at the Australian Open this year before undergoing a double operation on the right knee to repair an injury. As noted at the Laureus Awards, the former world number 1 could skip the 2021 edition of the Happy Slam as it is not yet 100% physically.
Novak Djokovic stays at 17 majors after missing a great opportunity at the US Open and clearly losing the final at Roland Garros. During a long interview with Tennisnet, Pat Cash expressed his admiration for Nadal’s record in Paris.
The Australian emphasized that the Big 3 are still super motivated, despite having achieved a lot more than anyone else in the history of the sport.
Cash: “13 Roland Garros is an unreal number”
“Think of a football team that cannot be beaten between friendly walls or a cyclist who wins the Tour de France year after year.
13 times is almost unthinkable. If I had predicted something like this 20 years ago, they would have locked me in a mental hospital, “- explained the former ATP number 4, who never made it through the fourth round in Paris.
“It is unimaginable that these guys won 20, 20 and 17 Grand Slams. There is something that always motivates her and is definitely fascinating. I was happy when I won a Grand Slam title or the Davis Cup.
I was very happy with my career. Federer, Nadal and Djokovic are still not entirely happy, even though they have won many Grand Slams, ”added the 1987 Wimbledon champion. By winning this year’s US Open, Dominic Thiem became the first player born in the 1990s to win a major.
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