The 2024 French Open starts this Sunday, May 26th. It’s the second Grand Slam of the season and the greatest player that this tournament has ever seen is uncertain on whether he’ll be able to play. Other top players who are questionable for the tournament include Jannik Sinner, Novak Djokovic, and Carlos Alcaraz.
However, what everybody wants to know is if Rafael Nadal will play in the 2024 French Open. Nadal is a 14-time winner of this event and has lost only three times at Roland Garros since winning in his 2005 debut.
Nadal said that this season is going to be his last. He has dealt with nagging injuries for several years. At 37, he is getting up there in age. Despite all-time men’s tennis greats like Jimmy Connors and John McEnroe retiring at 43 and 46, the average retirement age for professional tennis players is 27 years old.
Rafael Nadal’s Status For The 2024 French Open
After missing the entire 2023 season due to a hip injury, Rafael Nadal is trying his best to come back to action.
Now the world No. 276, Nadal tried to return in Brisbane, Australia but another injury forced him to miss the calendar year’s first major at the Australian Open. On Monday, Nadal was still unsure whether he was going to play. He did show up to Court Philippe Chatrier at Roland Garros to do a practice session on the red clay though.
“I’m very confident that Rafael is going to try [and] play. When he’s there practising, of course he wants to play, but the way that he’s been speaking [in] the last few weeks, every time, after a loss or a win is that the French Open is everything to him, and he’s going to go on the court even if he’s not 100% – which I don’t think he is. I don’t think anyone at his age is,” Former No.1 tennis player Mats Wilander said about Nadal’s status.
Wilander went on to say that despite Nadal’s age and recent injury history, he is still somebody that “nobody wants to play.” It doesn’t matter who you are; you are going to have a tough match against the King of Clay.
Rafael Nadal is a warrior. It wouldn’t surprise me at all if he gave the French Open a go. Playing on clay is not as taxing on the body as hard courts are. It would be a little easier for Nadal to move around. Just like Wilander said, just because he wouldn’t be 100 percent, who is? Anybody who is familiar with Nadal’s game knows he doesn’t give up easily.
During matches, he is constantly grinding to hit one more ball than his opponent. Rafa is one of the most consistent hitters on the ATP tour, if not the most consistent. Almost nothing gets by him. He is likely not going to beat himself. His opponent will have to beat him by hitting winners and serving very well.
The Most Open French Open In A While
The 2024 French Open is seen as the most open it’s been in a very long time, with top players like Djokovic, Sinner, and Alcaraz questionable to play, we could see some new faces succeed or some players make it further than usual due to tougher competition in past tournaments.
Alexander Zverev, Daniil Medvedev, and Stefanos Tsitsipas are seen as the favorites if Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz, or Jannik Sinner aren’t able to play.
Zverev is coming off a championship win at the Italian Open against Nicolas Jarry 6-4, 7-5. This was Zverev’s 22nd ATP title and bumped him to the No.4 ranking in the world. Daniil Medvedev has 20 titles, including a Grand Slam win at the 2021 US Open.
However, if any of these guys come across 22-time major champion Rafael Nadal, they are going to be hard-pressed to defeat him, even with him being slightly compromised.
About The Author
Cooper Sherman is an avid NFL fan and enjoys watching and covering it the most. The NFL is king. He previously wrote and was a podcaster for the online publications Pro Sports Fanatics and Jersey Column. He is also an NBA fan and watches it occasionally, more when the NFL season ends. Tennis is also an underrated sport to watch. His teams are the Patriots and Celtics, as tough as it is to be a Patriots fan right now. He is optimistic that Jerod Mayo will turn this team in the right direction! Follow him on Instagram and Threads @coopstershermy456, and X/Twitter @justcoopthings.
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