Coming into the French Open 2020, there were serious doubts from many about the chances Rafael Nadal had to win another title at his most successful Grand Slam. Two weeks later, he is into the French Open 2020 finals without dropping a set and is now set to face one of his biggest rivals ever for a record-equaling Grand Slam title.

Nadal’s performance against Diego Schwartzman was a great indicator of how he has found his groove in Paris after his quarter-final exit to the same opponent in Rome. Even though the court conditions at Roland Garros suit him better, Nadal’s game throughout the tournament has also been a step in the right direction.

However, against Novak Djokovic, he needs something more, feels Nadal.

What Rafael Nadal needs to do in the final

“I know I have to make a step forward. I think I did one today. But for Sunday is not enough,” Nadal said after his semi-final. “I need to make another one. That’s what I’m looking for. I going to work hard to try to make that happen,” Nadal added.

Nothing short of his best will suffice against one of the top competitors in the sport on Sunday.

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“The only thing I know is to play against Novak, I need to play my best. Without playing my best tennis, situation is very difficult. […] Is one of the toughest opponents possible. But I am here to keep trying my best,” Nadal continued.

Recent battles on clay between Nadal and Djokovic

The two tennis superstars will face off in their 56th meeting on the ATP Tour. Djokovic leads their head-to-head record 29-26. He is one of only two players ever to defeat Rafael Nadal on the Roland Garros clay and is the only man to have beaten Nadal seven times on clay.

However, the situation is a lot different now than their 2015 Roland Garros quarter-final, which Djokovic won. Nadal is fit and raring to go and enters the final on the back of 18 straight sets won. Additionally, Djokovic has not beaten Nadal on clay since 2016. The Spaniard, meanwhile, has three wins over him on the surface since then.

Djokovic has looked vulnerable in his last two matches leading up to the final. But the Serbian is known to bring his best game to the biggest matches. As Nadal said, nothing short of the best will suffice, and that holds true for both players.