Playing only Madrid and Rome before Roland Garros will be ideal for Nadal.

[Nadal_King]

I think Madrid and Rome as 2 events before Rg could prove to be just the perfect preparation since these 2 events are now scheduled like slams or Iw/Miami with a day off between matches and for Rafa that would be perfect at the age of 37. Playing in successive days for him at Mc and Barcelona could be very risky and they are far off from Rg so Madrid and Rome are ideal for preparing with ample rest in between matches. Only issue is now he may struggle to get a good seeding for Rg unless just wins either or goes deep in both events, It can’t be ruled out but it’s very much possible that he struggles at these events. Also there are chances of him skipping Madrid and just playing Rome.

 

[intrepidish]

Nah, this isn't ideal for Nadal by any measure.

 

[Tennfan123]

Seriously who has time for this discussion. Hasn't it been years and years on end?

 

[swizzy]

playing 4 or more matches before the French Open is critical for him.

 

[Crocodile]

Does anyone know whether he is practising and playing matches behind closed doors at home as we write on this forum?
I don’t think Rafa would enter the French if he didn’t think he could prepare adequately and if he doesn’t pull up well in Rome or Madrid he will pull the plug

 

[BeatlesFan]

playing 4 or more matches before the French Open is critical for him.

Rafa could board a plane in Manacor at 8:00 a.m. on the first Monday of the FO, arrive in Paris at 10:00, drive straight to Chatrier, take the court in round one and 2 weeks later hoist the trophy.

 

[DSH]

Nadal defends 270 points in those tournaments and his ranking in RG could be the top 16, although the ideal for him would be to be at least top 12 and thus avoid the top 4 until the quarterfinals (of course if his rival in the fourth round was Medvedev, it would be another story).
Is Nadal ready to face the most difficult edition of the French Open of his career?

 

[Djokovic_is_the_best#1]

It doesn’t look like he’s playing Madrid. It’s a race against time to be fit for RG. The injury is still a big problem for him at moment.

 

[jl809]

Ned is not playing Madrid I reckon

 

[Djokovic_is_the_best#1]

Ned is not playing Madrid I reckon

True. Rome is doubtful too. Nadal’s camp said they unsure when he’s back and RG still in balance. We will just have to see if he does Rome before RG or if he just waits for RG and decides whether to play just that or not.

 

[Jonesy]

Just winning RG is ideal for Nadal

 

[Razer]

 

[DSH]

If already playing the US Open last year was a bad decision for Nadal, going to the Australian Open at the beginning of the season was already quite inconsistent and negligent on the part of him and his technical staff.
It remains to be seen if he can play one or two tournaments prior to Roland Garros.
It doesn't look good for him, that's for sure.

 

[Musterrific]

Skipping all warm-up events would be ideal for him - he'd arrive in Paris fresh as a daisy!

 

[DSH]

Skipping all warm-up events would be ideal for him - he'd arrive in Paris fresh as a daisy!

Do you remember someone who went far at Roland Garros without playing a previous tournament on clay?

 

[Nadal_King]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1648771343129690114

 

[RS]

Nadal needs match practice though imo. Playing 2 clay masters leading up to RG would ideal but it's looking unlikely.