Roger Federer’s ex-coach Ivan Ljubicic recently backed Rafael Nadal’s decision regarding his 2024 French Open participation.
After several injury-related withdrawals, Nadal finally resumed his 2024 comeback campaign at the Barcelona Open in April. After a second-round defeat at the tournament, the Spaniard shifted his focus to the ongoing Madrid Open.
Although concerns were raised over Rafael Nadal’s fitness, he defied all odds to advance to the fourth round with impressive victories over Pedro Cachin, Alex de Minaur and 16-year-old Darwin Blanch to set up a meeting with Jiri Lehecka.
Before beginning his Madrid Open campaign, though, the former World No. 1 shared a surprising take on his potential participation at the upcoming French Open. While many in the tennis world expected the 14-time French Open champion to prioritize the event, he looked beyond it.
Nadal added that while he will try his best to be competitive at the French Open, he may not compete there if he feels underprepared.
“The world does not end with Roland Garros,” he said at his press conference in Madrid (via Marca). “There are the Olympic Games ahead and different formats that make me excited.”
“I’m going to do it, things that I have to do to be able to play Paris. And if it is possible, it is possible and if not, I will not go to Paris if I (don’t) feel qualified enough to compete,” he added.
Backing the Spaniard’s decision, Roger Federer’s ex-coach Ljubicic said:
“We’ve seen him for 20 years. We know his champion mentality. Like Federer at Wimbledon, in Paris he will only play if he thinks he can get to the end, not to make an appearance,” he said according to La Stampa.
“If he says, that it means he’s not in a good condition. He knows very well what he needs, let’s see if he will find the right sensations in the remaining weeks,” he added.
In 2022, the tennis world was hoping for Roger Federer to make a comeback at Wimbledon, where he’s a record eight-time champion. The Swiss, though, decided against it, amid unceasing knee struggles. He skipped the entire season and called time on his career at his brainchild event, the Laver Cup
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