Nadal , King of clay bids for eighth title

Another whip-crack forehand leaps off the clay and it is clear the shot that has dominated the French Open for almost a decade is in good working order – Rafael Nadal is ready to try for title number eight, according to BBC.

Should he achieve that, the 26-year-old Spaniard would become the first man since tennis became a truly international sport to win one of the four major tournaments eight times, surpassing seven-time Wimbledon winners Pete Sampras and Roger Federer.

Nadal won a record seventh title last year, taking his record at Roland Garros to 52 wins and one defeat, dropping just 14 sets along the way.

Bjorn Borg says he is “the greatest clay-court player to ever play”, while Federer has described Nadal as an “artist” on the clay, adding: “You know what you’re going to get, so you have to play a really good match against him to have a chance. And then you still might lose.”

Carlos Moya, a former world number one and French Open champion, describes his long-time friend as “a warrior”.

“His never-say-die attitude has already allowed him to win seven times at Roland Garros,” said Moya, who will play in a new ATP Champions Tour event in Edinburgh on 20-23 June.

“This year is going to be as difficult as it’s ever been, but he is ready for it.”

Nadal won a record seventh French Open title by beating Djokovic 6-4 6-3 2-6 7-5 in 2012

Nadal’s knee has been the focus of attention in the tennis world for years now, and his latest and most significant lay-off lasted almost eight months as he recovered from a partially torn patella tendon.

He chose not to undergo surgery and instead gave the tendon time to repair, while gradually building up strength through physiotherapy, hydrotherapy and laser treatment.

Nadal returned to action in Chile in February and the early signs were not wholly encouraging as he looked a shadow of his former self much of the time and admitted that the knee was still painful.

It was in the Acapulco final that the old Nadal returned as he thrashed then world number four David Ferrer 6-0 6-2, and by the time he got to Monte Carlo in April – his fifth tournament – he tried to draw a line under the matter. 

“There has been a lot of talk about the knee for the last year and I think it’s not good to talk about that anymore,” said Nadal who begins the defence of his French Open crown against Germany’s Daniel Brands on Monday.

While he has been racking up the wins, talk of the knee has indeed subsided, but he admits to still having good and bad days with an injury that will have to be managed for the rest of his career.

Lee Herrington, physiotherapist with the English Institute of Sport and senior lecturer in sports rehabilitation at the University of Salford, said: “The nature of that injury means an athlete is likely to get some pain when they load the knee at competition levels.

“The tendon is load-intolerant now, so in a Slam-type tournament over two weeks solid there will be a consequence of that.”

In a word, spectacular. A record of six titles and two runner-up finishes since returning in February suggests Nadal is more than coping with his troublesome knee.

In fact, it has been the Spaniard’s best ever start to a year with 36 wins and just two losses.

After one of those defeats, against Novak Djokovic in Monte Carlo, Nadal said: “I think I’m in the right way. Five finals in a row. If you told me that four months ago, I would be crying with emotion.”