French Open News: Rafael Nadal Has A ‘Narrower’ Margin For Error, Says Coach

Tennis star Rafael Nadal is in position to tie Roger Federer’s record of 20 Grand Slams in the 2020 French Open. But in order to accomplish this, the 12-time Roland Garros winner has little room for mistakes, says coach Carlos Moya.

“We had quite a lot of time, obviously,” Moya told ATPTour.com.

It has been months since Nadal stepped foot on a Grand Slam stage. The 19-time tennis Major winner opted out of the U.S. Open due to precautionary concerns regarding the coronavirus.

“It wasn’t easy. It was seven months, and the first two with no tennis whatsoever. Then, starting little by little, gradually, playing one hour. It’s a situation that nobody had ever experienced, and it’s very difficult for an elite sportsman,” Moya added.

The Spaniard standout has dominated the French Open for the past two decades. Only Federer, Novak Djokovic and Stan Wawrinka have won the tournament since Nadal’s first clay-court major in 2005.

“When you have an injury it’s different because there’s a goal. The first months we were kind of waiting to see what happened, not being too demanding in training. There wasn’t much stress in that sense,” Moya continued.

“If you look at his career, it is clear that Roland Garros has a very special place on his calendar,” he continued.

Getting accustomed to the environment of competing against the top stars of the world will be a challenge for Nadal. The recently concluded U.S. Open gave several players a head start on what it’s like playing in the new normal.

Among them is Dominic Thiem, who is coming off his first Grand Slam victory and is looking to maintain the momentum to challenge Nadal’s spot as the best clay-court player on tour.

“This year, the margin for error is far narrower. In 2019 he gradually improved after a series of problems he had. He started badly in Monte Carlo and Barcelona, improved in Madrid, in Rome he was back to normal, playing well and in Paris, he capped it off by winning the title,” Moya recalled.

Nadal’s opening round matchup is scheduled against Egor Gerasimov on Sept. 28.