French Open 2023: Will Rafael Nadal be fit to defend his crown? Coach Carlos Moya provides an update

French Open 2023: Rafael Nadal is still struggling to gain fitness, as he is yet to begin his clay season. Meanwhile, whether he can defend his Roland Garros crown remains doubtful, while coach Carlos Moya has provided an update.

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The 2023 French Open is just a month away, while the clay-court season preparations have been underway for the past month. However, defending champion Rafael Nadal of Spain has yet to kick-start his clay proceedings for the season. He is recovering from an injury, having undergone surgery a couple of months after suffering the hard fate during the Australian Open in January.

So far, Nadal has missed the Monte Carlo Masters and Barcelona Open and will also miss the Madrid Masters. Although he remains listed for the Rome Masters, the final major clay event before Roland Garros, there are apprehensions about his participation. At the same time, his coaching staff would only risk him once he has gained complete match fitness.

While it has also led to perturbations that he might be forced to skip the clay event in Paris this year, his coach Carlos Moya has provided an update, as he has said, “Times are tough because Rafa is a beast of competition, and it’s his favourite time of the year. But, the objective remains Roland Garros.”

“The preparation will not be ideal, but it’s Rafael Nadal. We can always expect the best. Rafael is recovering. I think it is not long before he can compete again. Anything can be if you are lucky enough to have an affordable draw in the first rounds. I have said many times that they have interviewed me. Nadal in the second week is a favourite,” concluded Moya, reports L’Equipe.