“We could potentially have a Rafael Nadal-Novak Djokovic first round at French Open”

Andy Roddick recently highlighted the possibility of a Rafael Nadal-Novak Djokovic showdown in the first round of the French Open 2024.

The French Open is scheduled to start on Monday, May 20, at Stade Roland Garros in Paris. Interestingly, no player other than Nadal and Djokovic has secured the championship since the year 2016 with the Spaniard notably winning it five times.

The two have already kicked off their European clay swing with Djokovic ending as a semifinalist at the Monte-Carlo Masters and the 22-time Grand Slam champion playing two matches at the Barcelona Open.

In a recent episode of the Served with Andy Roddick podcast, Andy Roddick wished for the Spaniard to set foot in Paris injury-free, especially because he's been prone to them for his entire career.

"Any injury from here on out could be the last injury. I still feel if he gets matches in and if he gets a clean bill of health for two or three events going into Roland Garros, certainly one of the favorites," the American said (at 2:55).

Roddick then floated the idea of a clash between Nadal and Djokovic as the former wouldn't be seeded at the tournament and the other is likely to be the first.

"Also, something that’s not talked about enough right now, he goes in unseeded… we could potentially have a Rafa-Novak first round [at French Open]," the former US Open champion added.

If Andy Roddick's thought materializes, it would be the arch rivals' 60th meeting on the court. Djokovic currently holds a slim lead of 30-29 in terms of the head-to-head.

Roddick then claimed for the 24-time Grand Slam champion that he would not want to face Nadal in the first round of a tournament that the Spaniard has prevailed on a staggering 14 occasions.

"I could tell you if I was one of the top seeds, who I would not wanna play first round, if he’s just floating in the draw, is a guy who’s won that event 14 times," the former World No. 1 commented.

Rafael Nadal is up 8-2 against Novak Djokovic in their French Open head-to-head

Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic have notably clashed at the French Open 10 times between 2006 and 2022 and the 14-time champion maintains a strong lead of 8-2 head-to-head lead over the latter. Notably, they have come face-to-face in the final at Roland Garros three times in 2012, 2014, and 2020 with Nadal winning every time.

The two first met in the quarterfinals of the 2006 edition which ended with the Serb retiring with an injured back while trailing 6-4, 6-4 after two sets. Djokovic waited for five more duels to become only the second player after Robin Soderling to beat Nadal at the Claycourt Major as he scored a 7-5, 6-3, 6-1 win in the quarterfinals in 2015.

The Serb earned his second victory by prevailing 3-6, 6-3, 7-6(4), 6-2 in the 2021 semifinals. The two last met at the French Open in another quarterfinal two years ago when the Spaniard won for the eighth time.