Nadal’s struggles intrigue rivals ahead of French Open tournament he has dominated for 10 years
Clay-court specialist has won only one tournament on his favourite surface this year - but Djokovic and Federer are still wary
For the past 10 years Rafael Nadal has been virtually unbeatable at Roland Garros, but that could all change at this year’s French Open as the Spaniard’s woes continue on clay.
Nadal, stunned in the final of the Madrid Masters a week ago by Britain’s Andy Murray, has won only one tournament – Buenos Aires – on his favourite surface this year.
Having already lost twice this year to Italian Fabio Fognini, Serbian rival Novak Djokovic and Murray, the 14-time grand slam winner was eliminated from the quarter-finals of the Italian Open by Stan Wawrinka, who also beat Nadal to the Australian Open title in 2014.
If Nadal’s defeat to Murray was confirmation that things were not quite going to plan, his failure to reach the latter stages in Rome means he will likely miss out on a top-four seeding for Roland Garros.
Seedings for the second grand slam of the year, which begins on May 24, will be announced by the French Open organisers shortly, and Nadal is unlikely to be given the luxury of a top-four seeding, meaning he could meet one of his main rivals as early as the quarter-finals.