Rafael Nadal's Slow Start Won't Affect French Open Title Run

It’s no secret Rafael Nadal has dominated the French Open in the last eight years. In search of his eighth title in nine attempts, the “King of Clay” is the prohibitive favorite to traverse the field for yet another triumph at Roland Garros.

But in the opening round of the tournament, Rafa didn’t look quite like the dominant defending champ most expected to see. He was never in much danger of losing, but he certainly left some room for doubt.

In that first-round match, Daniel Brands jumped out to a fast start with a 6-4 first-set victory that had to get the upset gears turning. After all, it’s not often the world No. 4 loses even a single set in the opening round of a clay-court Grand Slam event, let alone his first set.

That first set brought back shades of Wimbledon last year and a second-round defeat at the hands of a hungry Lukas Rosol. It made Nadal look human, if only for a short while.

The second set proved to be another difficult challenge for Rafa, but he managed to curb Brands’ momentum and avoid a potential upset bid with a hard-fought 7(7)-6(4) victory that saw his challenger within one point of taking a commanding lead in the match.

But as we’ve come to expect from Nadal, he surged back in the next two sets without much resistance, notching a 6-4 victory in the third and a 6-3 win in the fourth to secure his place in the second round of the tournament.

And if we should take anything away from the match, it’s the performance in those final two sets.

Despite Brands’ increased efforts to upend the 26-year-old, Nadal battled as he always does, shaking off the first-set loss as if it were just another practice round. That focus and confidence is what defines Nadal, especially at the French Open.

Yes, his start was slower than expected, but Rafa won’t let those first two sets sink in. What he’ll take away from the match is the knowledge that his opponent threw everything he had at him and still came up empty-handed.

Brands isn’t Novak Djokovic or Roger Federer, but as we’ve seen so many times in the past, it doesn’t take another member of the Big Four to take down one of the top players in the world. All it takes is an opponent who brings all the right stuff at just the right time.

Nadal understands that as well, just as every other player in the tournament understands the realities of tennis on its biggest stage. But unlike many of those players, Nadal doesn’t let that reality affect him on the court. He may not have brought his best physical game to the first round, but there’s no denying his focus and intensity are both very much alive and well.

In reality, Nadal’s slow start shouldn’t be a cause for concern, and he’ll prove that in the second round against Martin Kilzan. Rafa is only human, but he’s also the best clay-court player on the planet, and he’s out to prove it for the eighth time at Roland Garros.