‘He’s closer to him on this surface’ – Rafael Nadal has ‘more chances’ of beating Djokovic in Wimbledon, feels coach

Rafael Nadal is and has always been hailed as the ‘King of Clay’. His outrageous numbers on the surface outline his sheer dominance throughout his illustrious career where he has won an unthinkable tally of 14 titles on French Open. No players has even remotely come close to what he has achieved on the red dirt or matched his numbers on a single surface. However, in comparison to his numbers on clay, his dominance on other surfaces often get overshadowed and one of the Spaniard’s coaches, Francisco Roig, claimed that Nadal is “closer to” Novak Djokovic on grass.

Despite his indomitable numbers at Roland Garros, Nadal has always spoken about his love for Wimbledon. In fact, for the sheer intention of making a return to the All England Club after three years, Nadal underwent a pulse radiofrequency treatment in Barcelona for his to combat the Muller-Weiss syndrome on his left foot, from which he has been suffering since 2005.Z

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And why not? Nadal has incredible numbers on grass court as well. Between 2006 and 2011, he played five consecutive finals, winning in 2008 and 2010. And in both his last two appearances, he reached the semi-final.

“He had a few years when he didn’t play well on grass, but if he’s playing well, there are fewer opponents that can beat him on grass than on hard courts,” admitted Roig in an interview with ATP Tour. “Likewise, I think he’s closer to Djokovic on this surface than on hard courts. Both are still difficult, and taking into account that he is the favourite, there is more chance of beating him here.

“There is no choice but to be aggressive at certain times, and that helps him. Against Federer he was too conservative last time, in 2019. I told him ‘If Federer hits four flat backhands at you in a row we won’t win, but if you make him cut the ball… you have a chance of winning.”

Nadal has already reached the third round of the tournament after beating Francisco Cerundolo and Ricardas Berankis in the first two rounds where he dropped a set each.

“There’s a long way to go, but it will come from match situations,” offered Roig. “For example, hitting the ball softly and trusting that it will do what you want. Choosing which kind of shots you can attack. Having better touch and making the points as short as possible. Turning to the right and being able to play to the opponent’s backhand. A little bit of everything, but I’m sure he will gradually fine-tune it all.”