Peter Fleming says that it is up to other players to step up and stop Rafael Nadal from total domination of the clay season
Who can stop Rafael Nadal on clay? Peter Fleming says it is up to other players to step up and stop the Spaniard from total domination of the clay season.
Nadal continues to make winning on clay look all too easy as he extended his dominance on the surface with a 6-2 6-1 win over 19-year-old Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas on Sunday to win his 11th Barcelona Open title.
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It was the 77th title overall for Nadal, tying him with John McEnroe for fourth best in the Open Era, and Fleming believes only Austrian Thiem and Juan Martin del Potro are capable of pushing the 16-time Grand Slam champion on his favourite red dirt.
“I think there is a chance that Rafa could get a little bored in a week or two before the French Open, but we really do need one or two guys, whether it’s Del Potro or Thiem or somebody to step up and say ‘I can do this, I’m ready to compete with him’ and raise their game, because the game needs it,” Fleming told Sky Sports.
Nadal was forced out of the Australian Open in January with a hip problem, which kept him out of Indian Wells and Miami. But the 31-year-old has made a successful comeback on his favourite surface.
“The only reason he might have retired or felt bad about his life is if he was not physically fit and he was hurting,” said Fleming. “Pain is no fun and now that he is out of pain, he’s enjoying himself and winning is fun.
“It’s inhuman to be that dominant, in not just this event, but also Roland Garros, where everybody plays every year. He is equally as dominant. He’s a phenomenon.
“Thiem is the hope, although he hasn’t played well this year to look like threatening. Who knows? Maybe he can pull it together. Del Potro is also a good clay-court player as well, so perhaps he can do it because he has certainly been hitting the ball beautifully.”
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