RAFAEL NADAL GIVEN COLD SHOULDER AHEAD OF FRENCH OPEN WITH THREE PLAYERS AHEAD OF HIM

Tennis fans have given Rafael Nadal little hope of winning a 15th French Open title in what could be his final Roland Garros tournament. The iconic Spaniard is widely expected to retire at the end of the year, and the King of Clay is set for one last attempt at clinching his favourite tournament in Paris.

Nadal faces a tough test against an in-form Alexander Zverev in the first round. In a poll of Express Sport readers, fans do not see the 22-time Grand Slam champion going all the way to glory at Roland Garros.

Asked if Nadal will win the French Open this year, 80 per cent of voters said 'no'. However, the 37-year-old will be buoyed by the confidence shown in him by 20 per cent of respondents, who are happy to look beyond the star's troubles with fitness in recent years.

A separate question asked fans to name their favourite for the French Open and only 19 per cent voted for Nadal. He is the fourth-favourite among fans, behind Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic.

In hugely positive news, Nadal came through tournaments in Barcelona, Madrid and Rome unscathed. But the World No 276 faces a tough challenge against Italian Open champion Zverev in the first round on Sunday.

Zverev, the World No 4, had actually thought his brother was winding him up when he was informed that he had drawn Nadal.

"I was on court with [Andrey] Rublev yesterday on Chatrier practising, and then after the practice was over, which was actually a great practice, my brother told me," Zverev said.

Their previous meeting was in the 2022 semi-final when Zverev retired due to a serious injury in which he was taken from the court in a wheelchair.

He added: "I actually thought he was joking in the beginning. But then, yeah, it is what it is. I mean, obviously, to be very honest, I wanted to play Rafa again in my career, in his career, because I didn't want my last memory of me playing against Rafa to be me leaving the court in a wheelchair.

"Ideally, I would have liked to play him in the latter stage of the tournament. It's a tough draw, but it's a tough draw for both of us. We'll see how it goes on Monday."

2024-05-25T11:52:08Z dg43tfdfdgfd