Rafael Nadal ‘will be ready for Roland Garros’, but his ‘annual playing time is getting shorter every year’
There is no doubt in Patrick Mouratoglou’s mind that Rafael Nadal will be fit to play at the French Open, although the renowned coach admits it is becoming “harder and harder every year” for the Spaniard to hit top level at Roland Garros due to his injuries.
22-time Grand Slam winner Nadal is gunning for a record-extending 15th French Open crown, but his build-up to the tournament has once again been disrupted by injury.
The 36-year-old is yet to play on clay this year as has withdrawn from this week’s Monte Carlo Masters and next week’s Barcelona Open as he is still recovering from the hip injury he sustained at the Australian Open in January.
The Spaniard is expected to return to action at the Madrid Open, which runs from April 24 to May 1, and after that he will only have the Italian Open (May 8-14) to get some matches under his belt ahead of Paris.
Mouratoglou – who has coached the likes of tennis great Serena Williams as well as Simona Halep, Stefanos Tsitsipas and most recently Holger Rune – is not too concerned about Nadal’s fitness woes as he feels the Spaniard has been able to overcome similar problems in the past.
“Rafa has one goal, to win more Grand Slams than anyone else,” the Frenchman told Eurosport.
“He knows that his number one chance is the French Open and I think he told himself that he wanted to arrive in Paris in the best shape possible.
“But it’s harder and harder every year because his body is very worn out, more than other players. He gave 1000% in training and matches. That means that his annual playing time is getting shorter every year.
“I think his goal is still Roland Garros, which is why he’s been preparing on clay for a long time. He’ll be in shape tennis-wise.
“Will he be physically fit? I can’t say, it will depend on how he manages his injuries.
“He’ll have to have a few matches, but I’m not really worried about him. He will be ready for Roland Garros.
“The rest of the year is something else… If he does well at Roland-Garros, he’s done well for the year and he often plays pretty well on hard courts.”
Nadal had a similar build-up to the 2022 French Open as he only played five matches in the lead-up to the tournament as he struggled with a rib injury and his chronic foot problem. However, it all clicked in Paris as he went on to win a 14th title at Roland Garros.
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