WATCH: Rafael Nadal Shares Words of Wisdom Post His Smooth Victory at French Open 2020

Published 09/30/2020, 2:07 PM EDT

Rafael Nadal has reached the third round of the French Open for the 16th consecutive time as he dispatched 236th ranked Mackenzie McDonald. It was a regular outing on clay for the dominant Nadal.

The scorecard read 6-1,6-0,6-3, and the match lasted just 1 hour 40 minutes. Moreover, Rafa lost just four games in the entire match, which is astonishing. With the win, Nadal continues to march towards his 13th Roland Garros title and more importantly a record-equalling 20th Grand Slam.

In his post-match interview, Nadal shared a few tips on how to become a champion. The Spaniard named two essential things needed to be a champion.

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Rafael Nadal shares a few tips on how to be a champion

“There is no one tip to be a champion. There are a couple of things that you have to do well, but it is important to have first all the passion for what you are doing. If you don’t feel the sport if you don’t have passion for tennis then it’s almost impossible.

“Then of course you have to be around the right people you need to find the people around you that really gonna have you in a positive way every single day because there are days you are gonna be tired but there is always people around you that bring you to the next level of energy. So that’s the main thing, be responsible, hard work and at the same time have the right people around.”

One word, Passion 🥰#RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/XBZeaqBsTc
— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) September 30, 2020

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Nadal has raised his concerns with the ball being used this year at French Open 2020. The event is using Wilson balls instead of Babolat. And due to the cool conditions in Paris, Wilson balls are much slower and feel heavier than the Babolat balls. There is also a variation in bounce, which isn’t to Nadal’s liking.

While he has looked comfortable until now, Nadal might be troubled by higher-ranked players like Alexander Zverev, who he is slated to face in the quarterfinals.

Rafa could next face former World No. 4 Kei Nishikori. Nadal has dominated their head-to-head and leads 11-2. They have played against each other just twice at the Roland Garros and unsurprisingly, Nishikori hasn’t won a single set against Nadal. In fact, in the six sets they have played at Roland Garros, Nishikori has won just thirteen games.

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“More Sad Than Usual”: Rafael Nadal on the Different Atmosphere at French Open 2020

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Written by:

Bhavishya Mittal is a tennis author for EssentiallySports, who is currently pursuing his Bachelor's degree in Journalism from Manipal University. A former sports editor for The Manipal Journal, Bhavishya has also worked for The New Indian Express. He has a keen eye for many sports but he is a particularly ardent follower of tennis, with a zest to create riveting articles on the ever-evolving sport.

WATCH: Rafael Nadal Shares Words of Wisdom Post His Smooth Victory at French Open 2020

Rafael Nadal shares a few tips on how to be a champion

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