Chris Evert hopes for a full-strength Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic at French Open, but expresses concern over their form
Chris Evert has expressed her desire to see Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic at full strength for the upcoming French Open despite uncertainty lingering over their current form.
In an interview with Eurosport, Evert expressed her sincere hope for Nadal and Djokovic to make a full recovery, acknowledging their increased susceptibility to injuries as they get older. Praising them as the "greatest ever," the 18-time Grand Slam champion expressed uncertainty regarding their fitness status for the French Open.
"I hope everyone is healthy, it seems like there are a lot of players injured lately. Novak and Rafa are the greatest ever, they have been the best clay court players for the last few years and as they get older they get injured a bit more. We don't know what their status is going to be, I hope they both reach 100% but we don't know," Evert said.
She admitted that with Djokovic missing out on the Madrid Open and Nadal being out of action since the Australian Open in January, their preparation for the French Major is less than ideal. However, the former World No. 1 stated that the 14-time Roland Garros champion should not be underestimated on clay courts.
Evert also acknowledged the 22-time Grand Slam champions' extensive experience in dealing with the emotions and challenges of Major tournaments, making them formidable opponents regardless of recent form.
"You just can't underestimate Rafa. I haven't seen a good form on clay from both of them in recent weeks, maybe their preparation is not ideal, but when it comes to Novak and Rafa, they are the guys with the most experience and who know how to deal better than anyone with emotions throughout a Grand Slam," she added.
Novak Djokovic set to compete at Italian Open 2023, Rafael Nadal misses out
After missing out on the Madrid Open due to lingering concerns over his elbow injury, Novak Djokovic will be back in action for his title defense at the ATP Masters 1000 Italian Open.
Following a bye in the first round, the World No. 1 will take on the winner of the match between Luca Van Assche and Tomas Martin Etcheverry. In 2022, the Serb defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-0, 7-6(5) in the final to win his sixth Italian Open title.
Meanwhile, Rafael Nadal's layoff from the ATP tour will continue as he was forced to pull out of the Rome Masters “despite an improvement” in his recovery from a hip injury sustained at the Australian Open. In 2022, Nadal defeated John Isner in his opening match before falling to Denis Shapovalov in the third round.