Former ATP player Tim Henman finds it very hard not to count Rafael Nadal as one of the favorites for Roland Garros.
It’s quite self-explanatory why. No player dominated one event as much as Nadal did across many years. He’s known as the King of Clay because he’s just been so dominant on that surface and particularly so in Paris.
The 2024 Roland Garros will be quite interesting. There are several players who will be hoping to win, including Nadal, if everything goes well with his comeback.
We’re only a few days away from the comeback, and by the time Roland Garros rolls around, Nadal should be in good shape. His history at the event simply can’t be ignored, according to Henman who shared his thoughts with Eurosport.
I think when you put Rafa Nadal and Roland Garros in the same sentence, Rafa’s just the favourite. If he was playing paddle tennis and you said, ‘Oh, where is it?’ They’d say it’s at Roland Garros and you would say Rafa’s the favourite.
As comical as the argument sounds, it’s pretty accurate. You simply can’t ignore the history of Nadal in Paris, and it being a Grand Slam only makes it harder. It’s a best of five, on a court where nobody feels more confident so good luck.
You could make a case for the Grand Slams with the best of five. He’s so difficult to beat on clay, first and foremost. But then when you’ve got to win three sets, not just two sets, so few people have been able to do it.
Another tidbit about the upcoming season is the 2024 Olympics being played on the Roland Garros courts. It’s a different format, but it’s Paris, and it’s clay, so he’ll have something to say there as well.
You wonder whether in the Olympics because it’s best of three, then it takes a little bit less out of him, whether that aids his recovery. But look, with his record, and I’m sure the confidence that he gains when he walks through the gates at Roland Garros, he’s going to want to be at the Grand Slam and at the Olympics, and I’d love to see him win one of those or both of those. It would be an incredible story.
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