King of Clay, Rafael Nadal, finally returned on the red soil on the ATP Tour as he played at the 2024 Barcelona Open on Tuesday. He emerged victorious against Italian youngster Flavio Cobolli, defeating him 6-2, 6-3. It was his first match on clay since he won the 2022 French Open singles title.
He skipped the entire 2023 season due to the injury he picked up in Australia. Scheduled to play in Monte Carlo last week, the Spaniard made a last-minute withdrawal citing fitness reasons. With his return to the Tour, the question of his possible run at the 2024 French Open has been raised again.
Chris Eubanks and Rafael Nadal (Images via IMAGO)
In all likeliness, this could be the final season on the Tour for the 22-time singles Grand Slam title winner. With 14 titles at Roland Garros, he is already the most decorated player at a single Majors event. However, ranked 644th in the world right now, there’s no way Nadal can enter the Grand Slam’s main draw directly.
He needs to either use his protected ranking or depend on a wildcard. But the real question remains if the Roland Garros organizers will seed him despite his low rank. While there could be a mixed opinion on this, World No. 42 Chris Eubanks feels Rafa should be seeded.
I would put him in Top-16 for sure. You've got to space him out against the Top-16 guys. If you're going to put him 25, you might as well leave him unseeded. He's got to be inside the Top-16. Off the top of my head, it could be a bit tough to go Top-8 considering the form of other players.said Chris Eubanks speaking on Tennis Channel
Eubanks was reasonable in putting the Spaniard in Top-16 instead of the Top-8. He felt the likes of Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, Casper Ruud, and Stefanos Tsitsipas along with the other top players can’t be swapped with the King of Clay despite his track record hence finding Top-16 ideal.
It will be tough to take one of those guys out of the Top-8. That's why I am kind of going Top-8, Top-16, and 32. So I think Top-16 is a pretty safe bet. You could make him a ninth or tenth seed. But at that point, I feel if he is not Top-8, he might as well be Top-16. It doesn't really make much difference being 10, 12 or 13.added Chris Eubanks
What is the criteria for Grand Slams to decide if they can seed a low-ranked player?
The seeds for this year’s French Open will be announced in nearly three weeks from now. The Grand Slam tournament will kick off on 20th May with the finals scheduled on 9th June. With just 50 ranking points to his name, Nadal would need to win in Barcelona and the twin Masters events in Madrid and Rome.
But the likeliness of this is quite less given his physical struggles. The dependency on a wildcard or seeding is at an all-time high for the World No. 644. The French Open, similar to the other three Grand Slams, has the right to grant seeding to a player who doesn’t automatically qualify for the seeding place.
The decision is taken, however, based on past performances. In the case of Nadal, there’s no other successful player than him at the tournament. Whether he indeed gets a seeding, only time can tell. For now, the Spaniard will focus on taking on Alex de Minaur in the second round in Barcelona.
