"Kind of easy because it's Nadal"- Watch Matteo Berrettini, Sebastian Korda, and others try to guess French Open champions in 21st century
Rafael Nadal is the first name that comes to mind during any discussion about French Open champions over the last two decades. The 13-time French Open champion has produced some breathtaking tennis at the claycourt Major, leaving most opponents in awe.
The ATP tour ran a fun segment on their YouTube channel where players had to guess the names of the French Open champions since the turn of the century (2000-2021) in descending order.
Naming so many winners over almost a quarter of a century could've been a daunting task, but Berrettini noted that the quiz would be easy because of Nadal.
"I mean it's kind of easy because it's Nadal," said Matteo Berrettini, who was one of the participants.
The Mallorcan and Berrettini were joined by Sebastian Korda, Casper Ruud, Gael Monfils, Karen Khachanov, Ugo Humbert, and Dusan Lajovic, all of whom had to guess each Roland Garros men's singles champion from 2000-2021.
The quiz was tough for some of the players as they had to guess the winners in reverse order. It was the least challenging for, of course, Nadal, who has won 13 of the 22 titles.
"My gut always tells me Rafa, you know what I mean," Monfils said with a chuckle when stuck on a question.
Monfils was at his cheeky best throughout and got most of the answers right too, missing only one guess.
Meanwhile, the Spaniard proved that he is not just a master on the court but also when it comes to knowledge of tennis history, acing the test by getting all the answers right.
"So now I am the first one, no? Gael is over," he laughed and said.
𝐑𝐀𝐅𝐀 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐄𝐌𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐎𝐑 
🇪🇸 𝐑𝐀𝐅𝐀 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐄𝐌𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐎𝐑 🇪🇸
Rafael Nadal is through to the French Open semi-finals after winning a four-set 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐫 against Novak Djokovic 👊
Look at what it means to the 13-time champion! 🙌
#RolandGarros | @RafaelNadal https://t.co/piW8X3hMvY
Since the Spaniard debuted on the Parisian clay in 2005, only three other players have won the French Open men's singles title. Roger Federer won in 2009, Stan Wawrinka in 2015, and Novak Djokovic in 2016 and 2021.
The five editions before the Spaniard made his Roland Garros debut were won by four different players. Gustavo Kuerten won back-to-back titles in 2000 and 2001, before Albert Costa, Juan Carlos Ferrero, and Gaston Gaudio won the next three titles.
"I still playing for nights like today" - Rafael Nadal after epic French Open win over Novak Djokovic
Rafael Nadal kept his bid for a 14th French Open crown alive with a stunning win over Novak Djokovic in the quarterfinals. With the odds against him owing to unfavourable court conditions, fitness concerns, and lack of preparation before the tournament, Nadal had his back against the wall.
However, he produced one of his greatest performances to register a 6-2, 4-6, 6-2, 7-6(4) victory.
King of clay 👑
#RolandGarros https://t.co/T5ZCoIn6Sk
The Spaniard expressed his emotions after the match and said that such occasions motivate him to keep playing. However, he is aware that the main goal is yet to be achieved.
"In the end it has been a very emotional night for me. I still playing for nights like today," Nadal said in his post-match presser.
"But is just a quarterfinals match, no? So I didn't win anything. So I just give myself a chance to be back on court in two days, play another semifinals here in Roland Garros means a lot to me," he added.
After coming through the match against the World No. 1, the 13-time Roland Garros champion will fancy his chances of winning the title.
His next match in the chase for title No. 14 in Paris is against third seed Alexander Zverev, who defeated one of the pre-tournament favorites, Carlos Alcaraz, in the quarterfinals.