Rafael Nadal will kick off his 18th Roland Garros appearance against Jordan Thompson in the opening round. The 13-time Roland Garros champion tries to rise above the injuries again and have a deep run at his beloved event. Nadal and Thompson have already played one match in Paris, with Rafa scoring a 6-1, 7-6 triumph in the 2020 Paris Masters third round. It was Nadal’s 1001st ATP victory, and he had to work hard for it in the second set. The Spaniard lost 12 points behind the initial shot and defended the only break point to keep the pressure on the other side. Thompson got broken two times in the opener, and he pushed world no. 2 to the limits in the second before falling in the tie break. Nadal lost five points behind the initial shot, and Thompson could not follow that pace. The Aussie defended a break chance in game two after Nadal’s backhand error, but he failed to repeat that at 1-2 when Rafa grabbed a break to forge the lead.
Rafael Nadal will face Jordan Thompson for the second time at Roland Garros.
The Spaniard held at love in game five to open a 4-1 gap and settle into a nice rhythm. Nadal broke again in game six with a beautiful volley winner and converted the fourth set point at 5-1. Jordan held at the beginning of the second set with an ace, and Rafa responded with an unreturned serve in game two. Thompson placed another ace in game three, already playing much better than in the first set. The Aussie opened a 3-2 lead with a forehand winner, and the Spaniard delivered another comfortable hold to lock the result at 3-3. Jordan served well in game seven to remain on the positive side, and Rafa followed that pace for 4-4.
Thompson fired another ace to secure the ninth game, and Nadal had no room for errors in the rest of the set. They both served well in games ten and 11, and Rafa faced a set point after a double fault at 5-6. He landed a risky forehand after an extended rally to get out of jail and hit two more winners to gain momentum ahead of the tie break. Rafa grabbed a mini-break in the fourth point after Jordan’s loose volley and forged a 4-2 advantage with a forehand down the line winner. A smash winner pushed Nadal 5-2 up, and he secured another mini-break in the eighth point. World no. 2 moved over the top after Thompson’s forced error in the tenth point, sealing the deal and reaching his eighth Paris Masters quarter-final.