French Open 2012: Why Andy Murray Could Defeat Rafael Nadal at Roland Garros

Andy Murray has been hindered by an injury during the 2012 French Open, but he still has a real shot at defeating Rafael Nadal, better known as “The King of Clay.”

In his most recent match against Finland’s Jarkko Nieminen, Murray was dealing with chronic back pain that probably should have seen him withdraw from the competition.

Despite being advised to withdraw, Murray charged forward and won the match:

"

The guys were telling me to stop after the first set, and we spoke about it before the match [the possibility of retiring during play]. I just decided to play on. I felt a bit bitter, probably end of the second set. I thought, let's give it a go, chasing a few balls down. It's still fairly sore.

"

The victory, while impaired, now has Murray, the No. 4 ranked player in the world, on a crash-course with Nadal.

Murray’s next opponent is Santiago Giraldo, but he should not have any issues advancing past the Colombian unless he is still suffering from back pain.

Nadal, of course, has been on cruise-control during the tournament to this point. He is 47-1 at Roland Garros and has won the entire tournament six times. Nadal is easily the favorite to win it all again this year.

Despite the odds heavily in Nadal’s favor, Murray could cut him down should the two face each other. Murray is riding a wave of momentum and has nothing to lose at this point.

With no expectations, Murray is a dangerous player.

Murray has also shown the ability to defeat Nadal in the past. In fact, he has defeated Nadal five times.

Although Nadal overwhelmingly leads the head-to-head series, the fact that Murray has been able to defeat Nadal shows he has the ability to do so again in the right scenario.

The 2012 French Open is the right scenario. Murray has conquered adversity up to this point thanks to excruciating back pain. Being considered the underdog against the heavily favored Nadal could do wonders for Murray.

Murray has to be cautious with his injury because of the fast-approaching Wimbledon and Olympics, but a potential showdown with Nadal has to be driving him at this point.

It would be foolish to completely write off Murray’s chances against Nadal. The odds are heavily against him, but Murray could become only the second player ever to defeat Nadal at Roland Garros through a combination of grit and determination.

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