French Open 2019: When and where to watch Rafael Nadal match, Preview and other details
Perhaps there is no other sport aside from tennis, where one man has so singularly dominated a particular surface so wholly as Rafael Nadal has exerted on clay.
The hallowed grounds of Roland Garros has easily transformed into Nadal's kingdom where he has been reigning quite unthreatened, having won 11 titles at the French Open.
On the trot to win a third consecutive title after having won serially between 2005-2008 and yet again between 2010-2014, Nadal's vendetta seems clear cut as he has been handed easy opponents to deal with in the initial rounds of the second Grand Slam of the season.
The defending champion returned to Court Philippe Chartrier on Monday to begin his quest for a 12th French Open win and found a fledgling opponent on the other side of the court in German qualifier Yannick Hanfmann.
Nadal lost only six games before charting his route to victory in 2-6, 1-6, 3-6 and crushing the hopes of an ambitious Hanfmann. Breezing into the second round of the tournament, Nadal, is yet again scheduled to lock horns with Yannick Maden, another German qualifier who won his first Grand Slam main draw match on Monday.
The 29-year-old from Stuttgart, Germany will have the odds against him as he steps on court to play the King of Clay, in what can be called as his home turf.
Nadal's statistics is awe-inspiring when it comes to the French Open as he extended his win-loss list to an astonishing 87-2 at this Grand Slam.
Nadal has remained undefeated in all his second round encounters and holds a 14-0 record. Yannick Maden, if he has any hopes to upset Nadal, would have to go several extra miles and pull off a lot of tricks (hoping he has them) to trouble the Spanish great.
In an injury-peppered career, Nadal seems to magically heal and finds his best form when stranded on the red clay courts. He becomes a formidable force and only a few could dethrone him from his reigning grounds.
The 32-year-old Spaniard and World No. 2, however, has aged and his injuries have also accumulated over the years, which can be the only hindrance towards a smooth second round sailing.
To keep the statistics in front and Nadal's panache on clay while saying the Spaniard has the clear upperhand against the German qualifier, would be the safest thing to say.
Here's all you need to know for the second round match-
Tournament Name: French Open 2019
Tournament Type: Grand Slam
Prize Money: 4.27 crores EUR
Match: Rafael Nadal (2) v Yannick Maden at 3:45 p.m IST
Live Telecast: Star Sports Select 1 and Star Sports Select 1 HD
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