Although
Rafael Nadal has won the
French Open a record 13 times, renown coach
Patrick Mouratoglou believes the Spaniard is not a favorite to win this year, which has received some pushback from Nadal's coach, Carlos Moya.
Nadal began the year with an incredible 20-0 unbeaten match streak that included a victory at the Australian Open. However, the 21-time Grand Slam champion fell to Taylor Fritz in the final of Indian Wells and revealed he had suffered a stress rib fracture during the previous match. The Spaniard took a few weeks off to recover, and is currently competing at the
Madrid Open.
Despite not having enough match practice, Nadal is still considered a heavy favorite by many to lift the title. However, Mouratoglou believes the Spaniard should not be considered a contender because he lacks the big match experience on clay this year, which is required to build momentum heading into Paris.
“He will not reach his best level at Roland Garros because he needs to play many games and he will not have them," said the former coach of Serena Williams. "It is very strange for him to arrive in Paris having played so little on land.”
Upon hearing Mouratoglou's comments, Carlos Moya shot back and took to Twitter to remind the Frenchman of Nadal's achievements.
"17 years in a row top 10, Roland Garros’20 with 3 matches in 7 months, Australian Open’22 with 3 matches in 6 months… a little respect and memory @pmouratoglou,” wrote Moya.
Fondly referred to as the King of Clay, Nadal has amassed an amazing record on the red dirt, including 62 titles, the most by any player in tennis history. Furthermore, the 35-year old has won 13 Roland Garros titles, and has over 100 match wins with only three losses in his career at the event.
