Rafael Nadal is set to play the French Open for the final time (Picture: Getty)
Rafael Nadal has yet to announce whether he will compete in the French Open.
Rafael Nadal’s itinerary has been leaked again as the 14-time French Open champion weighs up whether he will compete in Paris. Nadal is set to travel to Paris, hinting that he intends to play in his most successful tournament. It’s not the first time his plans have been shared during the clay swing, as his Barcelona comeback was also revealed ahead of time.
Nadal has been indecisive about his French Open plans for several weeks, explaining that he would only play if he felt that he had even a small chance of fighting for another title. The 37-year-old remained uncertain following his second-round exit from the Italian Open.
He won just four games during his loss to Hubert Hurkacz, throwing doubts over whether he would head to Paris. But Nadal’s plans to travel to the tournament have now been leaked.
According to AS, Nadal will continue training at his Mallorcan academy before heading to the French capital next week with the intention of competing. The French Open takes place from May 26 to June 9.
Following his 6-1 6-3 defeat in Rome, Nadal reiterated that he hadn’t made up his mind as he said he had two options going forward. “Probably one is to say, Okay, I am not ready, I am not playing enough well. Then is the moment to take a decision in terms of not playing Roland Garros,” he explained.
“Another is to accept how I am today and work the proper way to try to be in a different way in two weeks. The decision, as you can imagine, is not clear in my mind today. But if I have to say what’s my feeling and if my mind is closer one way or the other way, I going to say [I will] be in Roland Garros and try my best.”
And his feeling appears to have been correct, as he will be in Paris next week to prepare for his first Grand Slam appearance since the 2023 Australian Open. Although Nadal has yet to confirm his travel plans, it’s not the first time that early reports about his schedule have been correct.
It previously emerged that Nadal was set to travel to Barcelona for the ATP 500 event after he pulled out of the Monte-Carlo Masters. He then made his return at the Barcelona Open, his first professional tournament in three months.
Rafael Nadal won his opening match but lost to Alex De Minaur in the second round. He then competed in the Madrid Open where he had a promising run, getting revenge on world No. 11 De Minaur and going on to reach the round of 16.
