3 instances when Rafael Nadal won the French Open after being a set down
Since making his debut at the French Open in 2005, Rafael Nadal has been an insurmountable force for almost all of his opponents at the tournament. He has an incredible record of 112 wins and three losses at the clay-court Major and he could add a few more wins to the tally this year.
Despite missing the whole clay season due to an injury, the Spaniard's name is on everyone's mouth as he has become a synonym for Roland Garros. Nadal has won it a whopping 14 times, which is the most number of titles for any player, male or female, at a single Grand Slam. He won the tournament last year by beating Casper Ruud in the final, and fans in Paris will be eager to see him compete in 2023.
Nadal has been very dominant in the French Open finals, but there have been three instances when he had to bounce back after being set down. On that note, let’s take a good look at them.
1. French Open 2005
Playing in his first clay-court Major, 19-year-old Rafael Nadal managed to reach the final. He beat Lars Burgsmüller, Xavier Malisse, Richard Gasquet, Sébastien Grosjean, David Ferrer, and top-seeded Roger Federer.
He was up against Argentina’s Mariano Puerta in the final. Puerta was unseeded in the tournament but did very well to defeat the likes of Nikolay Davydenko and Guillermo Cañas to reach his only Grand Slam final.
As the first set got underway at the Stade Roland Garros, both players expressed their sheer commitment to winning. The first set was forced into a tiebreak, which Puerta won to take the lead in the match.
Nadal then bounced back to win the second and third sets dominantly, as Puerta only managed to seal four games in between. The fourth set was tightly contested, and the Spaniard won it 7-5 to claim his maiden Grand Slam title.
2. French Open 2006
Defending champion Rafael Nadal faced archrival Roger Federer in the 2006 French Open final. The Swiss Maestro was already a seven-time Grand Slam champion when he arrived at Stade Roland Garros in 2006. However, he was still missing a clay-court Major feather on his cap.
Nadal was on a 13-match unbeaten streak at Roland Garros, and the Swiss fans expected it to break against Federer's class. As expected, the Swiss legend started the match in dominant fashion, dropping only one game against Nadal in the first set.
However, the Spaniard fought back hard in the second and won it 6-1 before taking the third 6-4. Nadal won the fourth set via a tiebreaker to successfully defend his title at the French Open.
#3. French Open 2014
Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic were playing in the rematch of the French Open 2013 semifinal, where the Spaniard aced the Serb's challenge.
Seeded first and second, respectively, Nadal and Djokovic displayed their brilliant skills and experience in order to advance to the final. The beginning of the summit clash was unfavorable for the Spaniard, as he lost the first set 3-6. Carrying the momentum, Djokovic kept pushing Nadal to the limit for every point.
However, the Spaniard rebounded by winning the second set 7-5 and leveling the match. There was no turning back for Nadal, as he won the next two sets 6-2, 6-4 to win his ninth Roland Garros crown.