Rafael Nadal: Why Madrid Open Loss Won't Affect King of Clay at French Open

Rafael Nadal suffered a puzzling defeat at the hands of Fernando Verdasco in the third round of the Madrid Open, but it won’t hurt his chances at the French Open.

The word "puzzling" is key here because Nadal isn’t called “The King of Clay” for no reason—he’s 215-9 on clay since 2005. Losing to a lesser opponent like Verdasco on clay has many scratching their collective heads.

One possible explanation for Nadal’s collapse is the color of the clay. It sounds preposterous, but Nadal and other pros have been vehemently against the outlandish blue clay.

Earlier in the tournament, Nadal had this to say about the playing surface:

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"I played much better than I expect," Nadal said. "The (blue) court ... doesn't make you feel comfortable. It's difficult, hard to attack and come back to defend. You just have to try and adapt."

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If Nadal was having issues with speed and changing direction, that could be a huge factor in his loss. Still, his opponent was playing on the same field as well and Nadal at one point held the lead.

If the color of the clay was the main problem for Nadal, he won’t have to worry heading into Roland Garros. The clay most certainly won’t be blue.

Another component of the loss is simple—Verdasco isn’t as horrible as some are making him out to be. Clearly he’s not on Rafael Nadal’s level yet, but it’s not crazy to see him win an upset victory. He’s been an on the rise player for the last couple of years now.

In the end, it looks like a combination of factors led to Nadal’s perplexing defeat. He’ll have a chance to gain some positive momentum in Rome before heading to Roland Garros for the French Open.

If Nadal can have a quick turn-around and chalk his loss up as a one-time deal on a one-time court, he won’t have any problems dispatching the opposition on red-clay courts he feels so comfortable with at Roland Garros.

Nadal has won six titles at the French Open, and there’s no reason to believe he can’t win a seventh this year. The defeat at Madrid certainly isn’t a good enough reason.

The only thing that truly hurts for Nadal about this loss is that his No. 2 ranking could be jeopardy depending on how well Roger Federer plays the rest of the Madrid tournament.

Even if Federer happens to take the No. 2 spot, Nadal will be able to grab it back quickly in Rome or Roland Garros. Losing it is always unfortunate, but it’s not like Nadal doesn’t have two huge opportunities to win it back in the next couple of weeks.

Rafael Nadal is going to be just fine. His loss at Madrid is simply a small blemish on what will otherwise be a very successful 2012 campaign. Nadal is heading home to Roland Garros, and he won’t be the victim of any stunning defeats there. 

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