After a disastrous Australian Open last January, the King of Clay is looking to defend his French Open title and possibly win his 15th Roland-Garros trophy. The clay courts of Paris have been dominated by Nadal for 18 years, only dropping three matches in 115 total matches. The worldwide icon from Spain has never missed a tournament in the past 18 years, but an injury sustained in January might result in Nadal failing to compete this year.
It is noted that Rafa has sustained a left hip flexor injury which saw him sit out Miami, Indian Wells, Monte Carlo, Barcelona, Madrid, and now Italian Open. Despite this, Nadal has expressed his plans to be back fit by the start of the competition, and many still believe that Nadal is a solid contender for the title. He currently has 4.00 odds of winning this year’s French Open.