No tennis player is missing from the current top-10 men or women in the world, but the casualties suffered by Roland Garros have never been discussed as much as on this occasion. Logical considering that Rafa Nadal will be missing for the first time since 2005, when he made his debut at the age of 18 and won the first of his fourteen titles.
The king of the clay courts heads a list of absences that weigh heavily on Spanish tennis. These are the main ones:
Rafael Nadal
The king, at one point and separately
The loss of Rafa Nadal, 14 titles, means this will be the first Roland Garros without him or Roger Federer since 1998. Full stop for the man from Manacor, who turns 37 on June 3. He hopes his body will respond to the break and he will be able to return to say goodbye to competitive tennis. In his chosen calendar of 2024 Paris includes two appointments: Roland Garros and the Olympic Games. He has not competed since January, the Australian Open, after suffering an iliopsoas injury, which was more severe than expected.
Garbine Muguruza
Gap year of the best of 2016
The 2016 champion, coming off a sabbatical year. A peak that certainly suffered from a high point such as being the first Spaniard to win a WTA Masters, in November 2021. He emphasized that it was not a withdrawal. He will try to return next year, at the age of 30. In competition it is always a trick to consider. Unpredictable, but with a lot of quality.
Paula Badosa
an insidious injury
Before the Roland Garros draw, Paula Badosa announced that she was out due to a stress fracture in the L4 vertebra. On the slopes between two and four months. Even Wimbledon is not insured. Cold water jug when he started the project with a new team, another stage in his life, and he shows a good level of tennis.
Pablo Carreno
No clay due to damage
Pablo Carreño has only played four games this season, none on clay. He missed the entire tour with an elbow injury that has not fully healed. A muscle tear in the forearm prevented his return, which he tried in the Madrid tournament without success. Farewell to Paris, at the age of 31.
andy murray
The priority is Wimbledon
Extending his career thanks to a hip replacement that prevented his retirement, Andy Murray dosed his efforts. With little to do on the clay of Roland Garros, the Scottish ‘warrior’ is conserving energy for the grass tour, with Queen’s and Wimbledon on his agenda. It was at home and he felt there were options to give more.
Naomi Osaka
Pregnant
The Japanese, former world number 1 and two-time Australian Open and US Open champion, caused an earthquake at Roland Garros 2021 when he withdrew from it without playing in the second round by refusing to follow the rules of mandatory media attendance . communication. He appealed a mental health issue. She will devote this 2023 to a new life project, she is pregnant.
Simona Halep
Suspended for doping
Romanian Simona Halep complains that she is not allowed to defend herself under the conditions of being positive for doping in a control and accusations of a biological passport with irregularities. Be aware that his version has not been heard in an official body. He based his defense on the contamination of an authorized supplement. Temporarily suspended from October 2022, he won Roland Garros in 2018 and Wimbledon in 2019
Matteo Berrettini
Brake on his climb
Injuries continue to sideline Italian Matteo Berrettini from the path to glory. The injury to the abdominal oblique muscle, which he suffered in the Monte Carlo tournament, left the 2021 Wimbledon finalist, when he seemed to be rising towards the honorary positions of tennis. His progress has slowed since then.
Nick Kyrgios
unprecedented this season
A knee injury derailed his start to the season in Australia. He is officially out of Roland Garros with a leg injury after defending himself against an attempted robbery at his Canberra home. Episode where the thief points a gun at his mother to take the Australian’s Telsa car, who works with the police to recover it by tracking it. The best Kyrgios has seen in the 2022 Wimbledon final, the bubble is bursting again.
Emma Raducanu
triple operation
Champion of the US Open 2021 from the previous stage. Madness in Great Britain. The constant change of coaches, which is more attractive than training, is in favor of the 20-year-old he can straighten and rearrange his life, if he considers it. On the slopes for months due to wrist surgeries, which he took advantage of to correct the ankle problem as well.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Robert Maynard, and I am a passionate journalist with experience in sports writing. For the last few years, I have been writing for Today Times Live. My main focus has been on sports-related stories and features. With my strong background in journalism and extensive knowledge of the industry, I am able to provide readers with well-crafted pieces that are both informative and engaging.