Sport A 98 per cent win record, three faultless triumphs - Rafael Nadal's French Open dominance in numbers

French Open 2020 live stream: how to watch Grand Slam tennis for free

Watch all the action at Roland-Garros without paying a dime..Tennis fans in the UK and Ireland can watch the 2020 French Open free. All the action will be shown live on ITV4 and streamed live on the ITV Hub. Not in the UK at the time of the tennis? Don't forget you can use a VPN to access the French Open if you're travelling outside the UK.

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RAFAEL NADAL is facing Dominic Thiem knowing he could enter the record books with a win in Rafael Nadal could collect his latest French Open title with a win against tricky Austrian Dominic The Spaniard has lost just twice at Roland Garros , giving him a win rate of more than 98 percent at

© Getty Images Rafael Nadal lifts the French Open trophy

Rafael Nadal will next week start his quest to win a 13th French Open title, with his incredible history at the clay-court grand slam indicating his lack of match practice will be no hindrance as he attempts to extend his own record.

Nadal is Roland Garros' Goliath, the aura he brings to the tennis court ratchets up when he enters the pristine surroundings on Paris' western side.

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Rafael Nadal has won a record 12th French Open title after beating Dominic Thiem in four sets in But Nadal was ultimately too strong for Thiem, eventually overcoming a slip-up in the second set to win 6- 3 Halep through. The world number three presses the reset button after a forgettable second set

Game-by-game report: Rafael Nadal claimed his 12th French Open title after a deserved 6- 3 , 5-7, 6-1, 6-1 win over Dominic Thiem. The story of Rafael Nadal ' s dynasty at the French Open – video report.

He is not unbeatable at the French Open and may be seen as vulnerable going into this year's delayed event, having played only three matches in Rome in preparation for the tournament.

However, there is overwhelming evidence to suggest he will again be holding La Coupe des Mousquetaires when all is said and done. Here we look at some of the numbers that illustrate his remarkable superiority at Roland Garros.

Today, we go back to the start of the reign of the “King of Clay” in Paris: Rafael Nadal’s first-round victory over Lars Burgsmüller in 2005. #RolandGarros

Full match replay>> https://t.co/2wpVdYoQi3 pic.twitter.com/l87lpF1aF0

— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) May 25, 2020

NADAL'S DELIGHTFUL DOZEN

The basic numbers around Nadal's career at the French Open make for astonishing reading.

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RAFAEL NADAL ’ s triumph over Roger Federer in the French Open semi-finals was not as glorious as it should have been - because the windy Nadal - who is 14-2 against Federer on his favoured surface - benefitted from the fact it was a blustery day to extend his career record against the Swiss icon to

Rafael Nadal is hopeful he will again be able to challenge for the Wimbledon title after yet another French Open triumph at Roland Garros this year. Nadal will now prioritise rest and recovery after his clay-court exploits so will not be taking a wild card into the Fever-Tree Championships at Queen' s

His 12 titles are double that of any other player in the Open Era, with the great Bjorn Borg having won the trophy six times.

He is the only player to have won the same grand slam 10 or more times, with just two players – Robin Soderling and Novak Djokovic – having beaten him at Roland Garros.

And Nadal's win-loss record on the red dirt looks even more impressive when you compare it to how he has performed elsewhere.

A 98 PER CENT WIN RECORD

Nadal possesses a win-loss record of 93-2 at the French Open, a winning percentage of 98, comfortably his best at any of the four majors.

He is 65-14 at the Australian Open and 53-12 at Wimbledon. The US Open is where he has proven most formidable after Roland Garros, racking up 64 wins and just 11 losses.

The King of Clay reaches a different level once he gets on his favourite surface, with the rare moments of vulnerability he shows on hard and grass courts disappearing almost completely.

French Open 2020: 'Beatable' Nadal braced for toughest ever conditions in Paris

'King of Clay' Rafael Nadal says the exceptional conditions he faces at the French Open will provide a major challenge.Nadal is a firm favourite to take his record tally of titles at Roland Garros to an astonishing 13 in Paris, where the final grand slam of the year starts on Sunday.

