Rafael Nadal had stated that this may not be his last appearance at Roland Garros, where he has won a record 14 times. For this reason, the French Tennis Association decided not to conduct a ceremony honoring him this year.
An Uncertain Farewell
On the first day of the clay-court Grand Slam event, tournament director Amélie Mauresmo stated that Rafael Nadal informed organizers that he was open to a comeback before announcing it to the world at a press conference prior to the competition.
As you may expect, we had a surprise in store for him. However, as he is unsure if this will be his final Roland Garros, he wants to leave the possibility of returning as a player the following year. Thus, it goes without saying that we won’t pressure him to take any action, Mauresmo stated.
“It’s his decision when he wants to have a proper ceremony, a proper goodbye, and a proper farewell. So we’re not going to do it this year. That’s his wish,” she continued. “And even though we were ready to push the button if something happened, we obviously are going to respect what he wants and make sure we are ready whenever he feels he wants to do it. Later this year; next year; anytime he wants.”
Why Is Rafael Nadal unseeded?
Nadal hasn’t received a seed in a Grand Slam competition since the Australian Open in 2005. The ATP and WTA rankings, which take into consideration the most recent 52 weeks of results, are used to seed the top 32 players in the men’s and women’s divisions. Theoretically, Mauresmo had the option to defy the regulations and give Nadal a seeding in light of his prior success in Paris. However, she claimed that was never actually thought about since “it also has to be OK with other Grand Slams and everything” and that “giving protection to some players” would lead to “a lot of other issues and problems.”
Monday’s opening-round matchup features No. 4 seed Alexander Zverev against Rafael Nadal, who turns 38 on June 3 and has previously stated that he believes this to be his final season. The game is slated to begin at approximately 3:30 p.m. local time (9:30 a.m. EDT) in the main stadium, Court Philippe Chatrier.
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