Rafa Nadal worked out this Monday afternoon for the first time at the Philippe Chatrier at Roland Garros and unleashed madness among the thousands of fans who filled a large part of the Parisian facility, between 5,000 and 6,000 spectators according to the organization. The 37-year-old player (he will turn 38 in two weeks) traveled to Paris this morning.
Absent in the last edition, Nadal’s training marks the Spaniard’s return to the court where he has achieved so much success almost two years later. June 5, 2022, when he beat Casper Ruud in the final of that edition to win his 14th Musketeers Cup, was the last time Rafa hit balls on the Parisian clay.
Nadal’s training with Marc López and the Frenchman Vivien Cabos, under the gaze of Carlos Moyá and Gustavo Marcaccio, began at 5:00 p.m. and ended around 6:30 p.m. A training session in which the 276th in the world did not push too hard.
Nadal arrives at Roland Garros having played eight matches on this clay court tour: two in Barcelona, ??four in Madrid and another two in Rome, with a balance of five wins and three losses. His ceiling, for the moment, is the round of 16 that he reached at the Caja Mágica.
In Paris, Nadal will train during these days before a debut that could come this coming Sunday. Previously, this Thursday he will know his path in the draw, where his low ranking means that he can face anyone from the first round.
The Balearic tennis player has won Roland Garros fourteen times and throughout his career he has won 22 Grand Slams. Along with Djokovic, Nadal is currently the male tennis player who has accumulated the most Grand Slam singles titles in history.
