Rafael Nadal: Why Spaniard's absence from French Open is hard to imagine even now it's happening

Since his archetypal French Open rubric successful 2005 (left), Rafael Nadal has added different 13, astir precocious past twelvemonth (right)

No substance however galore times you repetition to yourself 'Rafael Nadal is missing the French Open', it inactive seems astir impossible.

Even the information it is simply a carnal contented that is keeping him retired is astir inconceivable erstwhile you see helium won the rubric past twelvemonth with a wholly near numb ft due to the fact that of aggregate pain-killing injections.

In announcing connected Thursday that helium would beryllium missing his favourite lawsuit for the archetypal clip successful 19 years, helium besides signalled his volition to discontinue astatine the extremity of the 2024 season.

His program to instrumentality immoderate clip retired of the crippled present - helium was not definite if it would beryllium 2 months, 4 months, immoderate - is aimed astatine ensuring helium is successful the champion signifier for a last twelvemonth of 'goodbyes' astatine the astir important tournaments for him.

Top of that database volition beryllium the clay-court Grand Slam, which helium - successful opposition to galore of his fans - described arsenic "Roland Garros with oregon without me".

"Players enactment for a portion and they leave, tournaments enactment for ever," helium told a quality league connected Thursday.

But erstwhile asked a fewer weeks agone what a French Open without Nadal would look like, tourney manager Amelie Mauresmo said it would beryllium "hard" to imagine.

"He's truthful overmuch portion of the past of the tourney for the past astir 20 years - it would beryllium sad," she said.

Never caput imagining it, we are present surviving it.

So, what does Nadal's lack mean for the French Open and beyond?

A twelvemonth to program a status enactment for French Open's top player

A statue of Nadal was unveiled astatine Roland Garros successful 2021 but organisers person since admitted that adjacent that volition not beryllium capable of a tribute to the tournament's top subordinate erstwhile helium yet retires.

They volition present person a twelvemonth to program his send-off, portion Nadal himself would similar thing amended to observe with a 15th rubric to bookend an bonzer career.

He won the French Open rubric connected his archetypal quality determination successful 2005, going connected to triumph different 13 times successful the pursuing 17 years.

No subordinate has won arsenic galore singles titles astatine 1 large tourney arsenic the left-hander has astatine Roland Garros.

Known arsenic the 'King of Clay', Nadal has won 112 of his 115 matches astatine the French Open.

Nadal's archetypal nonaccomplishment determination was a daze fourth-round decision by Sweden's Robin Soderling successful 2009, earlier quarter-final losses to Serbia's Novak Djokovic successful 2015 and 2021.

Last year, 2 days aft his 36th birthday, Nadal reclaimed the rubric by beating Norway's Casper Ruud successful the last to go the oldest French Open men's singles champion.

Could helium yet widen that record?

Who are this year's French Open favourites now?

While it would ne'er person been omniscient to discount him connected the Parisian clay, Nadal was not considered a red-hot favourite for the rubric this twelvemonth aft 4 months disconnected the circuit since January's Australian Open.

But for anyone who has watched him combat done the symptom connected truthful galore occasions - including memorably successful a five-set triumph successful past year's Wimbledon quarter-finals with an abdominal contented that severely restricted his question - determination had inactive been anticipation until now.

A 15th triumph present would person fixed him a grounds 23rd men's Grand Slam singles rubric but alternatively Djokovic volition get the accidental to scope that mark.

However, Djokovic has been successful patchy signifier connected clay, with earlier-than-expected exits successful Monte Carlo, Bosnia and Herzegovina and, astir recently, successful Rome connected Wednesday, portion helium besides missed the Madrid tourney done injury.

Spain's Carlos Alcaraz volition instrumentality implicit from Djokovic arsenic satellite fig 1 connected Monday and back-to-back titles successful Madrid and Barcelona underlined his French Open credentials, but his ain preparations suffered a setback with a daze last-32 decision by Hungarian qualifier Fabian Marozsan astatine the Italian Open.

It leaves arguably the astir unfastened gully successful the men's singles astatine Roland Garros since the 'King of Clay' began his reign.

'New procreation is here' arsenic 2nd of 'big three' prepares to retire

Since Swiss large Roger Federer called clip connected his vocation past year, determination person been the inevitable questions astir erstwhile Nadal mightiness travel his long-time rival into retirement.

The 'big three' of Federer, Nadal and Djokovic person dominated men's tennis for astir 2 decades but dilatory things person been changing.

There person been caller men's champions astatine Grand Slams successful the past 3 years, though Nadal and Djokovic person inactive won 16 of the past 19 majors.

This year's Italian Open last volition for the archetypal clip since 2004 diagnostic neither Djokovic nor Nadal, with the Serb declaring connected Wednesday that the "shift of generations" has yet come.

"A caller procreation is present already," Djokovic told reporters aft his Italian Open quarter-final decision by 20-year-old Danish seventh effect Holger Rune.

"Alcaraz is fig 1 successful the satellite from Monday, evidently he's playing astonishing tennis. I deliberation it's besides bully for our athletics that we person caller faces, caller guys coming up.

"I'm personally inactive trying to bent successful determination with each of them. I inactive person the hunger to support going. Let's spot however acold I'm going to play."

Alcaraz wrote connected societal media that it was "painful and bittersweet for everyone" that Nadal would not beryllium determination this year.

But if you thought it was hard capable to ideate a French Open without him, effort imagining anyone ever matching his French Open records.

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