Will Rafael Nadal make it to the French Open? His uncle is optimistic

The biggest clay court event of the year is fast approaching. The key question before the event kicks off in Paris is whether Rafael Nadal will be in attendance.

Who doesn’t know Roland Garros. The second Grand Slam of the season, which traditionally takes place at the turn of May and June. The men compete on clay courts for the famous Musketeers’ Cup. It has been lifted fourteen times by one tennis player. Rafael Nadal.

The Spanish icon also rejoiced last year. On his way, he also took on Novak Djokovic, but he had the most trouble in the eighth round. There, he faced Canadian Auger Aliassime and forced Nadal into a five-set battle. In the semi-final, Alexander Zverev gave him a match in 7::6, 6::6, and the final against Ruud was clear-cut.

An unlucky start to 2023

In 2023, the former world number one managed only four matches. At the Australian Open came a loss in the second match and, most importantly, a hip injury. Healing this problem is becoming a big battle against time, because the clay Grand Slam is coming up and the Mallorca native should definitely not miss it.

Recent events have not spoken very positively in this regard. Rafael Nadal has withdrawn from the ongoing tournament in Madrid. The Spanish tennis player has been training, but a few days before the Madrid Open he and his team decided to change their strategy a bit. There has been a change in treatment and now the question is whether the change will bring results.

One of the oldest players in the world’s elite 100 is subordinating everything to the preparation for the French Open. It starts on May 28th. After Madrid, the French Open is only one event away – the Rome Masters. The tournament in Italy belongs to the same group as the aforementioned Madrid event – among the ATP 1000, which is a designation for very prestigious events.

Toni Nadal and the player’s future

According to the player’s uncle Toni Nadal, his nephew will be ready for the second grand slam of the season. However, he surprised by mentioning that Rafael’s start at the tournament in Rome is also realistic. Incidentally, Nadal has ten tournament triumphs from that event in the Eternal City as well.

Let’s go back to Nadal’s age for a moment. The Spanish tennis player will turn 37 at the beginning of June and given his injuries – the current one is not the only one in the last year – questions hang in the air about the end of his rich career. Here, too, Toni Nadal is an optimist. His nephew is reportedly not thinking about quitting anytime soon.

So the questions about Nadal’s future are not completely answered, but in a few days everything will become clearer. After all, the Rome Masters has been on the schedule since May 8, by which time we will know if the wait for the great player’s return is over.

Source: ATP, Eurosport