'I think he’s thinking in his corner,' Tournament director confident of Rafael Nadal playing at Roland Garros 2024

Amelie Mauresmo, the Roland Garros director, however, is confident that Nadal won’t remain on the sidelines when the main draw kick-starts on the 26th of May. 

I'm waiting to see it in concrete terms at Roland Garros in the stadium to be sure. I think Rafael Nadal will come, he intends to at the moment. I think he's thinking in his corner, fine-tuning his preparation. He doesn't want to come halfway. He has this desire, it's the place where he feels the best. And at the same time, he has a lot of doubts about whether he will be able to be physically operational and defend his chances 100%. Amelie Mauresmo said on the set of the show C à vous

Nadal missed last year’s Roland Garros due to the hip flexor injury blow he received during that year’s Australian Open. In 2022, he lifted his 14th Roland Garros title by beating Casper Ruud in straight sets. 

Rafael Nadal recently got knocked out of the Italian Open 

Rafael Nadal has dominated on clay but since making his comeback, he has not been able to emulate past successes on the surface. Following his recovery from the hip flexor injury, he played at the Brisbane International and the abdominal muscle led him to stay out of competitive tennis for a few months. 

The 37-year-old then played his first match on clay at the Barcelona Open and soon crashed out of it by losing to Alex de Minaur in the Round of 32. In Madrid, the Spaniard reached the Round of 16, where he lost to Jiri Lehecka. 

Nadal’s third clay-court event was the Italian Open and there, too, things didn’t change. In the second round, he dealt with a disappointing defeat when Hubert Hurkacz beat him with scores of 6-1, 6-3.