Former World No. 1 Andy Murray feels no one can get close to Nadals 13 French Open titles
Rafael Nadal returns to Novak Djokovic during the French Open final in Paris on Sunday. PIC/GETTY IMAGES
Andy Murray predicts Rafael Nadal's record of 13 French Open titles will never be beaten as the British former World No. 1 looks to bounce back in Cologne this week from his own Roland Garros disappointment. Murray, 33, the reigning Olympic champion, crashed out of last month's French Open in straight sets with a lop-sided first round defeat to Stan Wawrinka as he works his way back from hip surgery.
ADVERTISEMENT
On Sunday, the Scot watched in awe as Nadal, 34, demolished Novak Djokovic 6-0, 6-2, 7-5 in the final at Roland Garos to win his 13th French Open title. The Spaniard has also equalled the all-time record of 20 Grand Slam titles held by Roger Federer, who hailed Nadal's victory as "one of sport's greatest achievements". Murray echoed the Swiss legend and doubts anyone will even get close to Nadal's record in Paris.
"It's an amazing achievement. I don't think that what he has done at Roland Garros will ever be beaten. I just don't see it being topped," Murray said in Cologne. "He is one short of winning the same amount of Grand Slams as [Pete] Sampras did just at one tournament. It's incredible. I don't think it'll be repeated and I don't think anyone will be close."
Andy Murray
Murray reached the second round of the US Open in his first Slam since hip resurfacing surgery and Roland Garros was his third tournament this year after rehab. Having needed wildcards to play in Paris and Cologne, Murray hopes the back-to-back ATP indoor tournaments on the Rhine can help improve his current ranking of 97th. "It will be good to get a few matches in over these next few weeks—I hope to perform better than I did in Paris," said the Scot.
"I want to win tournaments and move up the rankings. Physically, my body tends to feel better the more I play. Hopefully, I will play a lot over the next two weeks, perform well and see how it goes after that," he added.
Keep scrolling to read more news
Catch up on all the latest sports news and updates here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates.
Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news
This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!
