Rafael Nadal vs Stefano Travaglia French Open 2020 Preview and Prediction
Rafael Nadal‘s straight forward first week should continue in Paris on Friday when he takes on Stefano Travaglia…
Rafael Nadal‘s straight forward first week should continue in Paris on Friday when he takes on Stefano Travaglia…
Dominic Thiem will look to move his winning streak to ten matches on Friday when he takes on Casper Ruud for a spot in the third…
Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina returns the ball to Poland’s Magda Linette during their tennis match at the Roland…
Simona Halep has the opportunity to exact revenge against Amanda Anisimova when they play their third round matchup at…
When #NextGenATP American Sebastian Korda walks on Court 7 on Friday afternoon at Roland Garros for his third-round match against Pedro Martinez, his two biggest fans — sisters Jessica, 27 and Nelly, 22 — will be glued to their computer screens an ocean away in the United States.
The Korda Sisters, who are professional golfers on the LPGA Tour, are competing in a tournament this week in New Jersey. But that hasn’t stopped them from waking up as early as 5 a.m. to watch their 20-year-old brother play in Paris.
“The hardest part of all of this is we can’t be there,” Jessica said. “He can’t feel our excitement of points being won or hear our encouragement when we’re screaming at the TV or screaming at our computers.”
Jessica and Nelly believe it’s harder for them to watch their brother compete than it is to play themselves because they can’t control the outcome.
“When we go out and play it’s in our own hands,” Jessica said. “When we watch, we’re just watching and we want to be there. We want to support and we want to encourage him. But we can’t because we’re watching through a screen as well. It’s hard for sure.”
The Korda siblings cherish their time together. Photo Credit: Korda Family
Sebastian, who is ‘Seb’ to his sisters and generally nicknamed ‘Sebi’, played his first two main draw matches first on his court on the schedule. But even though his sisters can’t physically be at his tournaments a large majority of the time because they are professional athletes, they are with him in spirit. Even if that has meant early-morning alarms.
“He’ll definitely come back to a lot of texts,” Nelly said. “No matter what, we’re usually the first ones to text him, even if it’s a bad day or if it’s a good day. Same with him for us.”
The World No. 213 began the week without a tour-level victory. But he has proven himself a strong competitor by qualifying for the main draw and reaching the third round. While no member of the family, especially Sebi, is focussing on anyone but Pedro Martinez, he could potentially face one of his idols in the fourth round: Rafael Nadal. To put in perspective how much Nadal means to Sebi, they have a cat named Rafa.
“Honestly I think he would be so excited on court,” Nelly said.
“He’d have the biggest smile on his face,” Jessica said. “For someone who doesn’t show a whole lot of emotion, I guarantee he’d have a smile on his face.”
Nelly added: “Or just before he would just be freaking out and be like, ‘Oh my God, this is so cool!’”
Jessica said: “As it would start he would be very intense and then after be like, ‘That was the coolest thing ever!’”
Korda has a fun side, too. After upsetting 21st seed John Isner in the second round, he made a swimming motion towards his team. Korda later posted on social media that he bet his team they would have to swim the length of the Charles Bridge in Prague if he qualified and made it to the third round.
Sebastian Korda defeated John Isner in the second round at Roland Garros. Photo credit: Clive Brunskill/Getty Images
“Once you get to know Seb, he is such a goofball,” Nelly said. “I would say Jess is the most outgoing of us three and Seb’s definitely the biggest goofball.”
“There were so many times when I would come home to a video or even times when I was in Bradenton visiting everyone that after tennis he wouldn’t take any of his clothes off, nothing. He would just walk straight into the back and just walk into the pool,” Jessica remembered. “Didn’t look left or right, he just fell into the water with all of his clothes on.
“Every single thing that he does is just so silly. He just makes it so much fun. When I was trying to skip rope and I was trying to do the double jumps, I was so proud of myself because I did eight or nine in a row and Seb sends me a video with like 100 of them and he’s like, ‘Beat that!’”
One of the toughest dilemmas for the Korda siblings is that because they are all professional athletes, they don’t often see each other. But during the COVID-19 pandemic, they were able to spend more time together. Nelly and Sebi live nearby, making it easier for them. Although Jessica lives on the opposite side of Florida, they still found time to visit each other.
“It’s awesome,” Sebi said. “We’re always in contact and we’re always talking about what we can do better and how we’re doing. They’re a big help and I love them a lot.
