Friday 20 May 2016 13:15, UK
Just when we all thought Rafael Nadal was nearing an end to what has been an illustrious, trophy-laden career, he has bounced back in supreme fashion… and just in time for the French Open.
With his boyhood heroes Real Madrid aiming to win an unprecedented 11th European Cup, Nadal is chasing his own Holy Grail - a La Decima of French Open titles - and who would begrudge him what many feel is his date with destiny, although Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray may have something to say about that!
The former world No 1 has erased genuine doubts about his form heading into Roland Garros with two clay-court titles helping him re-establish himself as a top contender in Paris after a year of disappointment after disappointment.
Nadal struggled in 2015, winning only three tournaments, but he has returned with a vengeance by winning the Monte Carlo Masters, seeing off flamboyant Frenchman Gael Monfils, and the Barcelona Open against Japanese star Kei Nishikori.
"I've been playing well for a while," Nadal said before the start of the Madrid Masters. "But you need the results to come along with that."
Nadal had suffered a hugely disappointing year in which he struggled with form, on-court anxiety and a lack of confidence which led many experts of the game to believe his time at the top may be up.
"Every player goes through periods where they don't necessarily play as well as they have done previously," his fierce rival Andy Murray said. "Rafa is still one of the best players on the surface and he still works as hard as he can on and off the court. I am sure he has gone away and worked at things since last year, so it's hard to say if he'll ever be back up to where he was, I guess we will have to wait and see."
The fabled 'King of Clay' failed to win a single European title on the dirt last year and was beaten six times on the surface within the space of a few months as his beloved clay abandoned him.
Murray crushed him in Madrid before Djokovic dominated him in a one-sided affair at Roland Garros. He was dumped out of Wimbledon by Dustin Brown and then suffered a heart-breaking US Open loss against Italian hot-head Fabio Fognini, despite having led by two sets.
It was the first time in 10 years that he went through an entire season without winning one of the big four tournaments and speculation surrounding his partnership with his uncle, Toni Nadal, looked to have reached the final straw.
The 14-time Grand Slam winner's luck looked to have completely run out when he suffered the ignominy of going out in the first round of a major event for just the second time in his career as he was beaten in five sets by fellow Spaniard Fernando Verdasco at this year's Australian Open.
After that defeat and after years together on Tour, Toni Nadal said he would be willing to step aside if required.
"I understand that in sport results come first and, if you have to make a change, you have to do it," he told a Spanish radio station.
"To lose so early in Australia is one of the biggest disappointments we have had because, in the last four months, we had been playing well. I hope it is only a blip and we move forward."
Nadal implied afterwards that he needs to adapt to an even more aggressive style of play currently prevalent on the Tour.
And Toni Nadal said: "The strategy he has played with his whole life matters less now. It isn't easy to change style after 15 years."
Following his Melbourne misery Toni Nadal, with second coach Francis Roig went to work on fine-tune his game and bring it back up to its highest level through high intensity training sessions.
The team have helped Nadal with slight improvements and adjustments where necessary, but not at the cost of sacrificing his trademark style.
Balancing increased aggression with the Spaniard's staple play from the back of the court became the key focus and the continuity in his game has since shone through on his favourite surface.
The famous lasso forehand has returned to its potent best and along with his remarkable defensive capabilities from the baseline and attacking prowess when handed the opportunity, Nadal has once again become a force in the men's game.
It seems very much as though the dirt has come to Rafa's rescue at just the right time with the 29-year-old now looking back to full fitness, although his mental edge at the highest echelon of the game remains in question.
At his home tournament in Madrid, Nadal squeezed past Portugal's Joao Sousa in the quarter-finals before his 13-match unbeaten run came to an end against Andy Murray in straight sets as an array of finely-timed drop-shots and intelligent groundstrokes from the Scot proved to be the difference.
A week later in the 'Eternal City', defending champion Djokovic provided spectators with a lung-busting 7-5 7-6 (7-4) mini-epic win over the seven-time Rome champion.
It was a small setback for Nadal just over a week ahead of his Roland Garros bid, but he will be keen to remedy the mistakes that led him to lose key points at crucial moments.
Notably, with Nadal leading 5-4 in the second set, Djokovic saved no less than five set points before breaking back on his first break point to level the set 5-5 and then going on to win the tie break.
"I think I'm playing well in the clay court season, except my last two matches in Madrid," said Nadal. "Today I was there mentally, hitting good shots. I was very close this afternoon, and that's positive.
"Obviously, when you feel you're so close to taking both sets and you exit the tournament you can't be 100 per cent happy.
"But overall I've competed at the highest level against the best player in the world. That gives me confidence that I'm ready for other things."
He added: "I'm happy to be part of this rivalry. We'll talk about this when we finish our career, hopefully a long time from now.
"I feel lucky and unlucky at the same time, to be playing in the same era as [Novak]."
Perseverance, temperament, patience, and stamina have all returned to Nadal's game where he is 15-2 in the European clay-court swing… and now to Paris. Can he do it?
A healthy Rafa on clay is the hardest task for any top-ranked player to beat - they are forced to hit through him or beat him at his own game by wearing him down - and that is no easy feat.
The world No 5 seems destined to meet Djokovic and Murray in the latter stages and you wouldn't put it past Nadal - who has suffered just two defeats in 70 matches at Roland Garros [against Robin Soderling in 2009 and Djokovic last year] - to achieve the ultimate dream of becoming the 'King of Clay' for a remarkable 10th time.
Do you think Nadal can win a 10th French Open title? Or Will Novak Djokovic or Andy Murray come out on top in Paris. Let us know your view by signing in with Facebook below and sending us a message.
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