Rafael Nadal has missed three editions of the French Open since playing his first ATP match in April 2002. The Spaniard did not feature in the 2002, 2003, and 2004 editions of the clay-court Major before making his tournament debut in 2005. Nadal made his Grand Slam debut at the 2003 Wimbledon Championships but did not make an appearance at the French Open before 2005. The Spaniard’s winning streak came to an end after losing to Robin Soderling in the fourth round of the 2009 tournament. However, he avenged the defeat by beating the Swede in the 2010 final, marking the beginning of a new winning streak that saw Nadal come out on top in 39 consecutive matches and win the French Open on five successive occasions.
Nadal’s French Open Debut in 2005
In 2005, Nadal entered the French Open after winning the Monte-Carlo Masters, Barcelona Open, and the Italian Open. Seeded fourth, he reached the semifinals with wins over Lars Burgsmuller, Xavier Malisse, Richard Gasquet, Sebastian Grosjean, and David Ferrer. Here, he beat then World No. 1 Roger Federer to book his place in his maiden Grand Slam final. The Spaniard faced Mariano Puerta in the title clash and came back from a set down to win and claim his first Major title.
Rafael Nadal’s Record at French Open
Nadal won his 10th title at the clay-court Major in 2017 and came out on top in each of the following three years as well to take his tally to 13 titles. After losing to Novak Djokovic in the 2021 semifinals, the “King of Clay” claimed his 14th title at Roland Garros by beating Casper Ruud in last year’s final. Nadal currently has a record of 112-3 at the French Open and it will be interesting to see how he fares if he competes in the tournament this year.
Coach’s Update on Nadal’s Participation in the Italian Open and French Open
Rafael Nadal is yet to play a match since his second-round defeat at this year’s Australian Open. The 36-year-old’s coach Carlos Moya recently spoke to L’Equipe and stated that there isn’t any time set for his return. However, Moya added that the objective is for the 22-time Grand Slam champion to play the Italian Open and the French Open. “Of course these are difficult times because we missed tournaments that we love, but Rafa is a warrior, with an indestructible mind and when the time comes to return, we will be very motivated,” Moya said. “Right now, it is impossible to define the calendar, but if tomorrow when we see each other [and] everything is correct, the objective is to go to Rome and, if it is not possible, we will try to be at Roland Garros,” he added.