“This year in quarantine I saw my sister Nelly a lot and I saw my other sister, Jessica, a good amount as well. So it was nice to have everybody at home and [especially] because we don’t spend a lot of time together.”
Jessica and Nelly are two of the best golfers in the world, but Sebi was proud to tell the media that he beat one of them when they were younger.
“My only claim to fame is the only tournament I ever played I won and I beat [Nelly] when I was like 11 years old,” Sebi said. “[She] will never live that one down.”
“He beat me in one tournament we played… in Prague, Czech Republic when we were really young,” said Nelly, currently World No. 2. “But in terms of creativity and pulling off shots, he beats me by a mile. He is super talented when it comes to being creative and pulling off 60-yard hooks and landing it on the green, it’s crazy.”
“He’s definitely the most athletic Korda,” Jessica added. “I would say he’s more athletic than my dad as well.”
Sebastian Korda pays tribute to the scissor kick popularised by his father, Petr Korda. Photo Credit: Peter Staples/ATP Tour
Their father is former World No. 2 Petr Korda, the 1998 Australian Open champion. Ironically, the Korda sisters both won the women’s golf Australian Open and Sebi triumphed in the Melbourne boys’ singles draw. But they all value their personal relationships over their athletic accolades.
“Our family has a very close connection and close ties. Their time is very precious when they’re together, so we let them be kids. [Even though they’re professional athletes], they still will be our kids,” Petr said. “They have daily conversations between them. If one of them isn’t doing well, they try to support each other. It’s an effort from all corners.”
Many people ask Sebi and his sisters about the pressure of being Petr Korda’s child. But they also note that their mother, Regina Kordova, was a professional tennis player who reached a carer-high World No. 26. The Korda siblings simply focus on carving their own path. And above all, they stick together and support one another through their good times and bad.
“He’s making his own way in life and in tennis and unfortunately he’s always going to be compared to what our dad accomplished, mom being ranked really high as well,” Nelly said. “He’ll make his own way and it’ll be one step at a time, but we’ll always be there cheering him on.”
In the latest profile on the 26 players to rise to No. 1 in the FedEx ATP Rankings, ATPTour.com takes a look at the career of Rafael Nadal. View Series.
First week at No. 1: 18 August 2008
Total weeks at No. 1: 209
Year-End No. 1s: 2008, 2010, 2013, 2017, 2019
At World No. 1
After spending a record 160 consecutive weeks at No. 2 in the FedEx ATP Rankings, Nadal overtook Roger Federer to become World No. 1 for the first time on 18 August 2008. “I had three-and-a-half good years – 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008,” said Nadal. “I was winning a lot of points every year, but there was a player that was winning more than me in Roger… I believed I deserved it after playing at a high level for many weeks.” Nadal’s rise to the summit of the men’s game capped a memorable four-month run, with the Spaniard winning eight titles from 10 tournament appearances between Monte Carlo and the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. Nadal has finished five ATP Tour seasons as year-end World No. 1 and, in 2019, he became the oldest year-end World No. 1 in the history of the FedEx ATP Rankings (since 1973). Nadal owns a 174-34 record as World No. 1, with 15 wins from 27 final appearances.
Grand Slam Highlights
Nadal has lifted 19 major championships and is the only man in history to win 12 singles titles at the same Grand Slam event (Roland Garros). Dressed in his signature sleeveless shirts and three-quarter length shorts, a 19-year-old Nadal claimed the first of four consecutive trophies in Paris on his tournament debut in 2005. The Spaniard owns a 94-2 record (as of 30 September) at the clay-court Grand Slam. Often referred to as ‘The King Of Clay’ in his earlier years on the ATP Tour, Nadal soon proved his abilities on other surfaces. In 2008, the 22-year-old overcame Roger Federer in one of the greatest matches of all-time to win his first of two Wimbledon crowns (2008, 2010) and also outlasted the Swiss in five sets to claim the 2009 Australian Open trophy. At the age of 24, Nadal became the seventh man to complete the Career Grand Slam at the 2010 US Open. Nadal is a four-time champion at the final major championship of the year, having also triumphed in New York in 2013, 2017 and 2019.
