Daniil Medvedev believes Rafael Nadal’s withdrawal from the French Open will change things for this year’s tournament and has potentially opened the door for more players to claim the title.
Nadal, who has won Roland Garros a record 14 times, announced in a press conference on Thursday that he will not be playing at the Grand Slam due to an ongoing hip injury which has sidelined him from the Tour since January. It is the first time in 19 years that the Spaniard will not be featured in the tournament where he has won 112 out of 115 matches played. Speaking to reporters, the former world No.1 confirmed he was unsure about when he will return to competitive tennis but one possibility could be the Davis Cup which takes place at the end of this season.
“I think it’s bad news because you never want to see anyone injured, or withdrawing, especially someone like Rafa,” Medvedev said following his quarter-final win at the Italian Open.
“At the same time if we talk about favourites (for the French Open title) for sure it changes. If he would announce that he’s going to say I’m not 100% but I’m going to play, he’s the favourite because he’s winning there 95% of the time he’s playing probably.”
Medvedev has a somewhat rollercoaster relationship with the clay. Only once has he reached the final of an ATP Tour event on the surface which was at the 2019 Barcelona Open and he has won fewer matches at the French Open than any other major event. However, the Russian is starting to find his form with a strong run in Rome. Furthermore, recent surprise losses for Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz on the Tour could potentially open the door for him in Paris.
Regardless of how he fares over the coming weeks, Medvedev hopes that Nadal will once again be able to resume his career. Nadal has hinted that 2024 could be his last year as a professional player but his rival is hoping he will continue playing for longer.
“I’m happy to hear that he’s going to try to come back. I heard he said he doesn’t know when he’s going to come back on the practice court, but he wants to come back at least next year,” Medvedev commented.
“I think we all want to see him back on the court playing. That’s the most important. I just wish that we are going to see him for a couple more years till he decides to stop.”
The two have played against each other six times on the Tour with Medvedev’s sole victory being at the 2020 Nitto ATP Finals. Their most memorable meeting without a doubt took place at last year’s Australian Open where Nadal battled back from two sets down in the final to win the title.
When asked if Nadal’s French Open success is the ‘most impressive record’ of the sport, Medvedev points out that there is another player who potentially could match his tally but at another major event.
“In tennis, for sure,” he said. “I think Novak won Australia, what, nine times, 10 this year? Still, Rafa won 14. Maybe Novak, if he makes 14 in Australia, then we going to have more talking…
“For the moment, Rafa on clay in general, but especially in Roland Garros, is just unreal. I honestly don’t know how this is possible. I feel like I’m a good tennis player, but you can always have a bad day, or your opponent has a very good day. Like in Madrid I felt like I was not playing that bad against Karatsev. But I lost, and after the match I was like, ‘He played well. Okay, that’s it.’
“Rafa didn’t have these matches in Roland Garros, except maybe the match with Soderling where Robin played the match of his life and managed to win. This is unbelievable. I think in tennis, at least for the moment, there is no comparison.”
Medvedev will return to action on Saturday in Rome where he will play Stefanos Tsitsipas in the semi-finals.
