Miami (USA) – Although Serbian Novak Djokovic is the record holder for Grand Slam titles among men, with 24 titles, two more than Rafael Nadal, second on the list, when it comes to Roland Garros the Spaniard is the absolute owner of the records, with 14 achievements. For German Yannick Hanfmann, facing the Mallorcan left-hander on Parisian clay is the toughest task in tennis.
“I think playing against Rafa on that court is probably the most difficult task in tennis,” said the German, speaking to Clay Magazine. Hanfmann faced Nadal in the 2019 edition of Roland Garros, when he broke the qualifiers and challenged the Spaniard in the first round, suffering a defeat in straight sets, with partials of 6/2, 6/1 and 6/3.
“I felt strange when I saw that I would get Rafa in the first round because I played very well in the qualifying phase and then the draw was a very difficult challenge. In a way, it was an incredible match, an incredible experience. But, on the other hand, I was a little sad, because I knew it would most likely be the end,” recalled Hanfmann.
“I didn’t feel good, he made me suffer. Nadal has a very different ball than anyone else on the tour, especially on that court and in those conditions, all of this seems to increase 10 times. So it was difficult to adjust to his game, I ended up learning a good lesson”, added the 32-year-old tennis player.
Hanfmann still believes in the Spaniard’s comeback and said he liked what he saw from Nadal in Brisbane, before his injury. “From what I saw of him in Australia, he looked very sharp on the training court. He was also good in the match. And then, of course, he had a setback with the injury”, commented the current 53rd in the world.
“I don’t know what’s going on with him, how bad his body really is, but after what we’ve seen from him over the years, we can never write him off. If he feels dangerous again, then I believe him. You have to consider Rafa a favorite at Roland Garros, even if he is no longer at his peak. He is still playing very good tennis,” he concluded.