Nitto ATP Finals Highlights
Nadal owns the record for most consecutive Nitto ATP Finals qualifications, having booked his place at the elite eight-man event for the 16th consecutive year in 2020. At the age of 19, Nadal beat Nikolay Davydenko and Tommy Robredo on his tournament debut in 2005 to reach the semi-finals in Shanghai. He has finished as runner-up on two occasions, falling to fellow ‘Big Three’ members Federer in 2010 and Novak Djokovic in 2013. Overall, he owns an 18-14 tournament record.
ATP Masters 1000 Highlights
Nadal has excelled at Masters 1000 events since his debut at the level in 2003, when he stunned reigning Roland Garros titlist Albert Costa en route to the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters third round. The Spaniard owns 35 Masters 1000 trophies and holds title records at each of the three clay-court Masters 1000 tournaments with 11 trophies in Monte Carlo, nine Rome crowns and five Madrid championship victories. Nadal also owns nine hard-court Masters 1000 titles, with a tournament record five trophies in Canada, three title runs in Indian Wells and a single tournament victory in Cincinnati (2013). In 2008, he also triumphed on clay in Hamburg.
Biggest Rivalries
As a member of the ‘Big Three’, Nadal has contested two major rivalries throughout his career on the ATP Tour.
With 40 FedEx ATP Head2Head clashes (Nadal leads 24-16), Nadal and Federer have captivated sports fans across the world since 2004 with their contrasting styles of play. The pair has met in 24 championship matches with Nadal owning a 14-10 record, including six wins from a record nine meetings in Grand Slam finals. Nadal and Federer’s rivalry continues to grow among fans and the media, as both players aim to add to their Grand Slam résumés. The two men currently occupy the top two positions in the Grand Slam titles leader board, with 20-time winner Federer narrowly ahead of 19-time major champion Nadal. Between 2005 and 2010, Federer and Nadal finished each ATP Tour season as the Top 2 players in the FedEx ATP Rankings.
“It’s the combination of two different styles that makes the matches really special,” said Nadal. “Both of us have a different way to play tennis [and have] a lot of good success with these two different styles. I feel that this rivalry goes not only in the tennis world. People from outside of our world talk about it and that’s good for our sport.”
With 55 meetings, Nadal and Djokovic have established the longest ATP Head2Head rivalry in the Open Era (Djokovic leads 29-26). The two men produced the standout rivalry of the past decade, when they contested championship matches at each of the four Grand Slam events (tied at 4-4), the Nitto ATP Finals and five Masters 1000 tournaments. Across the past 12 ATP Tour seasons, one of Nadal and Djokovic has finished as year-end World No. 1 in the FedEx ATP Rankings on 10 occasions.
“What we achieved in the Grand Slams, in tennis in general, during the past 14, 15 years is something special,” said Nadal. “To have three players that achieved that much in the same moment is something difficult to repeat. But here we are.”
Legacy
One of the greatest players in history, driven by a brutal competitive spirit. Nadal’s mantra of treating every point and opponent with the same intensity has earned the Mallorcan 85 tour-level trophies. With great defensive skill and one of the most feared forehands in the history of the sport, Nadal’s game has proven most effective through the years on clay. On the surface, he owns the record winning percentage (91.6%) and number of tour-level trophies (59). But Nadal has proven his abilities across all surfaces, as one of just eight men to have completed the Career Grand Slam. The Spaniard, who has captured Olympic gold medals for his country in singles (2008) and doubles (2016), owns the greatest winning percentage in the history of the sport (83.2%). Alongside rivals Federer and Djokovic, Nadal has lifted the profile of tennis to new heights and brought new fans into the sport during the ‘Big Three’ era.
Overall Match Win-Loss Record: 994-201 (as of 1 October, 2020)
Overall Titles/Finals Record: 85-37
Memorable Moment
After runner-up finishes to Federer in 2006 and 2007, Nadal claimed his maiden Wimbledon title against the five-time defending champion in the most dramatic fashion. Just four weeks after breezing past the Swiss to lift his fourth straight Roland Garros trophy, Nadal charged into a 6-4, 6-4 lead on Centre Court before rain stopped play late in the third set. After losing the third set, Federer saved two championship points to force the match to a deciding set. Following a second rain delay, Nadal eventually broke through at 7-7 to serve for the title. On his fourth championship point, at 9:15pm local time, Nadal fell to the ground after Federer fired a cross-court forehand into the net. “It is a dream to play on this court, my favourite tournament, but to win I never imagined,” said Nadal. After greeting his rival at the net, Nadal climbed into the players’ box to celebrate with his family and friends, before marching across a commentary box roof to greet Crown Prince Felipe, the then-heir to the Spanish throne, and his wife, Princess Letizia in the Royal Box.
