Rafael Nadal needs to improve for the Roland Garros 2021 says coach Francisco Roig


Rafael Nadal needs to improve for the Roland Garros 2021 says coach Francisco Roig

Rafael Nadal

Rafael Nadal is currently playing in the favourite period of the ATP Calendar as the Clay season is currently under progress. He has already won 2 titles out of 4 Clay appearances and reached the quarter-finals in the remaining 2 tournaments.

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Continuing his dominating run on Clay, the Spaniard clinched his 12th Barcelona Open title at the 2021 Barcelona Open and a fortnight later won his record 10th Rome Masters title to make it 2 out of 4 titles this season on Clay.

With all these accomplishments, Nadal continues proving his title of the ‘King of Clay’ and will surely be the favourite at the upcoming grand showdown of Clay season at the 2021 French Open where he will be defending his title and also chasing his 14th title at the Roland Garros.

While the World No. 3 looks in great form after his glittering display at the recently concluded tournaments, his coach still believes there’s a room of improvement for the Spaniard. Speaking with the Spanish channel of the ATP Tour, coach Francisco Roig said, “He can move better. His serve has improved, especially in Rome final, but we will keep working on that.”

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Rafael Nadal will return on tour directly at the Roland Garros

Rafael Nadal and Coach Francisco Roig
Rafael Nadal and Coach Francisco Roig

Rafael Nadal had taken a long break post the 2021 Australian Open due to his back injury and returned on tour directly at the Monte Carlo Masters 2021. Since then he participated in both the Spanish tournaments at Barcelona and Madrid and followed it up with the Rome Masters.

However, the break looked to have caught up with Rafa who looked a bit off with his service and also his covering the court movement which has been one of his biggest weapon.

Nadal has been known for his ability to cover ground quickly and is often lauded for his stamina which enables him to fight even in the deciding set where he has often turned the match and won it. His service was initially not a strong point for him but he has since worked on it tremendously, specially from the 2010 US Open where he changed his posture as well during his serve.

Since 2019, detailed analysis on the Spaniard’s service has brought out results that showed increase in the speed of his service which shocked many given that he was past 30 and players tend to avoid changing much aspects of their games in the later stages.

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However, with the coach pointing the details out, Rafael Nadal’s gameplay will be closely watched especially his movement and serve when he return on the tour at the 2021 French Open.

Also Read: “If Rafael Nadal wins more Major titles than Roger Federer, the GOAT debate will not even exist,” says Jo-Wilfried Tsonga