French Open 2023: Novak Djokovic reveals what Rafael Nadal missing out title defence means for Roland Garros

French Open 2023: Rafael Nadal will be missing out on his title defence, as he is yet to fully recover from his knee injury. Meanwhile, Novak Djokovic has revealed what his absence means to Roland Garros.

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Defending champion Rafael Nadal of Spain will not be competing in the 2023 French Open, which would only be the third time in his illustrious career, having won the title here on record 14 instances, while he is also the joint record holder of winning the most Grand Slams (22) alongside his longtime rival, Novak Djokovic of Serbia.

While Djokovic is participating in the event, although he is being dubbed as a favourite to win the crown this time, his clay-court preparations this term have been extremely under-par, having failed to win a single tournament on the surface, leading up to the competition. Meanwhile, he has revealed that Nadal missing out is a great loss for the event, but it opens up the chances of many other players.

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“Obviously Nadal not playing in the tournament here is a big loss for tennis. It is a big loss for Roland Garros because he's by far the most successful player to play in this tournament in history. Of course, it opens up, you know, a chance and opportunity for the rest of us to try to get a title because whenever he plays, he's an absolute favourite here or any clay court tournament, for that matter," he said during the pre-tournament press conference on Saturday, reports ATP.

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“You have [Carlos] Alcaraz. He's No. 1 and probably the biggest favourite in the tournament. Tsitsipas and [Daniil] Medvedev. They have started playing great on clay. And Rune, [Casper] Ruud and [Alexander] Zverev, know how to play big events, can always do damage against anybody,” added the Serbian.

When asked about his opportunity at a record-breaking 23rd Slam title, Djokovic cited, “It's no secret that one of the main reasons I play today and compete in professional tennis is to try to break more records and make more history in tennis. That's extremely motivating and inspiring for me… History being on the line is something that is very flattering and is very motivating, no doubt about it.”

“I don't have any physical issues that worry me. So, that's most important for me. I want to feel good coming into a Grand Slam… I know how to approach the Grand Slam. I know how to live during these few weeks, in a way, day in and day out, and I hope that I'll have a few weeks. It would mean that I went far in the tournament,” he considered.

While he is tipped to meet world number one Alcaraz in the semis as per the draw, speaking on the possible meet, he declared, “With Alcaraz, you have Juan Carlos Ferrero who is a former World No. 1. Someone who had the reputation of always being very serious, very disciplined, and he went about his business in a proper manner. I think his being with Alcaraz from the age of 14 or 15 was a fantastic decision for Alcaraz. To have somebody who is going to mentor and guide you and introduce you to professional tennis. It is obviously working extremely well.”