Federer on Nadal
“I think he made me a better player. The way his game stacks up with me, it’s a tricky one. It remains for me the ultimate challenge to play against him.”
Djokovic on Nadal
“Some matches that we had against each other were a great turning point in my career. I feel they have made me rethink my game. I had some disappointing moments where I lost to him… I won also some great matches.
“Those kind of encounters have also made me the player I am today, without a doubt. These are the kind of matches that you live for, finals of Slams, playing the greatest rivals at their best. What more can you ask for? This is where you want to be.”
Nadal on Nadal
“Winning matches and winning titles is important, but as I’ve said all my career, when the press sometimes ask me how I’d like to be remembered, I’d like to be remembered as a good person, more than a good tennis player. I’ve worked hard all my tennis career to be under good self-control, with the right attitude every single point, fighting to the end and also respecting every single opponent.”
In Norbert Gombos’ home, on the wall behind his bed, is a constant reminder of how far he has come and precisely what he is striving for every day.
It is an abstract painting. More specifically, the trophy from his ATP Challenger Tour title in Orleans, France, in 2017. It is acrylic on canvas, depicting a multi-coloured tennis ball with streaks of yellow dripping to the bottom of the frame.
At face value, it’s a beautiful memento from one of Gombos’ seven Challenger titles. But for the Slovakian, it represents much more. Exactly three years ago, the victory launched Gombos to a career-high No. 80 in the FedEx ATP Rankings. It was his long-awaited Top 100 breakthrough. Just one year after a surgery had sidelined him for an extended period, the Bratislava native was soaring faster than he could have imagined. But, Gombos would soon come to realize that the fall is even more abrupt than the ascent. All the work to arrive at this moment was followed by a devastating 2018 campaign.
“I had the best moment of my career and one year later, I was almost out of the Top 300,” reflected Gombos. “I was expecting too much from myself all the time. I was very frustrated and low.”
With the help of new coach Tibor Toth, Gombos was left to rebuild from scratch. The belief in his game and any confidence he had from his Top 100 breakthrough was dashed. Now, that same painting was not only a reminder of the pinnacle of his career, but also a great source of motivation as he sought to rediscover that level.
Toth had guided Dominik Hrbaty and Sergiy Stakhovsky to the Top 50 of the FedEx ATP Rankings and he was man tasked with leading Gombos’ resurgence. Three years later, the Slovakian is back. At the age of 30, he is out to prove that it’s never too late to realize your dreams.
This week, Gombos is into the third round of a Grand Slam for the first time. Making his Roland Garros debut, not only did he earn the biggest win of his career over World No. 27 Borna Coric in the first round, but he would follow that with another four-set victory over surging #NextGenATP star Jurij Rodionov.
Having entered the tournament without a win on clay, Gombos will find himself battling 12th-seed and Rome finalist Diego Schwartzman on Thursday. A spot in the Round of 16 is at stake.
“It’s a dream,” Gombos told ATPTour.com “I always wanted to play in a Grand Slam. Perseverance and hard work pays off. It’s not easy to wait such a long time, but trust me, it’s worth it. I’m really happy to have such a wonderful experience in my life, to play with the best players in the world.
“I have nothing to lose. Diego is one of the best players in the world. He is close to the Top 10 and just played the final in Rome, where he beat Nadal. So I’m expecting a really tough match. But [the Coric match] gave me a lot of confidence and showed me that I can play my best tennis here.”
For more than a decade, Gombos has fought to earn permanent residence in the Top 100 and gain full-time status on the ATP Tour. After having a taste in 2018, the 30-year-old says that experience made him even hungrier to get back there once again.
“After my miserable season in 2018, I thought that I wouldn’t be able to play good tennis again. My confidence was gone, but when I changed my coach I started from zero again. I was really happy that i was surrounded with people who always trusted in me even in the bad times – my physical coach David Olasz and my new coach Tibor Toth. They were giving me hope to play and motivated me to work even harder. And now I’m playing the best tennis in my life, so I’m really thankful to them.”
