Three players that can stop Rafael Nadal at the French Open

Australian tennis player Todd Woodbridge believes only three players are able to stop Rafael Nadal’s pursuit of French Open title. Nadal returned to the ATP Tour in style after a couple of months out with a hip injury. ‘There are only three players who I see have the ability to stop Rafa from completing yet another sweep – Novak Djokovic, Juan Martin del Potro and Dominic Thiem.’ ‘Djokovic still needs more match play to build his game back to its best,’ he added. ‘If he can stay fit through this sequence of tournaments he has a winning head-to-head record over Rafa (26-24), and that brings its own confidence to the court that so many lack.’ ‘Del Potro has to play aggressively against Rafa on clay, as you can’t let him dictate and start manoeuvering you around the court,’ he added. ‘The youngest of this trio is Dominic Thiem, and he’s the best hope among the younger generation,’ he continued. ‘However, he faces two disadvantages. One is Rafa’s ability to expose his single-handed backhand with the left-handed topspin forehand – the same tactic that worried Roger Federer for all those years.

15-year-old Marta Kostyuk had a wish to marry Novak Djokovic