Rafael Nadal is one of the legendary players from the modern era of the ATP Tour. The Spaniard has 22 Grand Slam men’s singles titles, most of which were won at Roland Garros in the French Open.
This article assesses the chances of Rafael Nadal, at 37, landing another French Open title in 2024. Having suffered an injury-hit period, will the veteran be fit enough to make an appearance in Paris?
Is Nadal Playing in the French Open 2024?
Nadal’s presence at Roland Garros this year remains up in the air. He entered the Italian Open in Rome seeking an 11th title. However, he was dumped out of the competition by the big-serving Polish ace Hubert Hurkacz, the current world number nine.
Hurkacz was a comfortable 6-1 6-3 winner. The Pole is not famed for his return game, so the fact that Nadal dropped so many games on his own serve will have been a major concern for his team.
In his post-match press conference, Nadal admitted he still has some physical issues. With the clock ticking down until the 2024 French Open, Nadal couldn’t confirm to the media that he would be fit enough to perform in Paris.
However, he also said those issues weren’t likely to be enough to prevent him from playing at the “most important event of [his] tennis career.” This suggests he’ll look to secure entry as a wildcard and battle through the first round at the bare minimum.
Has Nadal Ever Played Against Alcaraz?
Yes, Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz have locked horns three times on the ATP Tour. In fact, Nadal holds a 2-1 win record against his young compatriot. Nadal won both meetings in 2021, overcoming him at the ATP Masters 1000 Madrid in straight sets before winning on the hard courts of Indian Wells in another ATP Masters 1000 event.
Alcaraz got his own back at the ATP Masters 1000 Madrid the following year. Alcaraz won an exciting three-set encounter to reach the last four. They haven’t played since, largely due to the injury issues suffered by Nadal.
What Rank is Nadal Now?
Rafael Nadal is currently 305th in the men’s world rankings. His ranking has drifted some 207 places in the year to date due solely to his inactivity.
Nadal played just one event in 2023—the Australian Open—before returning to Australia in January 2024. He lost in both the singles and doubles at the ATP 250 Brisbane before deciding not to enter the Australian Open. He returned to the ATP 500 Barcelona in April but lost in the round of 32 to Alex de Minaur.
Nadal then lost in straight sets to Jiri Lehecka at this year’s ATP Masters 1000 Madrid event before his latest exit at the Italian Open. All in all, he lacks form, fitness, and rhythm. It’s not a good mix for anyone looking to make a deep run at what could be their final Grand Slam.
Rafael Nadal Odds to Win the French Open
Looking at the latest French Open odds available at talkSPORT BET, Nadal is priced as the 8/1 fourth favourite to win the tournament outright.
On the face of it, this seems quite a short price right now, given the sheer amount of form and fitness issues stacking up against him. However, this player knows what it takes to grind out victories on clay. He’s a proven winning machine at Roland Garros, but it’s still a risky bet. Even Nadal appears to lack confidence in his body to get through matches.
The French Open is notorious for being one of the most physically gruelling tournaments in the season, with the potential for multiple five-set matches on the stamina-sapping clay.
Who is Favoured to Win the French Open 2024?
Our traders currently have Carlos Alcaraz priced as the 15/8* favourite to win the 2024 French Open. The 21-year-old is yet to win a French Open title but won his first Wimbledon in 2023 and reached the semi-finals of the 2023 French Open.
In his semi-final at Roland Garros last year, Alcaraz was affected by a cramp in the third set of his gruelling encounter with Novak Djokovic. The Serbian went on to win in four sets, demonstrating that Alcaraz still had a little way to go to improve his durability for the French Open.
Djokovic is the second favourite with talkSPORT BET to win this year’s French Open, priced at 5/2*. The 36-year-old has won two of the last three French Opens and three titles at Roland Garros. Roger Federer’s retirement, coupled with Nadal’s persistent injuries, has given Djokovic a clearer run to the final in recent years.
Italy’s Jannik Sinner is the third favourite for the 2024 French Open, priced at 7/2* with talkSPORT BET. The 22-year-old won this year’s Grand Slam curtain-raiser in Australia, reaching a career-high world ranking of two in April. Sinner has not got past the last eight of the French Open before but has the technical attributes to go much further.
How Many Times Has Rafael Nadal Won the French Open?
A staggering 14 of the 22 Grand Slam titles won by Rafael Nadal have come at the French Open. Nadal’s love affair with Roland Garros began in 2005 when he defeated Argentine Mariano Puerta in four sets to win his first Grand Slam. Few could have predicted that Nadal would go on to win eight of the next nine French Opens.
In fact, only Roger Federer (2009), Stan Wawrinka (2015) and Novak Djokovic (2016) could prevent Nadal from landing a clean sweep between 2005 and 2020. No tennis player has ever enjoyed such dominance in a Grand Slam before Nadal – and it’ll be very hard for anyone to repeat this feat again.
Bet on the 2024 French Open with talkSPORT BET
Place your bets on this year’s tournament at Roland Garros using your existing talkSPORT BET account or create a new one today. First-time bettors are eligible for a welcome bonus in the form of a matched deposit promotion.
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*Odds correct at the time of publication and subject to change
