Rafael Nadal’s Masterclass to Jordan Thompson Reminisced as the Australian Unveils Harrowing Experience

Rafael Nadal and French Open are synonymous with each other. Reason? Well, is there anyone else in the world who’s dominated the clay court 14 times in history? The former World No.1 did it like a cakewalk in his two-decade-old career before hanging up the racket last month. It’s been almost a month since his retirement. But some of his old rivals still can’t forget the King of Clay’s sheer dominance. Take, for example, Jordan Thompson. He’s still not over the wrath of Rafa he faced when they met more than two years ago.

It was the summer of May 2022 when the Australian encountered Nadal for the first time on a clay court. As much as the fans knew of it being a one-sided match, Thompson thought no different. Back then, Nadal was seeded No.5. But being at the French Open, he was a force to be reckoned with. That’s exactly what happened as well, as the Spaniard thrashed Thompson in the first-round match with a scoreline of 6-2, 6-2, 6-2. Later in the event, Nadal went on to win his 14th Roland Garros title.

Well, it seems like Thompson’s still getting nightmares from that encounter. During an episode of the Fanatics Clubhouse podcast, dated December 5, he reminisced the day Nadal “whipped” him. He revealed how nervous he was even before the match itself. “I actually got off a flight, and they been doing the draw, and I had so many messages, and I’m like ‘This cannot be good. This is going to be a train wreck of the draw’. I’m thinking who can it be, who can it be and I go to the, the first seed it’s not Rafa, go to the second seed it’s not Rafa. He’s probably ranked five or six at the time. I’ve seen I’m playing the fifth seed Rafael. Great! Might as well book my flight now,” he said.

When asked what it was like to face the 22-time Grand Slam winner on his ‘home turf,’ he said, “Everything is above my shoulders, and he can hit the ball so hard, and it’s so safe, and it’s bouncing so high of my head. So, obviously, no one’s good above their shoulders, but I feel like because I’m not as tall as the rest of the tour, I feel like every time I’m playing, you know, a two-handed back, and he’s whipping his left-handed forehand into my backhand. I feel like my calves are getting a workout because I’m jumping to every ball, and I’m not getting much on it, and then I’m just running side to side and if I can get the ball back.”

He confessed that “the hardest task, in tennis by a country mile, I think, is to take down Rafa at the French Open.” “The end of that match, I said, you know, I did say, ‘It was an honor to play you, but it was not fun’ because I got whipped,” he added. But the 30-year-old is not the only one who has accepted Rafa’s one-sided dominance at the Roland Garros.

When Novak Djokovic heaped praise on French Open king Rafael Nadal

The former World No.1 has won the Australian Open 10 times in a career gilded with 24 Grand Slams. At the French Open, however, his fortunes never really worked out much. Not to mention, the reason for his failures in Paris was none other than Nadal. In their head-to-head encounters, Djokovic leads the tally 15-13. Still, he could never reign supreme over him on the clay court.

Earlier this year, Djokovic, who was his arch nemesis, confessed that Rafa at the Roland Garros was simply indomitable. In an interaction with RTS Sport, dated September 13, Djokovic said, “Nadal was unbeatable there for a long time, he lost only a few times at the Phillipe Chatrier. Every time you step on that court with him, he is the favorite. Even at the Olympics, he had injury problems, I was in better shape, but still, you know it is the highest mountain to climb. He is the greatest, maybe the only reason why I don’t have more Roland Garros titles. Every win against him there is worth twice as much.”

The good thing for the 37-year-old now is that Rafa has retired – finally, which means the path is clear for him in the next season. So far, he’s won the title at Roland Garros three times (2016, 2021, 2023). This year, he had to withdraw from the event due to an injury and he couldn’t defend his title. But will he make a strong comeback in 2025 to claim his fourth French Open trophy? Only time will tell the answer.