By French Open tournament director Amelie Mauresmo responded after Rafael Nadal admitted that he could skip the tournament this year. In a heartbreaking admission, the 14-time Roland Garros champion said he wouldn’t play if he still didn’t feel competitive. With Nadal’s career petering out, it means that he may have already made his last French Open appearance.
Nadal made it no secret that his goal this year was to be ready for the clay swing and, most importantly, for the French Open. But things haven’t gone to plan since he returned from a year-long injury layoff at the Brisbane International in January. The Spaniard got injured again and did not play an official tournament until last week’s Barcelona Open.
Ahead of his appearance at this week’s Masters 1000 in Madrid, it appeared that Nadal took a step back as he made a bold statement about his chances of competing at the French Open.“If I arrive in Paris like I feel today, I would not go on court. I will not play,” he said on Wednesday.
“I will play Roland Garros if I feel competitive. If I can play, I play. If I can’t play, I can’t.” The French Open boss has now had her say as the tournament holds out hope to see the 14-time champion back on their courts.
“We’re keeping our fingers crossed for him, but also for us because we want to welcome him here to Roland Garros,” Mauresmo responded on Thursday. “He is at home (here) and he knows it.”
The retired player-turned-tournament director also addressed whether the French Open would mark Nadal’s career with a ceremony. She added: “Knowing whether there will be a tribute or not, this year, next year, is very dependent on him and the decisions he takes. We’re waiting to see and we will follow his wishes.”
If Nadal does play, he will be unseeded at the tournament for the first time and could draw a top player in the first round. Wimbledon has previously experimented with a special formula to give seedings out based on grass-court form but Mauresmo firmly ruled out the idea of giving the 14-time champion an honourary seeding to avoid any early clashes with a tricky opponent.
“Wimbledon did it for a very, very, very long time, and it certainly brought some advantages but we also saw all the disadvantages it could bring,” two-time Major winner Mauresmo explained. “For the moment, it’s not on the table.”
