Rafael Nadal arrived in Paris (video)

Rafael Nadal at Roland-Garros, unheard of since… 2022. Fourteen-time winner of the tournament but forfeited last year, the 37-year-old Spaniard arrived at Porte d’Auteuil this Monday. A video published on social networks by the official tournament account shows him arriving by car, in the company of his coach Carlos Moya.

His first training session, scheduled for this Monday at 5 p.m., will be an opportunity to rediscover the sensations on a clay court that he knows by heart. It is difficult, however, to say that “Rafa” will definitely line up in the first round of his favorite tournament. At the microphone of France Televisions last week, he still left doubt about his participation. “I don’t want to arrive at Roland Garros without having the ability to really fight. Being competitive doesn’t necessarily mean winning the tournament, but it means that I go there thinking I’m capable of doing it, but above all of fighting 100%.”he explained.

“The most important city of my career”

Since his return to Barcelona in mid-April after two years marked by repeated injuries, Nadal has won five matches: one in Catalonia, three in Madrid and one in Rome. His latest defeat, suffered against Hubert Hurkacz (6-1, 6-3) in the second round in Italy, did not really reassure his fans. How will he perform in a best-of-five-set match? Answer, perhaps, at the beginning of next week.

Paris will be an important stage of the Mallorcan summer, since the Roland-Garros stadium will also host the Olympic Games, from July 26 to August 13. “I want to be there, he proclaimed. It’s special, these are sensations that we only find during the Olympic fortnight. It’s the very essence of sport, and what’s more, this year, it’s taking place in Paris, the most important city of my career.”