Roland - Garros 2019 - Men' s Semifinal. [ 3 ] Roger Federer (SUI) vs. [2] Rafael Nadal (ESP). Scheduled to start at 12:50 CEST. It won 't be complete indoor condition either because it will be a lid-like ' open roof' that protects from rain but leaving some wind in still.

Nadal has won all 10 semi-finals he has contested at Roland Garros . Top seed Rafael Nadal will bid for a record -extending 11th French Open title after breezing past fifth seed Juan World number one Nadal was the overwhelming pre-tournament favourite to win an event he has dominated since

If a player is to topple him at Roland Garros, they should not expect to outlast Nadal to achieve that feat.

FIVE-SETTERS THIN ON THE GROUND

Nadal's defeat to Soderling was in four sets while he has beaten in straights by Djokovic in the 2015 quarter-finals.

The Spaniard has only twice been taken to five sets in his career at Roland Garros, defeating John Isner in the first round in 2011 and Djokovic in the 2013 semi-finals.

@DjokerNole "It's been an unbelievable match to be part of. I congratulate him, because that's why he's a champion.”

@RafaelNadal "It's very, very special for me. I want to congratulate Novak, he's a great champion and he will win here at Roland-Garros one day, I'm sure.”

— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) June 5, 2020

Beyond the losses to Soderling and Djokovic, the only other year in which Nadal has failed to win the men's singles in his French Open career was in 2016, when injury led him to withdraw from a third-round clash with Marcel Granollers.

Otherwise, Nadal has consistently produced his devastating best at what can be considered his adopted home grand slam, winning the tournament without dropping a set on three occasions (2008, 2010 & 2017).

French Open 2020: Nadal starts quest for 13th Roland Garros title in routine fashion

Defending champion Rafael Nadal needed just over two hours to see off Egor Gerasimov and ease into the second round of the French Open.Seeking a remarkable 13th title at the clay-court grand slam, Nadal had suggested the conditions and heavier balls he described as "slow and dangerous" could impact his hopes.

Rafael Nadal won his 12th French Open title on Sunday, defeating Austrian Dominic Thiem in four sets. Nadal and Thiem traded powerful shots early, but as the match wore on, Nadal asserted his dominance and Thiem couldn't keep pace.

Three -time defending champion Rafael Nadal defeated David Ferrer in the final 6– 3 , 6–2, 6– 3 to win the Men' s Singles tennis title at the 2013 French Open . With his win in the final, Nadal recorded his 59th match win at the French Open

SEEDING RARELY AN ISSUE

The seedings for the 2020 tournament will be announced on Friday. With Djokovic occupying top spot in the rankings, Nadal may start as the second seed.

Not being the top seed has not been an impediment to Nadal's success at Roland Garros. Indeed, only three of his titles have come while he was seeded first (2011, 2014 and 2018) and he won another two (2005 and 2017) despite being seeded fourth.

What is more likely to be a source of hope for Nadal's rivals is the rust factor. He played his first tournament since February in Rome and lost to Diego Schwartzman in the quarter-finals.

So is there any hope of him being dethroned in Paris?

One year ago : @rafaelnadal | #RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/pt6DAhw7p7

— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) June 9, 2020

CAN HE BE STOPPED?

Despite his relative lack of match practice compared to those who went deep into the US Open, it is difficult to see Nadal not reaching the latter stages of the French Open.

He has progressed to the last four of 10 of his previous 13 majors, reaching seven finals and claiming five titles.

Djokovic, a winner of five of the last eight slams, is the obvious favourite to stop Nadal, though the only active player to have beaten Nadal at this event will have to put his costly US Open indiscretion behind him to do so.

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The US Open champion Dominic Thiem is the only player to reach the last four semi-finals at Roland Garros, losing a pair of finals to Nadal.

Thiem has four clay-court wins over Nadal and does have the experience of defeating him in a slam at this year's Australian Open. A repeat of that in Paris would perhaps be seen as a long-awaited changing of the guard in men's tennis, but history is firmly on the side of normal service being continued in what is 2020's final slam.

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