Rafael Nadal’s 3 best performances from his 12 French Open victories

2. 2014

This is arguably Nadal’s most underrated Roland Garros title of his 12. Leading up to that point in the final, Nadal was victorious in 8 of 9 of his attempts at the event and was eying his fifth title in a row. Roger Federer was also aiming for a historical achievement of his own; winning this event would make him the only player in the Open Era to have achieved the double Career Grand Slam.

Nadal ripped through the draw, losing only one set (in the quarterfinals against Ferrer) and a total of 40 games in those 6 matches leading up to his finals bout against Djokovic. He dispatched a young Dominic Thiem in the 2nd Round, Ferrer in the quarters, and Murray in a dominating straight-sets semifinal victory (6-3, 6-2, 6-1). Federer bowed out in the 4th round to Ernest Gulbis in five sets. To this day, Federer hasn’t been able to capture a second title in Paris.

The 2014 final was a sweltering hot one. Both Djokovic and Nadal had run through their opponents leading up to the final and were set for an intense battle. Both were competing for the #1 ranking as the undisputed best players in the world. Djokovic started off well, winning the first set against the 8-time champion. Nadal quickly rebounded and took care of Djokovic in the next 3 sets, notching a somewhat comfortable victory 3–6, 7–5, 6–2, 6–4.

It was, more or less, the typical Nadal domination. Given that he’s only played two five-set matches in his entire Roland Garros career, it’s more of a shock that a match goes the distance instead of him beating another top player in 3 or 4 sets. What stands out in this final was not only the record-breaking 5th consecutive title but the matter in which he got in done.

“This was the French Open in which I’ve suffered the most physically,” Nadal said post-match. “There have been moments when I felt very empty, very tired. I don’t know what would’ve happened in the fifth set.”

Nadal was the most physically spent he’s ever been in a match and had been cramping for the entirety of the last two sets. As cramping isn’t really an injury that can be helped by the trainers on-site, Nadal opted to fight through his pain to win the match while he had momentum. If he had to go into a fifth set, it’s possible Nadal would’ve taken his second-ever loss in Paris.

“I was able to suffer and find solutions. I coped with the physically difficult moments with very high-quality tennis. In one way or another, I found a way to win this title.”