Rafael Nadal should get top 16 seeding spot for Roland Garros says Christopher Eubanks despite being World No.644

Christopher Eubanks opined that Rafael Nadal deserves a place among the top 16 seeds for the upcoming French Open. The 14-times Roland Garros champion enters as world No. 644 and has already showcased his level at the Barcelona Open, where he advanced past the first round against Flavio Cobolli (6-2, 6-3), but suffered a resounding defeat against Alex De Minaur in the second round (5-7, 1-6).

Nadal boasts a record of 112-3 in Paris since his debut in the tournament in 2005. However, this year his chances seem much lower than in previous years, mainly due to the injuries that have plagued him over the last year and a half, during which he has barely competed in some tournaments.

After missing practically the entire 2023 season, Nadal played in the Brisbane International at the beginning of January 2024. A new injury forced him to be absent until the Barcelona Open three months later, marking only his second event in 15 months. The former world No. 1 entered Roland Garros with a protected ranking of No. 9, but regulations prevent him from being a seeded player.

This makes Nadal's fate in Paris unpredictable, considering he could face opponents like Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, or even Novak Djokovic from the first round. However, Christopher Eubanks suggested that Nadal deserves a place among the top 16 seeds due to his entire history in the tournament, although he acknowledged that placing Nadal among the top eight would be difficult despite his exceptional record.

"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."

"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," he added.

Nadal commented after his exit from Barcelona that he probably won't play the tournament again. His entry into the Madrid Open and Rome Open before Roland Garros is confirmed for now, but we'll have to wait for the Spaniard's confirmation, as he has adjusted his schedule several times depending on how he feels physically.