“If Rafael Nadal’s not in the draw, there’s still a 50% chance he’s gonna get to the final of Roland Garros” – Roger Federer’s ex-coach Paul Annacone

Roger Federer's former coach Paul Annacone recently made a hilarious admission about Rafael Nadal's chances of reaching the final of the French Open 2024.

Nadal has been the undisputed French Open supremo ever since he turned professional in the year 2001. He has won the tournament a staggering fourteen times and has lost only three matches out of the 115 he's played there.

The 37-year-old has been gearing up for apparently his final show at Paris Major as he nears his imminent retirement. He's been skipping one tournament after the other after Brisbane International 2024, citing fitness complications seemingly in a bid to save himself for Stade Roland Garros, a place where he hasn't lost a final to date.

The Tennis Channel recently organized a poll in which they asked their panelist Paul Annacone whether the Spaniard reaching one more French Open final this year is more likely than Andy Murray, who's also approaching the shore, making it to the Wimbledon 2024 quarterfinals.

Annacone opted for the first odd to materialize and jokingly said:

"I think that if Rafa's not in the draw, there's still a 50 percent chance he's gonna get to the final of Roland Garros. That’s based just on the past experience of what Rafa’s done there."

Notably, Annacone taught Federer from August 2010 to October 2013 and helped win two Year-end championships and a Wimbledon trophy.

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"Roland Garros is one, Rafael Nadal steps it up one more level" - Dominic Thiem

Rafael Nadal

Alex de Minaur, Dominic Thiem, and Casper Ruud recently touched upon Rafael Nadal's French Open prowess. de Minaur was the only one among the three to never lock horns with the Spaniard at Roland Garros, hence he began the 'All On the Table' chatter at the Ultimate Tennis Showdown, saying:

"Well you guys have both played Rafa at French."

Ruud, who received a 6-3, 6-3, 6-0 beating at the hands of the 22-time Grand Slam champion in the final of the French Open 2022, said:

"Don't even start... Domi [Dominic Thiem] did much better than me so you should ask him for advice, but he can start. You [Thiem] played him several times."

Thiem, who too hasn't tasted success against the Spaniard at Paris Major, said:

"I think five times in Roland Garros… 14, 17, 18, 19 four times. Roland Garros is one, he steps it up one more level. It can be ugly on one point, you don't know how to win a point anymore."

However, Dominic Thiem hasn't actually done much better than Ruud against Nadal as three out of his four losses in Paris have come in straight sets. The only time he could take a set off the 37-year-old was in the 2019 final, which he lost 6-3, 5-7, 6-1, 6-1.