Rafael Nadal's uncle and former coach, Toni Nadal, recalled how the French Open crowd initially did not like the scale of his nephew's dominance at the tournament.
Nadal, who will retire at this month's Davis Cup Finals, enjoyed several great results over the years, but none were as impressive as what he achieved at the French Open at Roland-Garros.
The Spaniard won 14 titles in Paris throughout his illustrious career. Nadal's first was in 2005, and the last was in 2022 against Casper Ruud, who used to train at the 38-year-old's academy.
Incredibly, Nadal only lost four matches at the French Open. Two were to Novak Djokovic in 2015 and 2021, and the others were against Robin Soderling in 2009 and Alexander Zverev at this year's iteration of the tournament.
Newer fans will have witnessed the universal support Nadal received in his recent appearances at Roland-Garros, including at this year's Olympics, when Djokovic beat the 22-time Grand Slam champion for a third and final time at the venue.
However, Nadal did not always have the support of most of the crowd at Roland-Garros. When he started winning titles at the French Open, the Parisian crowd would often support his opponent.
The most notable examples were Nadal's matches against Roger Federer at the French Open. From 2006 to 2008, Nadal denied the Swiss maestro a maiden title at Roland-Garros in the final.
Federer eventually ended his wait by beating Soderling in the 2009 final, but the almost universal support the eight-time Wimbledon champion received in his matches against Nadal is easy to forget now.
Toni reflected on this in a recent interview, saying the crowd initially did not like one player winning the French Open too many times and dominating the clay-court Grand Slam.
"The first year, I had no animosity. I think later when he started winning so much, people didn't want to see him win so much."
However, Toni believes Nadal's behavior changed that. His nephew always conducted himself classily before, during, and after his matches, never becoming arrogant or losing respect for others.
"In the end, the French public surrendered to Rafael's behaviour because, in life, it's not just about winning; it's about how you win. I think Rafael did that very well, and that's why there was a change in France, to the point of seeing the recognition they gave him at the Olympics."
Nadal's matches against Novak Djokovic at Roland-Garros in recent years contrast sharply with those with Federer. The Spaniard received the vast majority of the support when he competed against Djokovic in Paris.
A memorable incident was Djokovic being booed onto the court when he faced Nadal in the 2022 French Open quarterfinals. This showed that the crowd began to not only support Nadal but also tried to create a hostile atmosphere for the Serbian.
The pair's different personalities might partially explain that dynamic. Nadal rarely had any confrontations on the court throughout his career, while Djokovic is a more fiery personality who did not mind becoming involved with the crowd, in particular.
0 Comments