Brad Gilbert, the ex-coach of tennis legend Andre Agassi, has shared his opinion of Rafael Nadal's chastening draw and defeat at the 2024 Roland Garros.
Nadal is the most decorated champion in French Open history, having won the title a record 14 times and compiled a 112-3 record before Monday's match against Alexander Zverev.
The anticipation surrounding the draw ceremony last week was palpable, given that Nadal, 37, entered the tournament with a protected ranking and was unrestricted from facing any player on the field in Paris.
That included the Top 32 seeds, which featured world-class names like Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, Daniil Medvedev, and Alexander Zverev. Eventually, Zverev's name was plucked out of the bowl, handing the Spaniard the most brutal opening match in a Grand Slam.
Some analysts and tennis fans have expressed mixed feelings about Nadal's draw. On one side, John McEnroe and Christopher Eubanks opined that the 22-time major champion merited a seeding spot, given his credentials at the tournament.
But tournament director Amelie Mauresmo admitted that Roland Garros would not bend the rules to give Nadal any special treatment and that the discussion was off the table.
Gilbert, who currently coaches Coco Gauff, took to X (formerly Twitter) to share his thoughts about the situation, admitting that Nadal "deserved" to be seeded as high as 20th.
The 62-year-old also suggested that maybe the former World No. 1 would have had a more successful campaign, but he lost in the first round of the French Open for the first time in his career.
"Didn’t see a lot of Vamos-Rafa match, definitely had chances in 2nd set, still feel like he deserved to be seeded like 20th and could work way into tournament. Who knows about ... what the result could have been, just my 2 cents."
Nadal competed bravely but lost in straight sets to Zverev. He hasn't ruled out competing in next year's tournament, but for now, his focus will be on the Olympics, which will be staged in the same venue as the clay-court Grand Slam.
0 Comments