First look of Nadal in Paris as 'King of Clay' eyes 14th French Open crown

13-time French Open winner Rafael Nadal was seen training on Court Philippe Chatrier on Wednesday for the 2022 tournament at Roland Garros.

Image Credit: Getty Images

The French Open 2022 is set to begin on May 22, and Spanish maestro Rafael Nadal will enter the clay court at Roland Garros, eyeing to clinch his 14th crown. But a chronic foot injury that recently cost him a chance at the Italian Open title has left fans worried. However, the 21-time Grand Slam winner, who made his way to the Philippe Chatrier Court on Wednesday, looks set for yet another successful campaign.

Last week, the 13-time Roland Garros champion revealed that daily training was becoming a challenge and would take a doctor with him to Paris after a chronic foot injury flared up during his shocking loss to Denis Shapovalov at the Italian Open. But easing concerns ahead of the tournament that starts on May 22, Nadal was seen training hard on Court Philippe Chatrier, sending a wave of relief among fans.

The Spanish ace, who recently shared a video of him training in full flow at his academy in Mallorca, trained in front of a large gathering of spectators at the Roland Garros.

Nadal, who sported a grey sleeveless jersey paired with sky blue shorts, was seen practising his trademark shots enthraling those gathered.

The Spaniard also greeted Greece's Stefanos Tsitsipas during a change over in training session on Court Philippe Chatrier as the players prepare for the second Grand Slam tournament of the year.

The 21-time Grand Slam champion will be attempting to reclaim the title in Paris after he suffered a semi-final defeat last year against Novak Djokovic, only his third career loss at Roland Garros. However, time will tell if the foot injury will derail Nadal's attempt to create history again.