Rafael Nadal on Collision Course with the Next Generation at 2016 French Open

Rafael Nadal flashed his vintage form in the first two rounds of the 2016 French Open. He dished out three breadsticks to Sam Groth and a bagel to Facundo Bagnis in winning 36 of 45 total games. He could have opened up a Parisian bakery.

So far, so good for the Spanish superstar heading into his third-rounder against hard-serving Marcel Granollers. One more match win and then a clash against the future.

If Nadal does reach the fourth round, he will battle against either rising Austrian clay-court star Dominic Thiem or German phenom Alexander Zverev. Past vs. future. Experience vs. energy. Whatever the billing, it will be a blockbuster attraction.

Can the aging legend hold off the next generation of potential stars?

Return of the King

Nadal’s mortal struggles in 2015 have rematerialized into redemption for 2016. He’s not the Nadal of 2008, 2010 or 2013 when his legs were tireless and his forehand overwhelming, but like 2014 he has a fighting chance to upend the field for a 10th French Open title.

All of his training and hopes for one more major conquest have come down to the waning days of French Open 2016. This is everything for the king of clay.

There would be less confidence and belief now had Nadal not bounced back from rocky performances in February and March. He was swatted on Argentine clay by Thiem’s powerful stokes.

At Indian Wells, Zverev only needed to put Nadal away with a simple volley at match point. He dropped it into the net while perhaps lifting the Spaniard’s hopes. It was just one point, a butterfly flapping its wings in southern California that caused a wind storm in the French Riviera.

Indeed, the real comeback for Nadal’s French Open crown become more of a reality in April when he won Monte Carlo and Barcelona, defeating Stan Wawrinka and Andy Murray and winning a revenge match against Thiem. He willed himself through tough games, often finding the right blend of patience and attacking.

While Madrid and Rome were losses to Murray and Djokovic, Nadal has been able to refocus and show his optimism, as he said in a tournament interview previewed in RolandGarros.com:

"

I am well into 2016 now, and I played a few good events in a row. A lot of tournaments in a row playing well. I hope to continue playing well here. That's all: keep going the same way that I am playing, and if it's possible to play even a little bit better and better. If there is the sunshine here and the court is a little bit drier, my game adapts very well to this court. Only thing that I need is play well.

"

Confidence, consistency and hot, dry weather. Maybe it really is that simple in the mind of the great Rafa. He’s a creature of habit, but a winner like few others in the history of his sport.

Next Generation Rising

Start with world No. 15 Thiem, the chiseled 22-year-old with the the power of a Greek god and toughness to match. He’s grabbed five clay-court titles in the past year with several grinding tests that have earned him respect as a French Open dark horse.

The next step is vanquishing a big-time star on a major venue like Roland Garros. What would it mean for him to conquer the king of clay?

But first Thiem will vie in an intergenerational battle against world No. 41 “Sascha” Zverev, a 19-year-old whose game produces whipping groundstrokes and fluid power from his lanky 6’6” frame.

One day they might write sagas about his conquests, but he is not yet Alexander the Great. He lost to Thiem at Munich and Nice, both three-set tests that could foreshadow a future rivalry for major titles.

Zverev may have more upside with added years and experience to come, but time will tell how he and Thiem live, train and respond to success and failure. For now, they are aspirants with gleams in their eyes, eager to climb the ladder into the ATP elite.

But theirs is also a cautionary story when measuring young players of the last half decade. They are amazing young talents with the grace and tools that marked Grigor Dimitrov in 2014, but there is so much more to becoming a special champion.

Thiem or Zverev? The winner will move on to the fourth round, ready to challenge French Open master Nadal. Only then can he prove he’s got some of those intangibles that built the great Spaniard including discipline, patience, heart and resilience.

Meanwhile, Nadal is digging in for the very next ball, sliding in the red dust and turning his trunk to unleash another high forehand with violent strength. Simply relentless. One point and then another. He will impose a game of attrition and see if one of the youngsters is ready to pack a lunch and match wits.

Get ready for some great and possibly historic tennis as the second week gets underway at Roland Garros. Nadal will be the story one way or another.