Roland Garros tournament director Amelie Mauresmo denied the possibility of Rafael Nadal being given a seeding spot in the main draw.
For many years, Wimbledon has employed its own seeding system for the grass-court Grand Slam. It was based on a combination of factors, mostly related to ranking but also a player’s past performance at Wimbledon and grass events in general.
It created some confusing situations, as some seeded players were ranked lower than some of their unseeded competitors at the time of the event. That scheme was ultimately scrapped, and, according to Amelie Mauresmo, it won’t be making an appearance at Roland Garros this year.
In her capacity as tournament director, the former WTA player admitted that the event is not considering changing anything about the seeding system, which means that Nadal will not be a seed at the event even though some think he deserves it.
“Wimbledon did it for a very, very, very long time, and it certainly brought some advantages but we also saw all the disadvantages it could bring. For the moment, it’s not on the table.”
That has the potential to create some interesting draw scenarios, as Novak Djokovic could technically take on the Spaniard in the first round. Carlos Alcaraz could also play against his fellow compatriot, or any other top player could draw the 14-time French Open winner.
It definitely makes Nadal’s job much harder, but that’s just the reality of the situation. Mauresmo is hoping to get a fit Nadal at the event, though.
“We’re keeping our fingers crossed for him above all, for us too obviously. We’re keeping a close eye on what’s happening for him on court. We’re in touch with his team. Whether there’s a tribute depends very much on him. We’ll follow his wishes.”
Nadal has already tasted the negative side of that this year. He got Alex de Minaur into the second round of the Barcelona Open and the Madrid Open, which wouldn’t have happened if he had been a seed.
