A fairytale ending is unlikely for Rafael Nadal, Australian great predicts

Australian tennis great Todd Woodbridge believes retirement-bound legend Rafael Nadal is long odds to achieve a fairytale Roland-Garros farewell in the next fortnight.

The claycourt grand slam begins on Sunday night (AEST) in Paris, with Australia to have at least nine men and two women in the singles main draw, led by world No.11 Alex de Minaur and injury-riddled wildcard recipient Ajla Tomljanovic.

Among them will be Australia’s newest top-100 star, US college graduate and wildcard Adam Walton, whose Challenger triumph in Taipei on the weekend propelled him 16 places to a career-high No.95 ranking.

Rafael Nadal after his loss to Hubert Hurkacz at the Italian Open recently.Credit: AP Photo

However, the world’s attention will mostly be on Nadal, the claycourt king whose 14 Roland-Garros titles is one of the sport’s most improbable records.

The 37-year-old Spaniard endured an indifferent claycourt campaign by his standards, failing to reach even a quarter-final, including a surprise loss to de Minaur in Barcelona, which he avenged a week later in Madrid.

Nadal is yet to confirm when he will pull the pin on his hall-of-fame career but has hinted strongly it could be this year because of his ailing body and an increasing number of injuries.

“What Rafa has achieved on clay is extraordinary,” Woodbridge said.

“Nobody believed that he could win a tournament as many times on any surface that he has [at Roland-Garros], but to do it on this one, which requires incredible physicality, and probably the strongest mental ability, has highlighted to the tennis community what can be done.

“I think he changed the attitudes of the likes of Roger [Federer] and in particular, Novak [Djokovic] ... being his last tournament – if it is that, in fact, it’s going to be quite an emotional experience for everybody, somewhat like watching Roger when he retired at Laver Cup.

“People will want to be there; they’ll want to be a part of that last moment … I still feel that Rafa will want to continue on, but you just never know. If he has a great tournament; does he walk away like Pete Sampras did at the US Open [after winning in 2002]?”

Nadal (second from right) with Todd Woodbridge, Kia Australia’s Damien Meredith, and Australian Open boss Craig Tiley ahead of the 2023 Australian Open.Credit: Fiona Hamilton/Tennis Australia

Nadal was hesitant about entering this year’s tournament, given his physical limitations and inability to play at his best, and Woodbridge said he doubted he could win a 15th major on the red dirt.

“It’s pretty tough to win with the lead-up that he’s had,” Woodbridge said.

Carlos Alcaraz in action at the Madrid Open in early May.Credit: Getty Images

“The physical demands on the body, to win seven matches there, is extreme. He hasn’t had the miles in the legs that he’s used to going into this tournament.”

Nadal’s uneven form line, world No.1 Djokovic’s sudden vulnerability, and interrupted lead-ins for Jannik Sinner (hip) and Carlos Alcaraz (forearm) have created great uncertainty on the men’s side, with any number of players a chance to hoist the trophy.

Stefanos Tsitsipas, Casper Ruud and Alex Zverev have all won titles this clay season and appear genuine contenders as they try to win their maiden grand slam title.

Woodbridge is optimistic that de Minaur can experience his deepest run at Roland-Garros after failing to go beyond the second round at seven previous attempts.

“Never in men’s tennis over the last 15 or 20 years has this tournament been so wide open, and if you look at it like that, if you get the right draw, Alex can go deep,” Woodbridge said.

“He’s actually had enough wins against top players on clay that if it opens up the right way, he can sneak through. We’ve had the likes of Pat Rafter reach a semi before on the men’s side, so it can be done, but you need a bit of luck.

“It’s not Alex’s favourite [surface], but his mindset is as good as anybody.”

Iga Swiatek is the hot favourite in the women’s draw as she pursues a third consecutive Roland-Garros crown and fourth overall.

Tomljanovic’s expectations will be a bit different, after returning from three months out recovering from uterine surgery at last week’s WTA 125 event in Parma, Italy, only to retire from her second-round match with a neck injury.

The triple major quarter-finalist, who missed most of last year due to knee surgery, also withdrew from this week’s Morocco Open, but Australia’s Billie Jean King Cup captain Sam Stosur confirmed Tomljanovic still planned to contest the Paris slam.

“First of all, she’s back, which is fantastic news. Obviously, setback after setback in [the past] six, 12 months,” Stosur said.

“From all reports, her knee is still good, she’s feeling good, she’s feeling ready. She pulled up a little bit sore in Parma, but I think that’s to be expected. I don’t think anyone would have been surprised by that outcome from playing a long first match in three sets, so I think she’s now given herself a little bit of time to recover.

“She’s at Roland-Garros, she’s practising, she’s preparing – she’ll be good to go.”

Demon on verge of top 10 but Rome thrashing a French Open warning

Alex de Minaur will head to Roland-Garros on the verge of a top-10 ranking despite a humbling defeat in Rome to nemesis Stefanos Tsitsipas in his final tune-up for the claycourt major.

