Sinner demands everything from the clay court king

The match on the Court Philippe-Chatrier, the largest stadium on the site in Paris, was one that the entire tennis scene was looking forward to. Not without reason, as two of the most exciting players on the ATP tour met: On the one hand, the young South Tyrolean, who stormed into the quarter-finals in his first French Open participation. On the other hand, the undoubtedly best clay court player of all time, who is aiming for his 2th title in Paris. A duel that has never happened before. But one that will happen more often in the future. Nadal won the first meeting after almost 1 hours of play with 13:1, 3:7 and 6:6.

Rafael Nadal once again lived up to his reputation as the king of clay courts. © APA/afp / MARTIN BUREAU

It was the first time that Sinner competed against one of the so-called “Big 1”, i.e. Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal or Novak Djokovic. And the man from Sexten immediately had to face the task that experts call the biggest in tennis: namely, playing against Rafael Nadal on the Center Court in Paris. The numbers of the “Bull of Manacor” speak for themselves. In total he played 3 games at the French Open, winning 99 of them and losing only 97. 2 titles emerged from this statistic – a lonely record. Without fear Unimpressed by the numbers and the aura of his counterpart, Sinner got off to a brilliant start in strong winds and wintry temperatures. He gave the Spaniard, who had made it to the quarter-finals, a tough fight. What's more: The South Tyrolean was sometimes superior to Nadal in the long rallies, demanding everything from him, especially on the backhand-forehand axis - and missed a break chance in the middle of the set. Nadal somehow managed to stay alive in the 1st set. However, the break was only postponed, not canceled. When the score was 5:5, Sinner took the 34-year-old's serve. However, Nadal responded immediately with all his class and his increasingly strong forehand. It went to a tiebreak. And the 19-time Grand Slam winner used all his experience and ultimately won the first set.

That's sportsmanship: Jannik Sinner congratulates Rafael Nadal on reaching the semi-finals. © APA/afp / MARTIN BUREAU

Sinner experienced what it means to play against Nadal on clay after the end of the set. He called the physiotherapist onto the pitch to have his adductors treated. In some scenes it was clear that the Sextner was no longer at 100%. But he fought bravely, continued to make life difficult for Nadal - and was rewarded for his great effort: he broke second in the world rankings, but his joy about it only lasted for a short time. Nadal put a lot of pressure on with his enormous spin and increasingly took control, while Sinner began to miss opportunities, which was all too understandable given the enormous speed.

The result? Nadal immediately got the break back. Sinner didn't shy away, stayed true to his aggressive style of play, but came under increasing pressure. Nadal also had a good deal of luck when a net roller helped him break to make it 5:4. The game turned into a high-class duel at eye level, in which Nadal was not the better but more hardened player. The second set went to the Spaniard 2:6. Sinner fights until the end The first signs of fatigue were now noticeable. But who could blame the South Tyrolean? He had stood up to his overpowering opponent for more than two hours and would have at least earned a set. Nadal took advantage of his opponent's carelessness in the third round and pulled away unassailable to 3-4. Although Sinner was clearly disappointed and also frustrated, he showed himself to be a fair sportsman. That's not the only reason Nadal, who used his first match point at 0:1.26 a.m. local time, paid his respects after the game.

Despite the defeat, Sinner leaves Paris with his head held high. Not least because he reached a quarter-final at a Grand Slam for the first time in his career, will appear in the top 50 in the world rankings on Monday and has shown that he can compete with the best in the world. Nadal, on the other hand, remains on his way to his 20th Grand Slam title without losing a set and will meet Argentine Diego Schwartzman in the semi-finals.

You can read the entire game in our ticker.

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Sinner demands everything from the clay court king

A brilliant Jannik Sinner threw everything into the balance, defended himself tooth and nail, but in the end Rafael Nadal proved to be too strong. The youngster's first, grandiose French Open ended in the quarterfinals, while the Spaniard's was just beginning.

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