The Spaniard Tennis maestro Rafael Nadal went into 2020 for another year full of record-breaking achievements and trophies. Right from the start, he had his eyes set on equalling or surpassing Roger Federer’s total of Grand Slam Titles which is 20, and be the person with the most number of titles at the end of this year. There were some good and bad performances throughout the year but it can be seen as another successful year for him. Let us look at an overview of his 2020 season:
ATP Cup – Nadal started his season by participating in the ATP Cup where he was representing the Spanish team. In the Singles part of the tournament, Nadal made it to the finals and faced World number 2, Novak Djokovic. He was beaten by Djokovic in straight sets and ended up as runners up in the tournament.
Australian Open – Rafa’s second tournament was in the land down under at the Australian Open where he beat his Spanish compatriot Carreno Busta and Nick Kyrgios as well on his way to the quarters. He was defeated by World no.5 Dominic Thiem in the quarter-finals in 4 sets.
Mexican Open – Rafael Nadal then went on to Acapulco to participate in the Mexican Open where he experienced quite an easy competition for him and went on to beat Dimitrov in straight sets to win his third title in Acapulco and his very first title in 2020.
The tennis world was put on a standstill when the Corona Virus had spread all across the globe and caused a pandemic that stopped all sporting activities from March 8. The ATP and WTA announced the postponement of all the tournaments till August 16 and even froze the rankings. The Tokyo Olympics was postponed to next year and Wimbledon had to be canceled as well. Nadal even decided not to go participate in the US Open due to travel concerns during this period.
4. Italian Open – Returning back to playing tennis after all this, Rafa participated in the Italian Open 2020 and continued his winning streak by beating Carreno Busta and Dusan Lajovic in the earlier rounds. Unfortunately, he lost to Diego Schwartzmann in the quarter-finals which saw the end of his winning run.
5. French Open – The King of Clay once again took the center stage when he participated in the tournament which he has won a record 12 number of times. He looked motivated and even fitter than ever during this tournament which was seen in his performances. He went on to lift his record-breaking 13th French Open title by beating Novak Djokovic in straight sets. He also equaled the all-time record for the number of Grand Slam title wins held by Roger Federer after lifting his 20th title.
6. Paris Masters – Rafael Nadal took part in the Paris Masters after his tournament-winning high and beat some good players only to be defeated in the Semifinals against Alex Zverev in straight sets.
The defeat in the Paris Masters sort of ended Rafael Nadal’s 2020 Tennis season and he is now looking forward to the challenges ahead of him as he looks to claim the number 1 spot in the ATP rankings yet again next year.
Written By
Shashwat Nishant
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