French Open 2022, 3rd Round, Friday, 27/05/2022
Will he get past Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic? If the bookies are to be believed, this duo will be Rafael Nadal’s toughest competition at the 2022 French Open. The record champion is aiming for title number 14 in Paris.
So far, he has not shown any weakness at all, but now, in the 3rd round on Friday, he will be served his toughest opponent. Read my Van de Zandschulp Nadal tip to find out why I think the underdog can at least keep up with him.
Since the Australian Open in January this year, he has stood alone at the top. Rafael Nadal has won 21 Grand Slam titles, 13 of them at Roland Garros alone. He is aiming for trophy number 14, but will the competition play along?
In the last few months, the Spaniard has played strong matches, but when it really mattered, he lost some of them, for example against Carlos Alcaraz or Denis Shapovalov.
According to his own statements, his health was not always up to scratch. Paris is his city, the French Open his tournament. So far, Nadal has come through the first two rounds without losing a set, but his opponents have not been all that demanding.
First there was a 6-2, 6-2, 6-2 against Jordan Thompson, then a 6-3, 6-1, 6-4 against Corentin Moutet. The ailing veteran did not have to push his limits in either of these matches.
An exit in the 3rd round? That is actually impossible for the grandmaster. However, his fans surely remember 2016 when he had to retire injured before exactly this round.
He knows that with Botic van de Zandschulp my toughest opponent so far is waiting for me, and by far. The Dutchman has been playing his way up the rankings in recent months and is now ranked 30th.
Van de Zandschulp had big problems in the final of the BMW Open in Munich, didn’t feel well. However, he has since recovered from this missed title win. Although he lost in Madrid and Rome in the second game, a three-set defeat against Casper Ruud is something one can allow oneself.
Just a year ago, he had to start in the qualifiers in Paris. When he made it to the main draw, he surprisingly managed a 3:2 win against Hubert Hurkacz, then he failed in five sets against Alejandro Davidovich-Fokina.
Now the 3rd round awaits, it is already his best performance in the French capital. After a 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 win over Pavel Kotov in the opening round, Fabio Fognini was a different calibre.
The 26-year-old Dutchman, however, did not let anything go to his head. He won the first two sets 6-4, 7-6, and when he was leading 3-2 in the third, his opponent gave up stricken. He wins a good 70% on average on his first serve, and this rate must not drop against Nadal.
My Van de Zandschulp Nadal tip
Rafael Nadal is looking to make history again in Paris and grab his 14th title. The Spaniard hasn’t had any problems so far, but his first two opponents haven’t been at his level either.
Of course Nadal is my favourite, but since Van de Zandschulp has a lot going for him, I expect the following tip:
We will see more than 27.5 games
