Rafael Nadal: 'I knew that Roger Federer would play Roland Garros'

A couple of days ago, Roger Federer announced he would compete on clay this spring, adding Geneva Open and Roland Garros to his schedule and making his fans thrilled.

Struggling with a knee injury, Roger had to stay away from the court for 13 months, skipping almost the entire 2020 season and undergoing two knee surgeries in February and May. In October, Roger returned to the practice court and started from the beginning after such an extended break, working hard on his game and preparing a fresh start in 2021.

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After skipping the Australian Open in February, Federer finally hit the court again in March, playing two matches in Doha for positive vibes ahead of the clay swing. Speaking about Roger from Barcelona, Rafael Nadal said that he knew about Roger's plans to compete in Paris this year, feeling happy about his great rival and saying it is good for tennis in general.

Thinking a lot about his schedule, Federer withdrew from Madrid and Rome, setting eyes on Geneva and Roland Garros and hoping to gain form ahead of his beloved grass swing. Despite a shorter grass swing in comparison to the previous years, Roger will try to repeat his 2019 Roland Garros run when he beat five rivals and reached the semi-final, losing to Rafael Nadal in straight sets.

"I spoke to Roger before, and I knew he would play in Paris. I think it's good for tennis in general, and him too," Rafael Nadal said.