Rafael Nadal's Early Struggles Won't Affect Overall 2013 French Open Performance

There is immense pressure on Spain's Rafael Nadal to win the 2013 French Open.

That's why it wasn't surprising to see him struggle early in his opening match versus Daniel Brands of Germany.

Considering that Nadal has won seven of the previous eight French Opens—as well as three straight—he's going to receive the A-game from every opponent. Nevertheless, Nadal displayed impressive poise, control and tenacity after settling in toward the end of the second set.

As reported by BBC Sport, Nadal was impressed with Brands' performance:

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"He was playing unbelievable," said Nadal of Brands. "I tried to find my game and tried to resist his fantastic shots.

"He played a great match and put me in a tricky situation. I am very happy to be through in this match."

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Brands took the first, 6-4, and had Nadal on the brink during the second. So, the Spaniard toughed out a 7-6 (7-4) win to even the match. From that point onward Brands gradually lost the momentum, and eventually the match.

The final two sets here are vintage Nadal.

And it's one key reason why he has been able to dominate the clay at such an incredible rate of consistency. This situation was somewhat similar to his Round 1 match versus the USA's John Isner from the 2011 Roland Garros.

There, Nadal had taken Set 1 but dropped the second and third sets and was on the verge of elimination. Instead he quickly rebounded to fend off the American, and proceeded to roll through the rest of the tournament.

As for this year's Roland Garros, Nadal was able to serve reliably well, not to mention drastically minimize his unforced errors by comparison. He also won't face another potential challenger until Japan's Kei Nishikori until Round 4.

Nishikori defeated Roger Federer at the Madrid Open, but he must prove greater consistency on clay to equal Nadal. Thereafter, France's Richard Gasquet or Switzerland's Stanislas Wawrinka are an anticipated quarterfinals matchup, while Rafa won't get Novak Djokovic until the semifinals.

Gasquet isn't nearly the same player on clay, but Wawrinka enters with strong victories such as Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Tomas Berdych (each Madrid) and Andy Murray (Monaco) on the surface.

Djokovic, on the other hand, had taken three straight Grand Slams over Nadal leading into last year's 2012 final. Well, the Kind of Clay remained as such by winning in four sets to remain atop the French Open pedestal.

Given Djokovic's recent frustrations entering this year's Roland Garros (mainly Madrid and Rome), Nadal possesses much more confidence. In turn, this remains his Grand Slam to lose, and it would be extremely shocking if Rafa didn't take his fourth consecutive French Open title.