Rafael Nadal has clarified his French Open participation comment as the Spaniard says his participation depends on whether he feels he can be competitive rather than being a contender.
At the start of the week in Madrid, Nadal said if the French Open was starting now, he would not be ready to play. Naturally, that comment raised some big concerns and fears that Nadal would not be ready to compete at Roland Garros.
But so far so good for Nadal in Madrid, who ousted Darwin Blanch before also beating world No. 11 Alex de Minaur. After his big win over de Minaur, Nadal was asked about the comment he made earlier in the week.
“So it’s not a thing about losing or winning. It’s about going on court there with the feeling that I can fight and I can be competitive and, you know, let’s go on court and dream about what can happen, no?” Nadal said.
“So if I am not able to go on court and dream about, even if it’s the minimum, minimum percentage, for me it doesn’t make sense to go on court. I prefer to stay with all the amazing memories that I have.”
Rafael Nadal© Getty Images Sport – Clive Brunskill
Nadal: I want to be there
Since Nadal is likely playing his last season on the Tour, it is not a secret that he would love to at least be able to say a proper goodbye to the French Open, which marked his career.
“I want to be there, and even losing, but, you know, go on court with the chance to dream about something important, if that happens, I’m gonna be on court. If I am not allowed to make that happen, even if it’s a super, super small percentage, I probably will not go on court. That’s the feeling, and it’s best-of-five, so it’s a different story,” Nadal added.
Meanwhile, Nadal plays Pedro Cachin in the Madrid third round.
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