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French Open 2022: Rafael Nadal will rule again, predicts India star Purav Raja

The run-up to the French Open offered a mixed picture. Nadal lost in Madrid and Rome while Djokovic redeemed himself at the Italian Open while the story of the season was Carlos Alcaraz, who won at Madrid.

Rafael Nadal

Bengaluru, May 20: The French Open, season's second Grand Slam is round the corner with defending champion Novak Djokovic, sentimental favourite Rafael Nadal and rising star Carlos Alcaraz all drawn in the same half of the draw.

The run-up to the French Open offered a mixed picture. Nadal lost in Madrid and Rome while Djokovic redeemed himself at the Italian Open and the story of the season was Carlos Alcaraz, who won at Madrid.

But India's tennis player Purav Raja has not been wavered by the event of those big weeks. Purav says French Open, beginning on Sunday (May 22) at Roland Garros, will have only one winner - Nadal.

French Open: Djokovic, Alcaraz and Nadal all on same side of draw at Roland GarrosFrench Open: Djokovic, Alcaraz and Nadal all on same side of draw at Roland Garros

"Rafa (Rafael Nadal) is still my favourite. And of course Novak (Djokovic) too. This year's French Open is gonna be different with all the fans being back. Nadal just loves playing in front of those packed crowd.

Obviously there'll be lot more energy when you play in front of a full house, especially when it goes to the fifth set and on and the crowd cheers them on," Raja told a group of invited journalists in a virtual media interaction organised by Sony Sports Network, who have the official broadcast rights of French Open 2022 in India.

The 36-year-old believes if Nadal wins on the Parisian clay this time, the GOAT debate will get an eniterly new dimension.

Currently the Spaniard tops the Grand Slam collection with 21 titles, followed by Djokovic and Roger Federer, who both have 20 crowns apiece.

"If Nadal wins two more Slams this year it'll be interesting. I hope Roger (Federer) comes back and adds to his tally. I'm not going to sit on who is the GOAT. But I would rather say that once the career of all these players are over, Djokovic will definitely end up with more Grand Slam titles." he said.

'Stop comparing him to me' – Nadal refuses to pile pressure on Alcaraz'Stop comparing him to me' – Nadal refuses to pile pressure on Alcaraz

Alcaraz is already being spoken about as the next big thing in ATP tennis after his recent run of form, which saw him beat both Nadal and Djokovic en route to the Madrid Open title.

While hailing Alcaraz for his excellent show, Raja said the Spaniard was destined for big things in future.

"He's got the temperament to win a Grand Slam. The kind of performance he's putting up at the age of at 19, I just can't even imagine doing it at 36. To beat Novak and Rafa in the same tournament, getting past them in deciders, breaking the serves ... all that's a phenomenal achievement," added Raja, who will be one of the panelists on Sports Sports Network's flagship show Extra Serve during the French Open.

Purav Raja

Talking about the women's draw at Roland Garros, Raja said it was a difficult to predict.

"Iga (Swiatek) has already been there in the winners' circle once. But she won when nobody expected her to win and was languishing at less than 50 in WTA rankings. Now Iga is a much-improved player. Barbara (Krejcicova) and Emma (Raducanu) are also there in the mix and it's a very competitive field," he added.

Before signing off, Raja sought to distance himself from the political row surrounding Russia invading Ukraine.

The political stand-off has spilled to the baseline - while French Open has allowed Russian players to compete, Wimbledon has issued a blanket ban on Russians, a move that has drawn flak from many quarters.

"I don't want to be drawn into this political battle. I'm not an expert on these things. Whether French Open organisers have taken the right decision or whether Wimbledon has taken the wrong decision, people form an opinion depending on which side of the fence you're. I can't say anything about it. Every individual is entitled to his own opinion.

If I remember well, Wimbledon had banned the players for the apartheid issue in 1972. And remember during the first outbreak of coronavirus (COVID-19), it was Wimbledon who paid the players the full money without even hitting ball."

While ruing the fact that no Indian player is currently in the top 100 of ATP ranking, Raja was looking at the larger picture.

"Agreed if you're a good cricket player you should be playing for your national team. If you're a decent football player, you should be playing in the Premier League. In tennis, if you aren't in the top-100, then you're nowhere. Just can't help it.

But just don't forget the fact that there're many Indian players who've still played 15 Grad Slams. We're the miracles of system. We've fought hard and broke the shackles. So you've to look at the positives as well," Raja concluded.



Where to watch French Open

Watch Roland-Garros 2022 Live from May 22 to June 5 on SONY SIX, SONY TEN 2 (English), SONY TEN 3 (Hindi) and SONY TEN 4 (Tamil & Telugu) channels.

Story first published: Friday, May 20, 2022, 14:45 [IST]
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