Rafael Nadal has confirmed he will not be able to defend his title at Roland Garros, while Russia’s Daniil Medvedev has spoken out about the 14-time Grand Slam winner’s statement in Paris.

Rafael Nadal and Daniil MedvedevPhoto: Eduardo Verdugo/AP/Profimedia

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Medvedev wants Nadal back, even if the Spaniard’s absence presents an opportunity

Although he acknowledged Nadal’s absence is an opportunity for other players, Medvedev says he wants the Iberian back on the court as soon as possible.

“I think this is the first Roland Garros in 10 years without Rafa, and he’s probably won 9-8 times in those ten years.

His absence opens up opportunities for many players, because even if he is not, say, 100% physically, but decides to play, he will be among the favorites, for sure.

I hope he comes back as soon as possible because he is a great player, a great athlete, one of the best in history, you can talk about that (laughs).

Hopefully he’ll come back, play a few more Grand Slams while he can and we’ll see how it goes.” Daniil Medvedev.

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Danylo Medvedev, ranked 3rd in the ATP rankings, will play Stefanos Tsitsipas in the semi-finals of the Rome Masters.

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Know:

  • This is the first time in 18 seasons that Nadal has missed Roland Garros.
  • Nadal has 112 wins and only 3 losses in his 18 Paris Grand Slam appearances.
  • It has already been 120 days since Rafael Nadal’s last match: 4-6, 4-6, 5-7 against Mackenzie McDonald (second round of the Australian Open).
  • Rafa has missed nine major tournaments due to an iliopsoas injury: Doha, Dubai, Indian Wells, Miami, Monte Carlo, Barcelona, ​​Madrid, Rome and Roland Garros.
  • Rafael Nadal will remain with only 445 points in the world ranking and will leave the ATP top 130, which has not happened since March 2003.
  • Nadal held the first position in the ATP ranking for 209 weeks. Rafa holds the record for most consecutive weeks in the ATP top 10 (912, from April 2005 to May 2023).
  • Rafael Nadal has triumphed at Roland Garros 14 times and has 22 Grand Slam titles to his name (he is compared to Novak Djokovic).