Tournament Director Guy Forget has put a big question mark over world number one Rafael Nadal’s appearance at the ATP Masters 1000 event in Paris Bercy. He does not know whether the Spaniard will compete in the French capital, said the 53-year-old.
The 17-time Grand Slam winner made his last appearance at the US Open in New York. There he had to give up against the Argentinian Juan Martin del Potro due to a knee injury. More than six weeks later Nadal still seems to be plagued with the same injury, which is why his appearance in Paris-Bercy is now at risk.
The clay court king already had to cancel for the tournaments in Beijing and Shanghai and was aiming for his return for the last two highlights of the year (Paris and London). But the comeback seems to be further delayed. “I don’t know if Nadal will play in Paris,” says Guy Forget, tournament director of the last ATP Masters 1000 event of the year.
The Spaniard had already resumed training, but there was still a big difference between practice units and competition. “Just because you train, you’re not ready to play at the highest level. You can hit the ball well, but it’s different when you have to move,” Forget says.
Especially for Rafa as a defensive artist, it is enormously important to be at 100 percent. Forget: “Of course we hope he will come to Paris, but if his physical condition is bad, we wish him all the best for the coming season.”
If Nadal were not to play in Paris-Bercy, the chances of a change of guard at the top of the world rankings would be even greater. Currently the Serbian Novak Djokovic is only 215 points behind the Spaniard. The tournament in the French capital will take place from 29 October to 4 November.