There is no denying that Rafael Nadal is in a short list of candidates to be named the best tennis player of all-time. His accolades have been consistent since he broke into the ATP Tour as a teenager with a competitive spirit like no other.
But he clearly made his status of legend in Roland Garros. That’s the first Grand Slam he won back in 2005 when he was just 19 years old. It is also the major event he dominated the most with a stunning record of 14 titles.
He had huge rivalries with Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic, although injuries were the other factor that limited him. Nadal missed a lot of tournaments this year for that reason. The Spaniard has not played since the 2023 Australian Open, making an appearance at the French Open a bit unlikely.
Roland Garros 2023: Why is Rafael Nadal not playing at the 2023 French Open?
The big news came this Thursday from his own words. Yesterday he called for a press conference in his tennis Academy to give the fans an update that ended up being unfortunate for the sport. Nadal confirmed he will not play Roland Garros in 2023. Despite there was no confirmation before his public appearance, everything suggested he was going to miss the second Grand Slam of the season.
Nadal will not play the French Open because he has been dealing with an injury. He suffered a grade 2 lesion in the Iliacus Psoas of his left leg with the assumption he was going to miss six to eight weeks. However, the projection has not been on point since he has been out for four months. His last game was a loss to McKenzie McDonald on January 18.
When was the last time Rafael Nadal missed the French Open?
Injuries have forced the Spaniard to miss long periods of time during his career. But this tournament has been the big exception for what it means for him. The last time Rafael Nadal didn’t play the French Open was in 2004. He wasn’t an established player then because of his youth, so it wasn’t a surprise not seeing the Spaniard there. Not having him in this edition of Roland Garros will clearly be something uncommon after 18 consecutive years being in the main draw.