Having won the French Open 14 times, Rafael Nadal has various records under his belt. However, one of the most impressive feat of all includes him playing a total of six matches on his birthday. With the fourth round matches scheduled on 3rd June, Rafa could maintain his “birthday” record even if he were to go on and lose the Roland Garros 2024.
Rafael Nadal has played all six matches on his birthday at the French Open. Unsurprisingly, the Spaniard has won each one of them. Considering that the 22-time Grand Slam winner makes his way to the second week of the French Open 2024, a potential win could improve this record to 7-0.
If the Raging Bull manages to get past Alexander Zverev, David Goffin, and Tallon Griekspoor in the first three rounds, he will be pitted against either of the two – Holger Rune or Karen Khachanov.
Rafael Nadal’s 2024 Roland-Garros Draw:
R1 – Zverev
R2 – Goffin
R3 – Griekspoor/McDonald
R4 – Rune/Khachanov
QF – Medvedev/De Minaur
SF – Djokovic/Ruud/Fritz
F – Sinner/Alcaraz pic.twitter.com/FPA1u25tiu— ً (@nadalprop_) May 23, 2024
With both players having decent performances in the clay court season, clinching a win to advance to the quarterfinals might be tough.
However, the support and constant well-wishes from the crowd at the Court Philippe-Chatrier could rally the former World No.1 to be undefeated on his birthday.
Who has Rafael Nadal previously defeated on his birthday?
Rafael Nadal first played on June 3rd when he turned 19 years old. During the 2005 French Open, Rafa was pitted against his eventual rival Roger Federer. Defeating the Swiss 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, Nadal made it to the finals and ultimately won his first Roland Garros title.
Rafa played on June 3 for the second time during the French Open 2011. Upon turning 25 years old, the King of Clay defeated Andy Murray 6-4, 7-5, 6-4 to clinch a spot in the finals. In the subsequent year, Nadal had to play a fourth-round encounter on his birthday. A 6-2, 6-0, 6-0 victory over Juan Monaco has to be the most dominant win out of all 6.
In 2014, Rafael Nadal celebrated his birthday by going up against compatriot David Ferrer in the quarterfinals. While Ferrer took an early advantage, winning the first set 6-4, it didn’t take Rafa long to redeem himself. The Mallorca native went on to demolish the fellow Spaniard in the next three sets. The tournament organizers also arranged a special celebration following the contest.
The 2017 French Open was the only instance when Rafa had to play on his birthday before the second week of the Grand Slam. Nikoloz Basilashvili stood no chance in the matchup as the Georgian was only able to win 1 game in the 90-minute battle.
Finally, Rafa played his 6th match on his birthday during the 2022 French Open. It seemed as though Alexander Zverev could pull off the upset, defeating Nadal on the dirt in Paris. However, during the tie-break in the second set, the German was forced to retire after suffering a horrific ankle injury.