Australia’s top player finally beat Tsitsipas in their 11th meeting in the Acapulco quarter-finals in March on his way to back-to-back titles at the hardcourt event, but the Greek star is a different proposition on the red dirt.

Alex De Minaur will look to break a barren spell for Australia’s men at Roland Garros.Credit: AP

Tsitsipas, one of the world’s best claycourt players and a leading contender for this year’s French Open, which begins on May 26, was in a menacing mood as he dismissed de Minaur 6-1, 6-2 in a one-hour mismatch in the fourth round of the Italian Open.

An already historically difficult match-up for de Minaur is worse on clay, where his famed ability to rush opponents is largely taken away from him.

He tried a variety of tactics to unsettle the big-striking Tsitsipas, from serve-volleying to rushing the net on the rare occasion he drew a short ball, but mostly found himself in baseline exchanges he struggled to win.

Tsitsipas hammered 15 winners to de Minaur’s four – 11 off his favoured forehand wing, including one magnificently timed lob after the Australian serve-volleyed in the fifth game of the second set.

Tsitsipas is among the main contenders for this year’s French Open crown.Credit: AP

De Minaur, who won fewer than half the points on his first serve, urged himself on in vain after almost every point he won in the second set, but his fighting spirit was not enough despite pulling back one of the breaks after falling 1-4 behind.

“I tried to do the best that I could out there on the court by bringing up the best quality, in terms of strokes – and I delivered,” Tsitsipas said.

“I was pretty consistent with my serves and ball placement, and I was able to construct those points patiently, then wait for the shorter balls to come up. I really felt like my opponent [de Minaur] felt the heaviness and depth of my ball.

“It gave me courage [and] great belief in myself that I can continue pushing, in that sense, and I knew that I had something good working for me today.”

Tsitsipas, the losing 2021 finalist, will fancy himself at Roland Garros with Rafael Nadal’s campaign under a cloud.Credit: AP

De Minaur, the world No.11, has not advanced beyond the second round in seven trips to Roland-Garros – including four first-round exits – but has never been ranked so highly at Paris, which should help his cause in gaining a friendlier draw.

The problem is there will be unseeded claycourt specialists lurking everywhere in the draw.

He enjoyed a solid claycourt season overall, highlighted by reaching the Monte-Carlo Masters quarter-finals, where he tested Novak Djokovic in a 7-5, 6-4 result.

De Minaur also upset retirement-bound Rafael Nadal en route to the last 16 at Barcelona – becoming the first Australian to beat the Spanish legend on clay – before his fourth-round showing in Rome, which included a gutsy three-set victory over Felix Auger-Aliassime.

Rafael Nadal is no certainty to chase a record-extending 15th title at Roland Garros.Credit: Getty

A second-round loss to Nadal in Madrid was wedged between those tournaments.

“[My results on clay] aren’t great, so plenty of room for improvement,” de Minaur said after his three-hour victory over Auger-Aliassime.

“Every time I’m out here I’m enjoying it, with a proper mindset, and I think I can play well, especially when you have nice, hot conditions.

“I’m taking it a match at a time. I’m happy with a quality win on the clay today, and we move on.”

Roland-Garros has not been a happy hunting ground for Australia’s male players.

Former world No.1 Ash Barty won the 2019 women’s title and fellow retired star Sam Stosur made the 2010 final and three other semi-finals, but Nick Kyrgios’ round-of-32 efforts in 2015 and 2016 are as good as it has got on the men’s side in recent years.

Kyrgios even stopped contesting the grand slam and is still working his way back from a chronic wrist injury, extending his absence from Paris to seven years.

Jordan Thompson seems likely to just miss out on a French Open seeding, but is one of at least eight Australian men who earned direct entry into the main draw, alongside de Minaur, Alexei Popyrin, Chris O’Connell, Aleks Vukic, Rinky Hijikata, Max Purcell and Thanasi Kokkinakis.

Ajla Tomljanovic has received a wildcard for this month’s French Open.Credit: Getty

James Duckworth could make it in as well if there are five more withdrawals ahead of qualifying starting on Monday.

Fast-rising college graduate Adam Walton, who is at a career-high ranking of No.111 after finishing last year at 178, scored a main draw wildcard as part of the reciprocal arrangement between Tennis Australia and the French Tennis Federation.

Ajla Tomljanovic, who reached the last 16 in Paris a decade ago, has missed most of the season since undergoing uterine surgery in February but received TA’s wildcard for Roland-Garros.

She made a winning return to the tour at this week’s WTA 125 tournament in Parma, Italy, battling past Nuria Brancaccio in three sets.

Daria Saville is the sole Australian woman guaranteed to be in the main draw on her ranking, although Arina Rodionova is only a handful of spots away but will otherwise be in qualifying.

Astra Sharma, Taylah Preston, Olivia Gadecki, Kim Birrell, Talia Gibson, Priscilla Hon, Destanee Aiava and Jaimee Fourlis are the other Australians expected to try to qualify.

Watch every Roland-Garros match ad-free, live & on demand from May 26 on Stan Sport, with four courts streaming in 4K UHD. Coverage of select matches commences on 9GEM from 6:30pm AEST each night.

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