Former player Alex Corretja spoke exclusively to Eurosport in his role as a tennis analyst for them explaining that Rafael Nadal should be good to go for Roland Garros.
Many weeks ago there was chatter that Nadal would make his return at the Madrid Open however it didn't happen. Then there was chatter that he was going to play in Rome to get some matches under his belt ahead of Roland Garros but that too didn't happen.
Former player Alex Corretja was surprised by both things unfolding that way but he's rather optimistic about Nadal's chances in Paris. He shared that according to what he heard, Nadal is pretty much OK to play but rather needs a bit more time.
We need to wait, there’s still a little bit of time. I was thinking maybe he could play the week before and get some matches. But I didn’t expect that one from Rome. I was surprised already when he pulled out from Madrid, but this one, everybody was saying he was pretty much OK to play, he’s practicing, and unfortunately, he said no so that means he still needs more time.
Corretja has no doubt that Nadal will play at the event but he's more concerned about how he'll hold up physically. Finding his rhythm will take a few matches but recovering from those matches is a totally different story. It's a slower process at his age, especially if you haven't played any tennis for 5 months.
I think he’s capable to get the rhythm in a few matches. I’m not concerned about the playing or not playing, I’m more concerned physically – how is he going to recover from matches? Not from this injury, from other ones that can come up. When you don’t play for such a long time it’s so difficult because of all the things that can happen. I hope he can have a little bit of preparation for the tournament before, because if he plays two or three matches at Roland Garros, for two and a half or three hours…"
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