Rafael Nadal is the ‘King of Clay’ and his records in each clay court tournament justify the moniker. Besides his 14 French Open titles, Nadal has also won the Monte Carlo Masters 11 times. That’s 8 times more than the second-highest winner (Thomas Muster, Illie Nastasie, Bjorn Borg) at 3. At the 2010 finals, Nadal played against fellow Spaniard Fernando Verdasco, and it wasn’t much of a competition. And now, fans are remembering that final more than ever before mainly due to Verdasco having to literally slog it out for every point, winning one long rally with great difficulty.
Nadal won the match 6-0, 6-1, offering both ‘breadstick’ and ‘bagel’ to his opponent in a match of complete domination, that too in a Masters 1000 final. A video from the Nadal vs Verdasco match is doing the rounds on Reddit. The score at that time was 6-0, 4-1 (40-40), in favor of Nadal, with Verdasco getting the advantage in that game.
Verdasco did have the upper hand throughout that point, but a stubborn Nadal just kept striking the ball over the net and avoided conceding a point for long in a tremendous rally. Towards the end of that rally, Nadal retrieved one particular shot running backward with a backhand from a ball that bounced high and spun into his body. It was magical to watch.
Verdasco was ready to play a drop shot as a last resort and ended up winning the point. But fans started missing the 11-time Monte-Carlo Masters-winning legend. Other than this long rally, Verdasco displayed a few brief moments of joy for his fans. Besides that, it was pretty much a Rafael Nadal show. It was peak Nadal, and his agility, power shots, and strength were too much for Verdasco.
A Reddit user named Miop Top wrote, “This was the first match I ever saw in person. It was a massacre,” under the Reddit video.
Nadal last won the Monte Carlo Masters in 2018, after which he hasn’t even reached the finals yet. It hasn’t been the same for the ‘Raging Bull’ ever since he hit the 35-year age mark. Injuries started catching up to him and he often would require long rests to recuperate after a tournament.
This is especially because Nadal puts so much effort into every single point; he is known for his power-hitting abilities. Fans will forever miss the peak Nadal.
Will Rafael Nadal make a grand comeback at the 2024 Monte Carlo Masters?
The Monte-Carlo Masters will begin on April 7, giving tennis players a chance to fight for yet another ATP 1000 Masters tournament. But Rafael Nadal playing in it continues to be a huge question mark. The 22-time Grand Slam winner was supposed to make his proper comeback at the Indian Wells this year.
But, owing to partial recovery, Nadal had to back out at the last moment. He had already bowed out of the Miami Masters by then. However, he did show promising signs to make a comeback in the clay season. While most of his fans might be very optimistic about Roland Garros, Nadal might just about make it to the Monte-Carlo Masters as well.
The men’s singles main draw entrants for the 2024 Monte Carlo Masters are out. From Novak Djokovic as the no. 1 seed, followed by Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz, and Daniil Medvedev, to the No.32 seed, Alexander Bublik, the list is out. Tennis Channel will broadcast the Monte Carlo Masters in the United States of America.
