Rafael Nadal withdraws from French Open: 'Paris will cry for loss of its king' - Fans at Italian Open react to news

The king is dead… long live the king? The phrase is metaphoric and dramatic in many ways but the news that men’s tennis’ greatest ever clay-court player, Rafael Nadal, will NOT feature at this year’s Roland-Garros has sent melancholic shockwaves across the tennis world and opened the door for a rare, different name to hold aloft La Coupe des Mousquetaires in 2023. Ad The reigning champion and 14-time winner’s announcement at a press conference held at his Academy in Mallorca on Thursday afternoon is hugely significant on so many levels.

Roland-GarrosSchett relieved to see Nadal confirm desire to play on2 HOURS AGO For some it was expected while others were just hopeful the 22-time major winner would somehow find a way to grace Court Philippe Chatrier once again. The 36-year-old hasn’t beaten the clock in his race to be fit in time to play in the French capital this time around and the news has just raised further questions.

Is it pretty much the end for the former world No.1? Will he ever play on Paris clay again? What will it mean for the all-time Grand Slam race and who is going to benefit at this year’s Roland-Garros now that the King of Clay has vacated his thrown and will not be in his Kingdom for the first time since 2004? Paul Hassall took to the Foro Italico grounds and reached out to Spain to gauge the reaction. ——— A dark collage of grey cloud hovered threateningly over the Foro Italico on Thursday which was symbolic of the mood in Rome both on and off the court right now.

There is a clear sadness away from sport with a significant proportion of the population dramatically hit by the floods in Emilia-Romagna. A minute of silence was held ahead of each of the scheduled tournament matches as a show of solidarity