Rafael Nadal displayed sheer dominance in the semi-finals to march ahead at French Open 2020. Coming up ahead Diego Schwartzman, Rafa did have pre-game jitters but brought in none of that on the court. The Spaniard put on a clinical performance to move into finals at Paris, his thirteenth time entering the grand stage. 

This victory is special for Rafa for several reasons. The first one being the fact that Nadal recently lost to Schwartzman at the 2020 Italian Open. The Rome quarterfinals proved to be a significant moment ahead of the French Open for both athletes. 

It had a visible positive impact on either player, and the results serve as evidence. Schwartzman has been in extraordinary form since his victory against Nadal in Rome last month. He’s been inspiring with his style of play throughout his Roland Garros campaign. 

Rafa, on the other hand, has soared into the finals to re-assert his status as the ‘King of Clay.’ People doubted that he’ll be successful in defending his crown this year, but Nadal is just a victory away from securing a dominant 13th Roland Garros title. 

Rafael Nadal reveals how he prepared for the 2020 Italian Open rematch versus Schwartzman

Rafael Nadal brought up his 99th Roland Garros victory with a win against Diego Schwartzman in straight sets. But, a few weeks ago, Nadal was knocked out of the Italian Open as early as the last eight, where Schwartzman gained an important clay-court victory. 

“I have been playing with him a lot of times now and it is true that he is getting better every single time,” Nadal said of Schwartzman. “It is true that in Rome I didn’t play my best. He’s [Schwartzman] playing very well every single day. Three days ago he had an amazing match against Dominic here.”

“Of course, we took a look at the match, took a lot at the things that didin’t work there, the things that needed to change. We tried to make that happen today — worked. So, really happy for that,” Nadal smiled. 

Nadal also complimented Schwartzman for putting up a tough contest in his first-ever slam semi-final. “I played a couple of bad points in the third set but Diego is a very tough player. He probably makes more breaks on the tour than others,” Nadal said. “It was difficult until the end but it was a positive match for me,” he added. 

Nadal’s 6-3, 6-3, 7-6(7-0), victory means the Spaniard has a chance to equal Roger Federer’s record of 20 grand slam titles when he enters Court Philippe-Chatrier on Sunday.