Rafael Nadal raises further doubts over French Open 2024 participation: "The decision is not clear in my mind today"

Rafael Nadal faced defeat in the 2024 Italian Open second-round clash against Hubert Hurkacz. After the match, Nadal's comments raised further doubts over his Roland Garros participation.

Nadal defeated Belgian Zizou Bergs in three sets in the first round to set up a second-round match against Hurkacz. The seventh seed put up a stunning display to get the better of the record 10-time Italian Open champion.

After a marathon opening game which saw Hurkacz save five breakpoints, the Pole dominated the outing at the Foro Italico to win the match 6-1, 6-3 in 93 minutes.

Next up, Nadal is expected to shift focus on the French Open. However, his participation at the Grand Slam, which he has won 14 times, remains doubtful.

During the post-match press conference, Nadal was asked about his plans regarding the Roland Garros. The Spaniard claimed there were two ways to go about it.

He could either not take part in the French Open citing that he is not ready for it, or he could train for the next two weeks and make himself ready. Although he prefers the latter, he is still undecided.

"Probably one is to say, Okay, I am not ready, I am not playing enough well. Then is the moment to take a decision in terms of not playing Roland Garros," Nadal said.

"Another is accept how I am today and work the proper way to try to be in a different way in two weeks."

"The decision, as you can imagine, is not clear in my mind today. But if I have to say what's my feeling and if my mind is closer one way or the other way, I going to say be in Roland Garros and try my best."

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"Tough day for me in all ways" - Rafael Nadal feels he prepared himself for a better performance in his Italian Open 2R match

Rafael Nadal at the Italian Open.

The first two games of the match between Rafael Nadal and Hubert Hurkacz lasted almost half an hour. The pair started strongly but Nadal lost his way as the match progressed.

The Spaniard, however, feels that the first set score is not the best reflection of how he played. On the other hand, he accepted that Hurkacz was playing much better than him in the second set.

Moreover, Nadal felt that he was prepared for a better fight.

"Tough day for me in all ways because I felt more ready than what I showed. That's give me a bad feeling because feeling myself better not being able to show myself on court," he said.

Hurkacz advanced into the third round, where he will face Argentine 25th-seed Tomas Martin Etcheverry.