Andy Roddick: “Nadal potrebbe ancora essere uno dei favoriti al Roland Garros, ma senza essere testa di serie è difficile”.
The European clay court season is in full swing, with its climax always set in the direction of Paris, at Roland Garros. With less than a month to go before the start of the Slam on red clay, the situation of its 14-time winner is truly uncertain. Rafael Nadal divides the opinion of experts on what will probably be his last participation. Among the romantics and the skeptics, there are those like former player Andy Roddick who are convinced that the Spaniard can still make his mark on his favorite hunting ground. Provided that certain conditions are met, one of them being physical integrity.
Nadal had not played for more than four months, since his defeat to Jordan Thompson on the hard courts of Brisbane, and chose to return to Barcelona, a stage where he has been champion 12 times, and did what he could. Madrid and Rome are the stepping stones to Roland Garros, opportunities for the left-handed from Manacor to refuel. The former US tennis player shares the same opinion and, through his podcast, expressed himself on the matter: “I still think that if he can play more matches without major issues and reach a competitive rhythm in these previous tournaments, he will be one of the favorites for the title in Roland Garros 2024. Honestly, that’s what I think.”
The winner of the US Open 2003 continues with his analysis and, in addition to physical condition, makes a mention of the calendar. It’s strange to even say it but Nadal will not be a seed at Roland Garros: “There is a problem that is not talked about much, that he will not be among the seeds. This could greatly complicate his task because he could face the best in the rankings in the first round, like Djokovic for example. However, let it be clear that none of the top players would want to face him in the early rounds. Just his name commands respect, he’s the one who has won there 14 times.”
