Rafael Nadal 'will be ready' for French Open and 'no doubt' Novak Djokovic will perform - Patrick Mouratoglou

Serena Williams' former coach Patrick Mouratoglou thinks Rafael Nadal «will be ready» for the French Open in May. Nadal announced on Friday that he would not be competing at this month's Barcelona Open as he continues to recover from a leg injury he picked up at the Australian Open in January. Ad It means the 22-time Grand Slam winner faces a race against time to be fit for the French Open which gets underway on May 28.

ATP Monte CarloDominant Sinner breezes past Musetti to seal place in the final four7 HOURS AGO Mouratoglou believes Nadal will be able to overcome his fitness worries and be in the draw for the second Grand Slam of the year. «Rafa has one goal, to win more Grand Slams than anyone else,» Mouratoglou exclusively tells Eurosport. «He knows that his number one chance is the French Open and I think he told himself that he wanted to arrive in Paris in the best shape possible.

»But it's harder and harder every year because his body is very worn out, more than other players. He gave 1000% in training and matches. That means that his annual playing time is getting shorter every year.

«I think his goal is still Roland-Garros, which is why he's been preparing on clay for a long time. He'll be in shape tennis-wise. »Will he be physically fit? I can't say, it will depend on how he manages his injuries.

«He'll have to have a few matches, but I'm not really worried about him. He will be ready for Roland-Garros. »The rest of the year is something else… If he does well at Roland-Garros, he's done well for the year and he often plays pretty well on hard courts." Nadal will be giving 'the best he can' to be fit for French Open — Henin 'I'm still not prepared' — Nadal withdraws from Barcelona Open 'Look at yourself in the