John Lloyd, the ex-husband of Chris Evert, believes Rafael Nadal won’t win the 2024 French Open, which is scheduled to take place from May 20 to June 9.
Nadal has had difficulties in the last 12 months. The Spaniard made his comeback this year at the Brisbane International but lost in the quarterfinals after missing the entire 2023 season because of a hip injury he suffered during the Australian Open.
There, he sustained another minor hip injury, which kept him out of the Melbourne Slam.
Nadal faced Carlos Alcatraz in an exhibition match in March that was called “The Netflix Slam,” a match that he lost.
Then, when he was preparing for a return at the Indian Wells Masters, he made the decision to pull out of his first-round match against Milos Raonic, claiming he was unprepared for the greatest level of competition. He declined to compete in the Miami Masters as well.
At the Monte-Carlo Masters (April 6–14), Rafael Nadal is anticipated to make his court comeback. The French Open and the Paris Olympics (July 26–August 11) are big tournaments for him.
He has intimated that this year may be his final season on the tour, and thus 2024 may be his last chance to win a record 15 Roland-Garros titles.
In a recent segment of the “Tennis Channel Inside-In” podcast, John Lloyd talked about Rafael Nadal and shared his opinion that the 24-time Grand Slam champion will give us a “good send-off” at Roland-Garros.
Lloyd stated, “I do believe we will get a decent send-off” (at 33:10). “Obviously, Rafael Nadal knows he is not injured, so I don’t think he will go in there, but he gets himself in decent shape.”
The former British tennis player, nevertheless, thinks that even though Nadal will win a few matches at the claycourt Major, he won’t take home the championship.
“At 33:22, Lloyd stated, I see him winning several matches undoubtedly, but I don’t seem him winning it [French Open 2024].
I don’t believe he will have enough time to play the kind of tennis he requires. However, I do believe Rafa will give us a respectable send-off. However, I’m hoping it’s a really nice one.
Rafael Nadal, who has won 10 titles in Rome and 11 in Monte-Carlo, is the first player in history to win an ATP-1000 level tournament ten times or more.
In the 2005 Principality of Monaco final, Rafael Nadal triumphed over Guillermo Coria for the first time. He kept up his winning ways, taking home the championship back-to-back in 2006 and 2012.
In the final match of 2013, the 37-year-old was defeated by his fiercest opponent, Novak Djokovic, and was unable to retain his title. His next victory didn’t come until 2016, when he beat Gael Monfils.
The Spaniard successfully defended his championship in 2017, winning his most recent bout a year later.
