French Open 2023: Is Rafael Nadal travelling to Paris to defend his crown? Uncle Toni gives massive update

French Open 2023: Rafael Nadal is struggling with fitness to defend his crown at Roland Garros. While travelling to Paris remains doubtful for the Spaniard, his Uncle Toni has provided a significant update.

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Rafael Nadal of Spain has been in the news lately due to his fitness issues. With the clay season already underway, he is yet to feature in a tournament ahead of its title defence at the 2023 French Open. He suffered an injury at the Australian Open in January and has since undergone surgery.

Nadal has been on a slow road to recovery that has derailed his clay season. Having missed out on the Monte Carlo Masters, Barcelona Open and the soon-to-star Madrid Masters, he will be racing against time to be fit for Rome Masters, the final major clay event before his title defence at Roland Garros.

While concerns surround if Nadal will make it to Paris or retire eventually, his Uncle Tony has recently told Radio MARCA, "He is not thinking about retiring. He wants to recover and continue competing because he is passionate about this sport. He would like to be competing now, but there is little left for that to happen. He will play in Paris, although how he trains in the coming weeks and what he can do in Rome will be important to measure his aspirations there."