NEWSLETTER | A NADAL-LESS ROLAND GARROS AS MEDVEDEV, RYBAKINA CLAIM ROME TITLES

14-time champion Rafael Nadal will not defend his title this year and may retire from the tour next year

By Stephen Higgins | 22nd May 2023

Rafael Nadal
We won’t see this formidable sight at Roland Garros this year as Rafael Nadal withdraws | Crosscourt View

It wouldn’t be right to start anywhere else than with Rafael Nadal.

In case you missed it, not only has the 14-time champion announced his withdrawal from this year’s Roland Garros tournament, he also plans to take an extended break from the sport for recuperation before an expected final season on tour next year.

“The evolution of the injury I sustained in Australia has not gone as I would have liked…I'll look to be 100% ready for next year, which I believe will be the last year of my professional career,” Nadal said at a press conference from his academy in Mallorca.

While the Spaniard’s career has been blighted by injuries, remarkably, this will be the first French Open without his name in the draw since 2004. The inevitability of time means that the 2023 tournament will be sans Nadal, Roger Federer and Andy Murray. Meanwhile, Novak Djokovic isn’t in the best shape either.

The changing of the men’s guard is in full swing and led by younger stars Carlos Alcaraz, Holger Rune and Jannik Sinner, plus the familiar cohort of Daniil Medvedev, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Casper Ruud.

It’s a testament to the unparalleled excellence of Nadal at the Bois de Boulogne that even if he turned up to the grounds on crutches, you’d still fancy him to lift the Coupe de Mousquetaires at the end. Sadly though, the event will take place without him and we await to see when he returns to the tour.

As things stand, the 36-year-old can boast an otherworldly 112-3 (97%) winning record at Roland Garros with 14 final wins from 14. I think it’s pretty safe to say that no human will ever match or surpass that!

ROME | ATP 1000

Daniil Medvedev: clay court maestro. Who knew? After failing to win a single match at the Foro Italico in three previous visits, the Russian found himself with the title at the weekend after a super fortnight in Rome.

The 27-year-old only dropped a set through the event and saw off challenges from Alexander Zverev, Stefanos Tsitsipas and in the final, Holger Rune, by a scoreline of 7-5 7-5.

As a result, Medvedev moves back up to no.2 in the world while Rune is into the top 6. They are two players who will definitely fancy their chances at Roland Garros.

ROME | WTA 1000

There was unfortunately a damp squib of a final in the women’s event as Anhelina Kalinina retired 4-6 0-1 down to reigning Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina. To make matters worse, the showpiece only started at 11pm local time due to rain showers throughout the day.

After a somewhat unusual week, where three players retired against her including Iga Swiatek, Rybakina finally moves into the WTA’s top 5. Kalinina jumps 22 places and now resides at no.25.