Tournament director believes 20 time Grandslam champion has the weapons to win his maiden Paris Masters title
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20 time Grandslam champion, Rafael Nadal is back in his beloved city of Paris once again to claim his maiden Paris Masters title which has eluded him in the past 15 years. Rafael Nadal has won an astonishing 35 ATP Masters titles and is just one short of Djokovic’s record of 36. The three masters titles still missing from the Spaniard’s tally are the Shanghai, Paris and Miami Masters. However, his performance at the Paris Masters has been way too underwhelming according to his high standards.
Tournament director of Paris Masters and a former champion himself, Guy Forget believes that this year could be the one in which Rafael Nadal would finally lift his maiden Paris Masters title. While speaking to the L’Equipe, Forget pointed out to the newer and aggressive approach used by Rafael Nadal at the French Open which involved adding more depth to his game and hard hitting.
“He has the weapons to do it, in particular by imposing his ball length,” Forget said. “I found him performing at this level this year at Roland Garros. He found I think more depth by playing a little differently.”
Rafael Nadal has the weapons to win in Paris: Guy Forget
In spite of struggling on the Paris indoor hard courts for the past few years, Guy Forget believed that Nadal’s slight change in his game will make him the favourite to win the Paris Masters this year. Rafael Nadal outplayed all his opponents in the French Open last month as he claimed his 13th French Open title and a record equaling 20th Grandslam title. The Spaniard did not drop a single set on course to lifting the title and even handed Djokovic a straight sets drubbing in the final.
Guy Forget attributed Nadal’s success at the French Open to his depth-heavy shots, as he hit them earlier than usually he does on clay. His tactic paid off handsomely in the final as he dominated Djokovic right from the word go. Guy Forget believes a similar approach would win Nadal the title at the Paris Masters. With these patterns, he can win at Bercy,” Forget remarked.
Glory on the red clay and agony on the indoor hard courts in Paris for Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal has had a stark contrast in his performance on the red clay in Paris and the indoor hard courts. While the Spaniard has won 13 French Open titles, he has failed to claim a single Paris Masters title so far. Nadal has also missed 6 editions of the Paris Masters in the past in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2018 owing to injuries. The farthest Nadal has reached was in 2007 when he lost in the finals to David Nalbadian.
Physical injuries has often troubled Rafael Nadal in course of the tournament. He had to give a walkover to his semifinal opponent in 2019 at the Paris Masters, Denis Shapovalov. He also gave a walkover in 2017 to Filip Krajinovic. However, things do look different this time around as the Spaniard comes into the tournament with 3 weeks of rest and without any existing injuries.
Also Read: ATP Paris Bercy: Men’s Singles Draw Preview, Analysis and Prediction for Rolex Paris Masters 2020
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Nirmit Mehta
(2425 Articles Published)