Every athlete is closely connected with the arena that they bloom into. While different tennis pros flourished on different surfaces, Roland Garros always held a significant place in Rafael Nadal‘s heart. The process of creating an untouched record of 14 titles is not something that comes within a day or two and therefore the journey earned him countless die-hard fans. But things were not like this right from the start! There was a time when the French crowd gave Rafa rather harsh treatment.

Rafa’s enduring legacy in the City of Lights was built out of several elements. Besides the technical aspects of his playing style, factors like the arena’s aura and the immense support from his fans had their own contributions as well. While the tennis community is already aware of the fact that the French crowd is hard to please, there were tough times for the “King of Clay” as well.

Looking back to 2005 when the Spaniard was just 18 years old and making his mark, he faced a big challenge at Roland Garros. While a majority of the fans might think his rival was the main hurdle, it was actually the fierceness of 15,000 spectators whistling at him. Being an ordinary player like everyone else, Rafa held himself and tried not to react towards the foul act.

Eventually, he took down each hurdle in his way, finally lifting the glorious French Open trophy for the first time in his career. However, it was even harder to solve the mystery behind this consistent fierceness. While there were just theories and no strong explanation for why the crowd was tough against Rafa, Uncle Toni once came forward to express his thoughts on the situation.

“They say it themselves and it’s true, the Parisian crowd is pretty stupid. I think the French don’t like it when a Spaniard wins. Wanting someone to lose is a slightly conceited way of amusing yourself. They show the stupidity of people who think themselves superior,” he said, back in 2009, when things seemed to be hard on Rafa.

However, the times eventually took a leap and therefore, Rafa emerged as the absolute favorite. Even after not being at half of his level at the Paris Olympics, the loud cheers revealed that his followers still love him. Despite Rafa’s untouched legacy in Paris, he was quick enough to mark Novak Djokovic as a clear favorite in their upcoming showdown.

Rafael Nadal points at his long-time rival for the most anticipated showdown of the year

Rafael Nadal’s R1 victory over Marton Fucsovics didn’t just erase doubts about his potential but also booked him in one of the most awaited clashes of the year. While the Spaniard experienced a massive drop in rankings because of his extended absence, he is set to face Novak Djokovic in an early round at the Paris Olympics. While the arena and surface are his forte, he admitted that his rival would be the favorite.

“Of course, it’s beautiful to play against one of the two biggest rivals that I had in my career, especially on this court,“ Nadal said about the upcoming matchup. However, besides the excitement, Rafa also depicted a lack of confidence against Djokovic.

“But situations are completely different for him, for me. He’s being very competitive. I was not being very competitive for the last two years, so in that case, I think probably he is the clear favourite. I’m going to try my best to bring the best to the court and then let’s see how far I can go and how many problems I can create [for] him,“ he added.

It is now time for the world to look forward to Rafa’s 60th and probably the last showdown against Novak Djokovic. As the events turn out, it still remains to be seen who continues the campaign for a medal and whether Nadal can equalize his 29-30 H2H against the Djoker.