French Open 2013: Rafael Nadal Must Refocus to Capture 8th Roland Garros Title

The 2013 French Open is getting interesting.

Seven-time champion Rafael Nadal seems to be battling more than just his competitors on the court. Rafa was recently peeved by a perceived scheduling slight by the Roland Garros officials.

The king of clay spent two hours and 44 minutes on the French Open courts to dispatch Martin Klizan and, according to Simon Briggs of The Telegraph, isn’t happy about the quick turnaround before his next match.

“Today I was playing almost three hours on court, and my opponent was watching the TV in the locker room. So if you [tell] me that’s fair, I say that’s not fair,” Nadal said.

Earlier, he labeled his opponent’s rest advantage a “joke,” according to BBC Sport.

Nadal was slated to compete on Friday morning, but his match against Martin Klizan was postponed due to weather conditions. As a result, Fabio Fognini will be exponentially more rested and prepared for Saturday morning’s third-round match.

Fognini hasn’t been on the court since his victory over Lukas Rosol on Thursday.

Sometimes, talent isn't enough to conquer all opposition and be the dominant force Nadal is capable of being. Sports Illustrated's Beyond the Baseline tweeted a picture of Rafa during a press conference on Friday that exemplifies that idea:

The Spanish giant seems to be having problems focusing due to outside distractions. When on point, there is no one who can topple him on Paris’ clay courts. But his recent first-set mishaps have left plenty of room for concern.

The cold and rainy weather definitely isn’t helping matters for the defending champion, either.

It’s also becoming increasingly clear that, as a result of the weather and this distraction, Nadal is not in top form as the competition continues to pick up with each passing match. His time on the court is definitely something to monitor in the coming rounds.

With his knee still bothering him, his durability has to become a concern. Toni Nadal, Rafa’s coach and uncle, said prior to the Open that Rafa was still struggling with pain in his left knee.

Bad weather, distractions and mounting court time are a bad combination for a recovering player who came into Roland Garros on a role.

Up until now, Nadal hadn’t encountered any four- or five-set matches since his return to the court in February.

The combination of these factors, specifically the wear on his knee, may prove to be too much for him to overcome.

Nadal is one more poor start away from suffering only his second loss, ever, at the French Open. If not a rested Fognini in the third round, a top competitor in the coming stages may have enough to dispatch one of the finest competitors in the world.

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