What is the French Open without Rafael Nadal?

See Rafael Nadal at Roland Garros is a bucket list experience. The fans in the stands of Court Philippe-Chatrier exploded as he stepped outside. It’s his stage.

He has long held the position in the palm of his hand, with an unbelievable record of 112 wins (the most for any male player at a major tournament in the Open Era) and 14 in The number 18 French Open title is over. Along with that are familiar elements of Nadal’s experience in Paris: the trumpets welcoming him to the introductory course, the Spanish flags waving in the stands and the endless performances of “Bella Ciao”. .

This year, drums will still hit, Nadal’s t-shirts and hats will be worn and memories will be regal, but the protagonist will be absent. after withdrawing on May 18.

Roland Garros is already his second home. Aside from his 97 percent winning streak at the tournament, Nadal has a host of other incredible stats from that Paris. He won 90 of those 112 wins in consecutive sets and won the 2008, 2010, 2017 and 2020 titles without dropping a single title. He has more than 27 wins there Novak Djokovic and more than 39 Federer.

Even the people he defeated kept the experiences close.

“I hope to be able to tell my grandchildren one day that I played Rafa on Chatrier in the final, and they’ll probably say, ‘Wow, right?'” he said. Casper Ruud Later lost last year’s singles final against Nadal in straight sets. “I would say ‘Yes.'”

It would be a bit empty to watch this tournament unfold – a Roland Garros without Nadal would lack a familiar point of reference for both fans and casual viewers. “I never wanted him to stop,” Billie Jean King said of Nadal in Paris last year.

The place had felt the exit was imminent. On the day of last year’s final against Ruud, rumors began circulating that Nadal would announce his retirement after the match. It is reliable. And when he stood in the middle of the pitch, clutching La Coupe des Mousquetaires, it would have been the perfect book to end his glorious career.

Instead, his speech was about resilience and perseverance, rather than retirement.

Moments later, he details the pain he went through. He had Muller-Weiss syndrome, a rare condition that left his left foot in chronic pain. He brought his doctor, Angel Ruiz-Cotorro, to the tournament, who would paralyze his foot with nerve injections so he could compete. Doctors later said that Nadal defying injury to win was a “miracle”.

Since then, his body has continued to let him down. He ripped his stomach during Wimbledon, causing him to withdraw from the semi-final against Nick Kyrgios. At the US Open, he got a nosebleed by hitting himself in the face with his own racket, then lose Frances Tiafoe in the fourth round. The wound in the abdomen has not yet fully healed.

After a short time playing with Federer in the Laver Cup, he started the new year with a defeat before Alex De Minaur in the United Cup but later injured his left hip flexor in the second round loss last Mackenzie McDonald at the Australian Open.

“I hope it’s not serious because I’ve been so tired and frustrated with the recovery process for most of my career,” he said. It was his last game, and despite a weird look on his Instagram page of him practicing, the clear images of Nadal on the court at top speed are stunning. little.

After missing the start of the clay court season, Nadal issued a candid statement on April 20 this puts his participation in Roland Garros in serious doubt. It came through a somber video posted on his social media accounts detailing his difficulties withdrawing from the Madrid Open. “I can’t give a deadline because if I had known I would have told you but I don’t know. That’s how it is now.”

On May 18, there was confirmation. Speaking from his academy in Mallorca, Nadal faced a small group of media in his room and thousands of people watching the live stream on YouTube. He announced that he would be withdrawing from the French Open and Wimbledon without giving a timeline for returning. He also said 2024 will likely be his last year on tour.

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Rafael Nadal knocked out of French Open, notes next year could be the last

Rafael Nadal announced that he will not compete in the French Open because of a hip injury and noted his future.

“I don’t know if I can come back at the top level and compete in Grand Slams,” said Nadal. “What I’m going to try to do is give myself a chance to go back to what could have been my last year to compete at the highest level.”

His opponents took notice. Alcaraz tweeted: “It’s very painful and sad for everyone that you can’t be at Roland Garros or play more this year, but I hope that 2024 will be a great season for you and you can say. goodbye as the great champion!”

Daniil Medvedev summed up Nadal’s dominance: “Even if he’s not at 100% fitness, but has decided to compete, he will be the favourite.”

Nadal won the title on his French Open debut in 2005 and has played every year for nearly two decades since. The crowd will have to accept a new favorite, likely the successor to Nadal’s clay-court throne in Alcaraz.

Alcaraz and Djokovic — if healthy — will be favorites. Stefanos Tsitsipas, sinner JannikRuud and Holger rune would also love their chance in the most extensive upcoming tournament since Nadal began his reign.

Men’s tennis has taken a step into the post-GOAT era. At the beginning of May, while Djokovic and Nadal were trying to overcome different illnesses, their former partner Federer wanted to retire. he went from the Met Gala to the Miami Grand Prix and it was on the grid before the start of the race, where he briefly summed up the significance of Nadal’s absence at Roland Garros. “It would be devastating, it would be very difficult for tennis if Rafa wasn’t there,” Federer said.

If the body can grant him one last shot at Roland Garros, Nadal will be back. But it is becoming an increasingly difficult challenge. After the 2022 final, he promised to “keep fighting to try to keep going.” That battle theme was never far from Nadal’s message and it was echoed once again during the press conference in Mallorca.

“Tournaments last forever, players play and die,” Nadal said in May. “Roland Garros will continue to be Roland Garros with or without me. The tournament will continue to be the best event in the world of clay. Players stay and leave the tournament.”

Finally, as Nadal retires, the French Open organizers face a dilemma: How do they pay tribute to the man who dominated the tournament for nearly two decades? Did they put another statue of him?

In May 2021, they inaugurated a three-meter-tall statue of Nadal near the Jardin des Mousquetaires, a permanent reminder of the man who transcended the sport of clay. It is rare to mark an athlete with such a gesture while they are still leaving sweat on the surface a few meters away.

But it was the first step in recognizing his legacy and also preparing for life in a corner of Paris without Nadal. So what will they do next to mark his impact on the league? They won’t be renaming one of the existing main courts and the trophy has been named after the French “four musketeers” who dominated men’s tennis in the late 1920s, but there’s no question. argue.

They hope they won’t have to make that call yet, but it looks like it’s coming fast – and this year will offer a perspective of the unpredictable post-Nadal era.