Under Toth’s tutelage, Gombos found the road back in 2019. He finished the season as one of just three players with 42 match wins on the ATP Challenger Tour, including titles in Bratislava and Winnipeg. And a quarter-final run at the ATP 500 event in Washington – the Citi Open – reignited that spark of competing at the highest levels.
“I think the biggest challenge is to move up from the Challenger Tour. I am so motivated to play the ATP Tour events, because it’s not easy to get there. The best players in the world are there. That’s the biggest challenge, to compete at these tournaments in the big stadiums and against the best players. That’s why I want to improve my game as much as I can. I have to fight for every point and every result.”
Gombos after winning the title in his hometown of Bratislava
Gombos didn’t always want to play tennis as a professional. In fact, he did not follow the sport much as a child.
“My father put me on the court and said, ‘You will play tennis.’. I said, ‘What is tennis?’ He was a big sportsman so that is how I ended up here.”
He first picked up a racquet at age eight and Gombos admits that while he was not very good in juniors, his father’s support motivated him to be successful on the professional stage.
“Years later, I was following a lot more tennis, especially Davis Cup. Our best Slovakian players like Karol Kucera, Karol Beck and Dominik Hrbaty made the final [in 2005] so it was a huge achievement for our country. I was even more motivated after that to be like them and to compete against the top players.”
Sitting at No. 106 in the FedEx ATP Rankings, it won’t be long before Gombos is once again competing as a member of the Top 100. A victory over Schwartzman would see him return to the club for the first time since 2017… when he lifted the champions’ painting in Orleans.
Gombos will face Schwartzman on Court Simonne-Mathieu on Thursday afternoon. It will be third match from 11am.
Britons Jamie Murray and Neal Skupski come from a set down to beat unseeded pair Manuel Guinard and Arthur Rinderknech and reach the French Open third round.
Novak Djokovic continues his dominant start to the French Open with a ruthless victory against Ricardas Berankis in the second round.
#NextGenATP Hugo Gaston arrived at Roland Garros without a tour-level win and his best result on the ATP Challenger Tour was reaching a semi-final. Entering the third round, the World No. 239 is the last Frenchman remaining.
“Very happy to be in the third round. I wasn’t necessarily expecting it,” Gaston said. “But I managed to play very well, to stay concentrated from start to finish without putting too much pressure on myself. Therefore, I’m very happy with the result.”
Five Frenchmen inside the Top 50 of the FedEx ATP Rankings started the tournament, with 18 men from the country competing overall. But only 20-year-old Gaston, who earned victories against fellow wild card Maxime Janvier and Japanese lefty Yoshihito Nishioka, made it to the Round of 32. That is tied for the fewest in tournament history (since 1925).
“Of course, I would like there to be more French,” Gaston said. “I’m not going to put extra pressure on myself because I’m the last Frenchman or not. I try to focus on what I am able to do. Of course, it’s better if there are several French, but that’s part of the game.”
The lefty, who takes his inspiration from Rafael Nadal in regards to how the Spaniard carries himself on the court, has nothing to lose, even if all French hopes are pinned on him.
The former junior World No. 2, who won the prestigious Orange Bowl in 2017, plays three-time Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka in the next round. The 2015 champion is trying to reach the fourth round at Roland Garros for the ninth time.
“Stan is a great player, a great champion. I have a lot of respect for him. But when I return to the court, I’m going to do everything to win, being respectful, and then see what comes out,” Gaston said. “Of course I remember when he won here, I’m a fan of tennis in general, so I watch the sport a lot. Obviously, this final, I watched it, and it was very inspiring. But when I’m going to be on the court, I’m going to do everything to win.”
Pierre-Hugues Herbert was one of the last Frenchmen to fall, losing a tough five-setter against recent US Open finalist Alexander Zverev on Wednesday evening. Herbert was happy to see his younger countryman enjoying success at their home Grand Slam.
“It’s a good run for him. He’s a really, really nice kid,” Herbert said. “[He is] working hard and [he is] really talented on court. I’m really happy for him to be in the third round. I hope it’s just a beginning for him.”
Gaston knows he has a big opportunity against one of the best players of this generation. If the lefty springs the upset, the spotlight on him will grow even brighter. But he isn’t worrying about that, preferring to focus on what he can control.
“I concentrate on what I am able to do, on what I know I can do. I try to enjoy and to give everything. Afterwards, if I have the opportunity to win, I will try to grab it, but I don’t put any extra pressure on myself,” Gaston said. “I’m still pretty cool about it.”
