John Lloyd, Chris Evert’s ex-husband, believes that Rafael Nadal will not be victorious in the 2024 French Open, taking place from May 20 to June 9. Over the past year, Nadal has faced multiple challenges, including sitting out the entire 2023 season due to a hip injury sustained at the Australian Open. He returned to play at the Brisbane International this year but withdrew in the quarterfinals due to another minor hip injury, resulting in him missing the Melbourne Slam.
In March, Nadal participated in an exhibition match against Carlos Alcatraz called “The Netflix Slam,” which he lost. He was prepared for a comeback at the Indian Wells Masters but decided to withdraw from his opening-round match against Milos Raonic, stating that he wasn’t prepared to compete at the highest level. He also opted out of the Miami Masters. Nadal is expected to return to the court at the Monte-Carlo Masters (April 6-14), with the French Open and the Paris Olympics (July 26-August 11) being major events for him. 2024 could be his last chance to secure a record 15th Roland-Garros title, as he has hinted that this year might be his last season on tour.
In a recent episode of the ‘Tennis Channel Inside-In’ podcast, John Lloyd discussed Rafael Nadal’s prospects at Roland-Garros, stating that he expects a “decent send-off” from the 24-time Grand Slam champion. Lloyd believes that while Nadal will win some matches at the clay court Major, he won’t ultimately take home the trophy, citing a lack of time to prepare for the level of play required.
Rafael Nadal’s accomplishments at the Monte-Carlo Masters are unparalleled; he is the only player in history to win an ATP-1000 level tournament ten times or more, with 10 titles in Rome and 11 in Monte-Carlo. Nadal’s first victory at the Principality of Monaco occurred in 2005 when he defeated Guillermo Coria in the final. He continued his winning streak, securing the trophy consecutively from 2006 to 2012. After being defeated by his arch-rival Novak Djokovic in the championship match in 2013, Nadal finally claimed victory again in 2016 against Gael Monfils. The Spaniard successfully defended his title in 2017, and his most recent win was in 2018.
