Paul Haarhuis hopes that Botic van de Zandschulp will face Rafael Nadal in the third round of Roland Garros on Friday. The Davis Cup captain sees opportunities for his leader against the thirteen-time winner in Paris, especially on a physical level.
“Botic will have to play with guts and really work himself into the game. This allows a certain faith to grow,” says Haarhuis.
“The pressure is not on Botic unless he puts the pressure on himself that he has to be the third to beat Nadal here. He has to be incredibly tough and just play his own game. There will be maybe ten people in front of him because he’s playing against a kind of tennis god for the French.”
35-year-old Nadal is almost unbeatable at Roland Garros. The 21-time Grand Slam winner only lost to Robin Söderling (2009) and Novak Djokovic (2016 and 2021) in Paris. Despite this, Haarhuis sees opportunities for the best tennis player in the Netherlands.
“Botic has to come up with a plan how he thinks he can win. You take into account the weaknesses of the opponent, but Nadal almost doesn’t have them. So you come to the conclusion that you have to start from your own game and gradually have to see if you need to make any adjustments.”
“Botic is in better physical shape than Nadal, who has never had such a bad preparation for Roland Garros. He has played few games in recent months and injuries have also prevented him from training. So maybe Botic will get a chance because he’s fitter.”
Rafael Nadal was very happy on Wednesday evening after his victory in the second round of Roland Garros.
Rafael Nadal was very happy on Wednesday evening after his victory in the second round of Roland Garros. Photo: AFP
“It’s nice that there is a lot of attention for the duel”
Haarhuis is looking forward to a “special match”, which he will follow from Van de Zandschulp’s box. “There is a lot of attention for the game and that is great, but if Botic goes down with 6-1, 6-3 and 6-2, you will not immediately get a huge boost for Dutch tennis. It will depend on the outcome.”
“Botic has instilled confidence last year and proved that he can compete with these types of players. Nobody expects him to get Nadal. He does play against the best clay player of all time.”
Van de Zandschulp and Nadal will play on the Court Suzanne Lenglen on Friday, the second stadium at Roland Garros. It is the third game of the day, after two matches from the women’s tournament. The first game starts at 11 am.
Van de Zandschulp has never played in one of the large stadiums in Paris before. The number 29 in the world has never met Nadal.