Spanish tennis legend Rafael Nadal is referred to as the King of Clay for a reason. The 37-year-old has won as many as 14 titles at the French Open and this is the reason Andy Roddick believes that he will be one of the title favorites this year as well. Despite Nadal’s injury struggles, Roddick backs him to do well on clay.
The former American tennis ace analyzed Nadal’s chances at the year’s second Grand Slam tournament. Roddick believes that if Nadal is able to keep himself injury-free and plays in all the tournaments leading to the 2024 Roland Garros, he will be among the favorites.
Roddick acknowledged the concerns around Nadal’s fitness and admitted that any injury now would mean the end of the career of the veteran tennis player. The American then backed Nadal to keep himself injury-free and enter the French Open in a good rhythm.
I still feel that if he manages to play some matches free of major discomfort and acquires some competitive rhythm in these previous tournaments, he will be one of the favorites for the title at Roland Garros 2024. I honestly think so. Andy Roddick said on his podcast. (H/T: Puntodobreak)
Andy Roddick identifies another concern other than injuries
While there are injury concerns for Rafael Nadal, Andy Roddick has identified another major issue for the 37-year-old. The American tennis legend feels that the 37-year-old entering as an unseeded player might put him into trouble in the early stages of a tournament.
As Nadal slipped down in the ATP rankings for his absence from the tour, the 22-time Grand Slam champion cannot enter as a seeded player. In the two tournaments Nadal has played so far, he has entered as an unseeded player. The trend will continue in the coming tournaments as well.
This has worried Roddick who feels that facing a top player might work against Nadal. However, the former American tennis star pointed out that this matchup works both ways as no one would like to face someone like Nadal early in a tournament.
There is a problem for him that is little talked about, which is that he will not start among the seeds. That can make his task very difficult since he could face any of the best in the first round, like Djokovic, for example. However, I am also clear that none of the best in the ranking would want to face him in the first rounds. His name alone commands a lot of respect, he is a guy who has won there 14 times. Andy Roddick highlighted.
Notably, Nadal has played five matches so far this season and has won three of them. The 37-year-old looked good in the first match he played on clay. Now, it is to be seen how Nadal manages the workload while getting enough practice before the ultimate goal i.e. to play at the 2024 Roland Garros.
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