Rafael Nadal given cold shoulder ahead of French Open with three players ahead of him
Rafael Nadal will begin what could be his final French Open campaign this weekend.
Rafael Nadal is not being backed to win the French Open by tennis fans (Image: Getty)
Tennis fans have given Rafael Nadal little hope of winning a 15th French Open title in what could be his final Roland Garros tournament. The iconic Spaniard is widely expected to retire at the end of the year, and the King of Clay is set for one last attempt at clinching his favourite tournament in Paris.
Nadal faces a tough test against an in-form Alexander Zverev in the first round. In a poll of Express Sport readers, fans do not see the 22-time Grand Slam champion going all the way to glory at Roland Garros.
Asked if Nadal will win the French Open this year, 80 per cent of voters said ‘no’. However, the 37-year-old will be buoyed by the confidence shown in him by 20 per cent of respondents, who are happy to look beyond the star’s troubles with fitness in recent years.
A separate question asked fans to name their favourite for the French Open and only 19 per cent voted for Nadal. He is the fourth-favourite among fans, behind Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic.
Their previous meeting was in the 2022 semi-final when Zverev retired due to a serious injury in which he was taken from the court in a wheelchair.
He added: “I actually thought he was joking in the beginning. But then, yeah, it is what it is. I mean, obviously, to be very honest, I wanted to play Rafa again in my career, in his career, because I didn’t want my last memory of me playing against Rafa to be me leaving the court in a wheelchair.
“Ideally, I would have liked to play him in the latter stage of the tournament. It’s a tough draw, but it’s a tough draw for both of us. We’ll see how it goes on Monday.”
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Rafael Nadal says this might not be his last French Open
Oh, and then there’s this little tidbit he dropped during a pre-tournament news conference Saturday: This French Open might not be the 14-time champion’s last appearance at his favorite event after all.Asked whether that’s accurate, Nadal smiled and replied: “Don’t assume that.”
“It’s a big, big chance that it’s going to be my last Roland Garros,” Nadal said. “But if I have to tell you it’s 100% my last Roland Garros? Sorry, but I will not. Because I cannot predict what’s going on.”
Nadal missed much of the past two seasons because of health problems, including hip surgery that forced him to sit out the French Open a year ago, his first absence there since he made his debut as a teenager. He is just 7-4 in 2024, and there had been some doubt after a lopsided loss at the Italian Open two weeks ago whether he would even enter the clay-court tournament in Paris at all.
But he did show up and has been training in front of loud crowds this week. Because his ranking is so low after such little activity — once No. 1, he was No. 276 this week — Nadal did not get the benefit of a seeding and was drawn to face No. 4 Alexander Zverev in a showdown that will be the focus on Monday, Day 2 of the tournament.
“Ideally, I would have liked to play him in the later stage of the tournament, but it is how it is now. He is unseeded this year. I am seeded,” Zverev said. “You know, it’s a tough draw, but it’s a tough draw for both of us. We’ll see how it goes.”
Nadal said he has been practicing well and feels as if he can play with anyone now, a sensation that has been fleeting for a while.
“I probably will say is the first week since I come back playing tennis that I am able to run the proper way without having a lot of limitations,” he said. “That encourages me.”
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