Rafael Nadal: The King of Roland Garros is Back

The Spanish tennis player is regaining his peak clay court image, with his performance at the 2017 French Open.

Since the start of the tournament, Nadal has needed an average of 90 minutes to win a match - the fastest of any of his quarterfinal opponents. The Spaniard has lost only 22 games in five matches, an average of more than four games per match. In Grand Slam history, no player has reached the semi-finals with as few games as Nadal.

The "king" of clay is back.

That’s what the tennis world is saying about Nadal, after three titles in Monte-Carlo, Barcelona and Madrid. The way the world number four destroyed his opponents in Paris this year only reinforced that opinion.

Nadal is in top form on his home turf after years of struggling with injuries. Photo: Reuters.

None of his five opponents at Roland Garros 2017 have ever made Nadal feel threatened. The Spaniard has a very high percentage of winning points from his second serve, at 76%. He also has no trouble scoring points, with 62% of Nadal's winning points coming in under four hits. Once again, fans were treated to Nadal's signature shot: a forehand down the line that curves into the court, leaving opponents standing and watching.

"The key to Nadal's return to the top has been his forehand," said Craig O'Shannessy, a tennis expert who provides tactical analysis at ATP World Tour events. "At Roland Garros, Nadal won 61 forehand winners with ground strokes, mostly down the line."

Nadal was once considered a player who thrived on his physical style, willing to battle his opponents for long periods of time while standing at baseline. But 2017 was a different story. Nadal was still physically strong, but only 56% of his winners came from the baseline. The Spaniard would attack quickly from the start, feeding his opponent backhand and then hitting a forehand down the line.

The main credit for Nadal's return to top form comes from Carlos Moya. After six months of working with the former Roland Garros champion, Nadal has been injury-free and has seen positive results.

Moya's new training methods and tailored training plans are said to be the catalyst that helped Nadal return to being the King of Clay.

"I think he's very close to 100 percent," Moya said. "It's hard to compare Nadal now with Nadal of the past. If he's not at his best yet, he's very close to his prime."

Nadal has only one way leftrecord 10 Roland Garros titlesTwo more wins. The Spaniard's semi-final opponent is Dominic Thiem, who beat him at the Rome Masters a few weeks ago. If he reaches the final, Nadal will meet Andy Murray or Stan Wawrinka.

"It's hard to say for sure that Nadal will win the title," said seven-time Grand Slam winner John McEnroe. "There's no doubt Nadal is the number one candidate for the title. But I don't think it's a done deal."

According to VNE