Rafael Nadal – The Sports Fan Project

Fan Teaser: Week 189 Solution

June 7, 2026June 2, 2026DouglasTHillLeave a comment

**^{Our podcast, Conversations with Sports Fans, is about}**
**^{to celebrate its fourth birthday so we figured let’s go}**
**^{back to when Conversations was still a rumor.}**
**^{What’s happening here?}**

As noted in this week’s #FanTeaser clue, the Teaser is flashing back to the time of The Sports Fan Project‘s podcast – Conversations with Sports Fans – birth: June 2022.

On the Sunday leading into that initial Conversation, then-36-year-old Spaniard Rafael Nadal won his record 14th French Open men’s single’s title in straight sets over 23-year-old Norwegian Casper Ruud, 6-3, 6-3, 6-0.

Casper Ruud, left, and Rafael Nadal in 2022 — **^{Norway’s Casper Ruud, left, congratulates Spain’s Rafael Nadal following the pair’s 2022 French Open Men’s Singles Championship, won by Nadal 6-3, 6-3, 6-0. (Photo by Agence France-Presse)}**

Not only did Nadal continue to flex his dominance on the famed red clay of Roland-Garros, it also marked his 22nd all-time Grand Slam Championship which was then the record. Novak Djokovic equalled the mark early in 2023 at the Australian Open before breaking Nadal’s record in Paris that summer. Djokovic added the U.S. Open in September of 2023 and now owns the record with 24 Grand Slam Championships.

Nadal paid one more visit to Roland-Garros in 2024 (he had to withdraw in 2023 due to injury) and was defeated in the opening round by German Alexander Zverev.

With that Nadal left Paris with an all-time Roland-Garros record of 112-4.

Truly, mind-boggling dominance in the venue.

^{Here is match point from Rafael Nadal’s 14th and final French Open Championship from this week in 2022.}

Just to review, The Fan Teaser was the creation of former Ann Arbor News Sports Editor Geoff Larcom. Longtime friend and fellow Ann Arbor News alum, Pat Schutte, took it to heights previously unknown. We aim to keep it alive here at The Sports Fan Project. The cropped photo and the accompanying clue give you an idea as to who or what the image is of. We invite you to use the Comment option to take a crack at solving the Teaser and, if you’re so inclined, participate in some good-spirited banter with your fellow sports fans. The Fan Teaser will appear each Friday morning with the reveal coming to you Sunday.

The Fan Teaser: Week 137 Solution

June 8, 2025June 7, 2025DouglasTHillLeave a comment

**^{This fella was as comfortable on Paris’ clay (maybe even more so!)}**
**^{as he was on Wimbledon’s grass.}**

The Swedish tennis legend, Bjorn Borg, is the answer to a trivia question not typically asked.

After Rafael Nadal‘s astonishing 14 men’s singles titles at the French Open, who won the second most?

The answer is Borg.

He dominated the event for the latter half of the 1970s into the 1980s, winning as an 18-year-old in 1974, then again in 1975, and from 1978-81. If not for Nadal winning the title five consecutive times (2010-14), he and Borg would share the record for most consecutive singles titles at four (though Nadal accomplished that feat twice and also had the 5-year stretch for good measure).

**^{Sweden’s Bjorn Borg lunging to return volley during French Open action at Paris’ Roland Garros. Borg won six French Open singles championships during his career. (Photo from Roland Garros)}**

^{Borg’s first win at Roland Garros came in 1974. Here he recounts that victory commemorating its 50th anniversary a year ago.}

Just to review, The Fan Teaser was the creation of former Ann Arbor News Sports Editor Geoff Larcom. Longtime friend and fellow Ann Arbor News alum, Pat Schutte, took it to heights previously unknown. We aim to keep it alive here at The Sports Fan Project. The cropped photo and the accompanying clue give you an idea as to who or what the image is of. We invite you to use the Comment option to take a crack at solving the Teaser and, if you’re so inclined, participate in some good-spirited banter with your fellow sports fans. The Fan Teaser will appear each Friday morning with the reveal coming to you Sunday.

The Fan Teaser: Week 85 Solution

June 9, 2024June 8, 2024DouglasTHillLeave a comment

There have been none better on the clay courts of Roland Garros in Paris than Spain’s Rafael Nadal. Though struggling with injuries recently and defeated in his first match of this year’s tournament, Nadal owns a 112-4 all-time record at the French Open and has amassed 14 men’s singles championships, the most-recent coming in 2022. He’s won the title four straight years twice and five straight years another time.

Poland’s Iga Swiatek won her fourth French Open Women’s Singles Championship on Saturday and, at just 23 years old, could be threatening to make a run at Nadal’s mark. She’s only three shy of the women’s record of seven career singles titles currently held by Chris Evert.

^{Highlights from Rafael Nadal’s time playing at the French Open.}

Just to review, The Fan Teaser comes courtesy of longtime buddy, Pat Schutte. The cropped photo below and the accompanying clue give you an idea as to who or what the image is of. We invite you to use the Comment option to take a crack at solving the Teaser and, if you’re so inclined, participate in some good-spirited banter with your fellow sports fans. The Fan Teaser will appear each Friday morning with the reveal coming to you Sunday.