Since his first appearance on the clay court at Porte d’Auteuil, Rafael Nadal has never ceased to panic the statistics. 14 titles, 14 numbers. An anthology that says a lot about the insane domination of the Spaniard in Paris, which continued with the easy victory against Casper Ruud, this Sunday (6-3, 6-3, 6-0).
0 : Nadal took “bubbles” in the other three Grand Slams. But no one has managed to stick him a 6-0 in his den of Roland-Garros. Federer in 2006 and Djokovic in 2015 could not do “better” than 6-1.
1 : it seems incredible but the Mallorcan has only played once in his Parisian career outside of the Central or the Suzanne-Lenglen court! It was during his first appearance at 19 in 2005 on the No. 1 (since disappeared) against the German Burgsmuller. Since then, the king has only had the right to the two main arenas.
2 : only two players have beaten the southpaw of Manacor in 18 editions. The Swede Robin Söderling was the first in 2009 in the round of 16. Novak Djokovic has succeeded twice, in the 2015 quarter-final and 2021 semi-final. The fourth time Nadal did not win on home soil was due to a withdrawal, before his 3rd round in 2016, cause of left wrist injury.
3 : there are only three players who managed to push the world number 5 in five sets. And none has managed to win, whether Isner in the 1st round in 2011, Djokovic in the 2013 semi-finals or Félix Auger-Aliassime in the round of 16 this year.
4h53 : this is the duration of the longest match disputed by the former number 1 at ATP in Paris, in the third round of the 2006 edition. Paul-Henri Mathieu had pushed the Spaniard to his limits and saved 21 balls from break before losing in four sets (5-7, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4).
8 : Novak Djokovic is the one who lost the most against the master of the place. The Serb lost eight times. Federer suffered six losses. The Austrian Dominic Thiem points to four (including two finals).
10 : Nadal crossed paths with Les Bleus 10 times at Roland-Garros and of course never lost. Gasquet lost three times, Grosjean, Mathieu, Devilder, Mina, Halys and Paire once each. On this edition, Corentin Moutet, exceeded in the 2nd round (6-3, 6-1, 6-4) came to swell the contingent.
14 : with 14 crowns, Nadal won as much in Paris as the great Pete Sampras on all four Grand Slams (two Australia, seven Wimbledon and five US Open). Mind-boggling.
22 : with 22 major titles, Carlos Moya’s protege widens the gap a little more with Federer and Djokovic (20) in the male pantheon. And he joins… Steffi Graf. Because among women, Margaret Court peaks at 24 ahead of Serena Williams (23) and the German.
25 : the victories of the Iberian in western Paris have allowed him to inflate his woolen stocking and represent more than a fifth of his earnings in 21 years of career. The extra-terrestrial has amassed more than 25 million euros thanks to his French titles, more than the three other members of the Big Four combined.
63 : of the 92 trophies he has lifted in 21 years, 63 bore traces of clay… That is 68.5% of his tournaments won in ocher dust.
74 : beaten this Sunday in the final, Casper Ruud, who challenged his opponent for the first time on the circuit, became the 74th player dominated by Nadal at Roland-Garros.
97,39 : If there’s only one stat to remember, it’s this one. To be read several times. Nadal won 97.39% of the matches he played at Roland-Garros. That is 112 out of 115 in 18 editions. Behind, the huge Björn Borg has a decent ratio of around 96%. The Swede has only lost twice in Paris… but in “barely” 51 matches.
1052 : Nadal signed against Ruud his 1,052nd victory on the circuit (for 212 defeats). With Connors (1,274), Federer (1,251), Lendl (1,068) and Djokovic (1,001), he forms the closed circle of men who have hit the bullseye…