Will Rafael Nadal hoist his 11th French Open trophy in 2018?

Back when he was a youngster, Rafael Nadal said that winning just one Roland Garros title is already a big achievement. In 2017, the Spaniard had gone on to win his 10th claycourt Slam title in Paris with a crushing 6-2, 6-3, 6-1 victory over Stan Wawrinka of Switzerland. With several top names on the injured list including the King of Clay himself, will we see Nadal secure an unprecedented 11th French Open title this June?

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If we base it on Nadal’s performance in the first two months of the season, then most would probably say that it won’t be the case. In January, the then-world number one had to retire from a five-set quarterfinal match against eventual finalist Marin Cilic due to a hip injury. This week, the Mallorcan was expected to make a highly anticipated comeback in Acapulco but he had to pull out at the last minute, announcing that the same injury had recurred. This has placed his participation at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells and the Miami Open in the next few weeks in doubt.

You might be wondering how Nadal can regain the top ranking after several weeks of absence. You can easily track his progress on tour when you get your tennis tips here. The Spaniard will most likely participate in all of the major claycourt events leading to the French Open. Last year, he won his 10th title in Monte Carlo and again in Barcelona, and of course he capped off his magnificent claycourt season with the La Decima in Paris.

Several names come to mind as to who will stop Nadal on his quest for an 11th title at the French Open. The main one would be – the current world number one Roger Federer. The Swiss Maestro has had a strong start of the season with a successful title defense in Melbourne and a title run in Rotterdam. Last season, he skipped a significant chunk of the claycourt season to prepare for the grasscourt season. He might reconsider this season.

With Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic’s conditions still in question, the younger batch of players are gaining the attention of both media and fans. There’s Dominic Thiem, Alexander Zverev, breakout Australian Open 2018 semifinalists Hyeon Chung and Kyle Edmund, and Argentinian Diego Schwartzman who waltzed his way to an ATP 500 claycourt title in Rio. Despite these threats, one can never discount the King of Clay’s ability at Roland Garros.

For die-hard Nadal fans, all hope is not lost. It can be remembered that eight years ago, Nadal had to pull out of his quarterfinal match against Andy Murray at the Australian Open due to injury (knee). What happened during the rest of the season was spectacular! He would go on to win the next three Grand Slam tournaments, defeating Robin Soderling of Sweden in Paris, beating Tomas Berdych in Wimbledon and Novak Djokovic in New York. So can he mirror the same scenario this season?