“The seeds would be begging not to play him in first round,” Martina Navratilova feels it’s not Rafael Nadal’s loss that he is not seeded at 2024 Roland Garros

She claimed that everyone would have wanted Nadal to be seeded.

“The seeds would be begging not to play him in first round,” Martina Navratilova feels it’s not Rafael Nadal’s loss that he is not seeded at 2024 Roland Garros

Rafael Nadal, Martina Navratilova (Images via Imago)

Spanish tennis legend Rafael Nadal will be opening his campaign at the 2024 Roland Garros with a match against Alexander Zverev who is seeded fourth in the Grand Slam tournament. As Nadal was not seeded due to his low ranking, he will have to face a seeded player and it is being seen as a negative matchup for the Spaniard. However, Martina Navratilova thinks otherwise.

The American tennis legend believes that it is not Nadal’s loss that he has not been seeded. Navratilova said that none of the seeded players would want to face a player who has enjoyed unreal success in the tournament in the first round.

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She said that it was unfortunate that the draw worked this way. The WTA legend made these comments when she was asked if Nadal should have been seeded considering his performances in the tournament so far in his career.

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I think all the seeded players except for the one who is seeded 32, would have wanted him to be seeded. The seeds would be begging not to play him in the first round. It is really unfortunate that the draw worked out this way. But that's how it goes...It's unfortunate to determine but I think they would have been better off seeding him.
Martina Navratilova said about Rafael Nadal not being seeded at 2024 Roland Garros.

Is Rafael Nadal worried about facing Alexander Zverev in first round?

While Martina Navratilova claims that it is not Rafael Nadal‘s loss that he has not been seeded, the 37-year-old does feel the need to have been seeded. With that not happening, Nadal will be playing Alexander Zverev in the first round and faces a potential threat of getting knocked out early.

Rafael Nadal
Alexander Zverev, Rafael Nadal (Image via Imago)

Nadal said that it is not the best draw from him on paper. Meanwhile, his coach Carlos Moya called Zverev “one of the worst opponents” for Nadal. The reason is that Zverev is coming into the 2024 Roland Garros on the back of a title-winning campaign in Rome.

The German tennis ace beat Nicolas Jarry in the final to win his sixth Masters title and second in Rome. This means that Zverev will be high on confidence and he has already revealed his mindset for the match against Nadal. The German says that in his mind, he will be playing against peak Rafael Nadal and is preparing the same way.

Hence, it will certainly play on Nadal’s mind that he would have been better off seeded so that, as his coach said, he would have gotten into the rhythm before playing a top 10 player.

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