A clash between Murray and Nadal is always an enthralling contest and tennis fans worldwide are poised for their rivalry to be renewed after a remarkable 19 Grand Slam draws have kept them apart. It is a collision of opposites; right-hander versus left-hander, Adidas athlete versus Nike athlete, defender versus attacker.
Seldom have the two men locked horns at full tilt, with Murray off colour or struggling with injury when Nadal is in full swing and vice-versa, but their latest draw looks set to be an intriguing duel between two in-form Grand Slam champions.
The duo’s contrasting styles promise to offer a gripping French Open semi-final. A resurgent Murray, making his second appearance in a major since undergoing back surgery, will rely on his incisive instinct in a bid to turn defence into attack, while Nadal’s whipping forehand will undoubtedly feature heavily
Over the course of 19 meetings between the pair, Murray only managed to gain the upper hand on the Spaniard five times, yet never on Nadal’s favoured claycourt surface, although the Briton offered a reason for hope in Rome. After avoiding each other for two-and-a-half years, Murray and Nadal came at each other full throttle in the Italian capital.
Murray produced a thrilling first-set performance to blow Nadal away before a ferocious battle ensued, with Nadal, an eight-time Rome champion, eventually prevailing. Though disappointing, it was regarded by many as one of Murray’s finest performances on clay since he reached the French Open semi-finals back in 2011.
Nadal’s love affair with Roland Garros stretches some way with the eight-time champion unbeaten in his last 33 matches in Paris. Murray has been one of his victims, in the 2011 semi-final when Nadal cruised to a straight-sets victory.
That was a defining year in the rivalry between the pair, with Murray losing three consecutive semi-finals to Nadal, at Roland Garros, Wimbledon and the US Open. Only twice has Murray beaten Nadal at a Slam, winning at the Australian Open in 2008 and the US Open in 2010 when the Spaniard retired hurt.
Just once in 64 matches has the Manacor-born left-hander been beaten in the French capital, when Swede Robin Soderling knocked him out in the fourth round of the 2009 edition of the event. There is no doubting Nadal reigns supreme on clay having beaten Murray in all five meetings, but is there any hope Murray can draw from previous Grand Slam meetings to inspire him to dethrone Roland Garros royalty?
PLAYERS HEAD TO HEAD HISTORY.
ANDY MURRAY RAFAEL NADAL
27 Age 28
British Nationality Spanish
6ft 3in Height 6ft 1in
13st 3lb Weight 13st 6lb
2005 Turned professional 2001
7 Seeding 1
2 Grand Slam titles 13
5 Grand Slam runner-up 6
28 Career titles 63
5 Wins in past meetings 14
31 million Career earnings (US dollars) 68.2 million
Semi-final French Open best Champion x 8
(via skysports)
