By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Wednesday May 25, 2022
Nadal continues to ramp up his form in Paris - he has yet to drop a set through two rounds.
Photo Source: Getty
It hasn’t been the easiest two months for Rafael Nadal, but the legendary Spaniard is rounding into form in Paris – and the milestones keep rolling in.
Two day after breaking the record for most wins at a single Grand Slam event, the 35-year-old Spaniard tacked on another win to earn his 300th Grand Slam victory, 6-3, 6-1, 6-4 over France’s Corentin Moutet.
“I'm happy I am through in three sets, that's an important fact for me and that gives me the chance to keep working tomorrow and try to be ready for after tomorrow against a tough opponent,” Nadal said. “So let's see. I am happy about a lot of things that I did tonight, so let's try to keep going and keep improving tomorrow.”
Nadal improves to 107-3 lifetime at Roland-Garros and sets up a third-round clash with Botic van de Zandschulp of the Netherlands.
Nadal cracked 27 winners against 22 unforced errors and converted 7 of 12 break points against the talented Frenchman who vanquished Stan Wawrinka in four sets in the first round.
“Of course it was an objective for me to play against him before he retires and of course it was an objective to play against him in Roland Garros,” 23-year-old Moutet said.
“When I started playing tennis this is something I would never have dreamt of. Of course when one starts and plays in his bedroom, you can never imagine that one day you will play and it will be broadcast on TV. So if I just sit back and put aside the fact I'm disappointed because I lost, you know, it's unbelievable to be where I'm at now.”
Nadal has achieved his objective of improving his health after his injury scare at Rome, and he has protected himself by avoiding long matches. Through two rounds the Spaniard has only logged four hours and 11 minutes and dropped a total of 14 games.
300 – and counting
Nadal is one of three men to have earned 300 or more Slam victories. He joins Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic on the list.
Roger Federer | 369
Novak Dkokovic | 325
Rafael Nadal | 300
Jimmy Connors | 233
Andre Agassi | 224