Rafael Nadal's path to the trophy at 2022 Roland Garros

| by Drew Tate

Rafael Nadal has won 13 Roland Garros trophies but the Spaniard is hungry as ever to add a 14th one at the 2022 Roland Garros event.

The path to the trophy will be tricky but nobody ever won a Grand Slam trophy without having to play sensational tennis. For Rafael Nadal, it will be key to manage to load on his foot as it gave him a lot of trouble in Rome last week. Keeping it right will be tough but avoiding 4 and 5-set matches will be key. In round one, Nadal will face Jordan Thompson and that should be simple enough for the Spaniard.

If he passes that test he might face Stan Wawrinka or Corentin Moutet. Either one will be tricky to beat so he will need to be sharp. In the third round, the experienced Spaniard might face Botic van de Zandschulp, who is one of the seeded players in Paris or clay-court specialist, Fabio Fognini. Nadal will have a tricky time against each player as both can play well on clay.

Round four quite possibly will set him up against Felix Auger-Aliassime and that will be a very tough test as the Canadian is coached by his former coach and uncle, Toni Nadal, and since their pairing, his clay-court game improved massively.

The quarterfinal at the 2022 Roland Garros will most probably bring the biggest challenge of all with for 21-time Grand Slam champion as he will be facing his big rival, Novak Djokovic. The Serbian won their latest clay clash at last year's Roland Garros so Nadal will be motivated. The semifinal will bring either Carlos Alcaraz or Alexander Zverev and both are tricky opponents as his fellow countryman defeated him a few weeks ago. In the final, he could face anyone, but most probable opponents are Stefanos Tsitsipas or Daniil Medvedev who are the highest-seeded players in the bottom part of the draw.

Rafael Nadal's path to the trophy at the 2022 Roland Garros:

Round 1 Jordan Thompson
Round 2 Stan Wawrinka
Round 3 Botic van de Zanschulp
Round 4 Felix Auger-Aliassime
Quarterfinals Novak Djokovic
Semifinals Carlos Alcaraz / Alexander Zverev
Final Daniil Medvedev / Stefanos Tsitsipas

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