Rafael Nadal was given a rapturous reception by the French public during his first practice session at the 2022 Roland Garros.
Bidding to win his 22nd Grand Slam title and a record-extending 14th Coupe des Mousquetaires, Nadal walked on his beloved Court Philippe Chatrier, which he has enjoyed his best memories for nearly two decades.
His 13 titles serve as a reminder that you should write him off at your own peril. Nadal ramped up the intensity of his practice while playing fellow Spaniard Jaume Munar.
Very few players have the charisma and endearing personality that can match that of Nadal, and it's not surprising that his practice session resembled that of an actual match, given the total turnout, as the crowd showed up in large numbers.
Nadal quelled fears that a foot injury he suffered in Rome during his defeat to Denis Shapovalov might hamper his preparations for the clay-court major. Still, it is an unusual moment for him to arrive in Paris without a single clay-court title this season.
After taking some days off to refresh and reset following his earliest Rome defeat since 2008, Nadal arrived in France on Wednesday as expected and wasted no time hitting the practice courts in the company of his coaching team, headed by Carlos Moya.
The 35-year-old had a career-best start to a season in the first quarter of 2022, winning the Melbourne Summer Set, Australian Open, and Mexican Open. He was also runner-up in Indian Wells.
But his form on the European clay has been uninspiring, losing to Carlos Alcaraz in the Madrid quarterfinal and the aforementioned round of 16 defeat to Shapovalov in Rome.
Nadal did not play Monte Carlo and Barcelona because of a stress fracture in his rib. Despite the injury setbacks, he is a huge favorite to win the French Open, with the main draw slated to begin later this weekend.