"Most incredible" - Rafael Nadal inspires awe in Holger Rune's team member as duo's French Open practice session sees 10,000 fans in attendance
Fans are leaving no stone unturned to catch a glimpse of Rafael Nadal during his possibly last campaign at the French Open. During his recent practice session with Holger Rune, spectators turned up in huge numbers, creating scenes unheard of for a practice session.
Nearly 10,000 fans packed Court Suzanne Lenglen to watch Nadal do his magic on clay and go toe-to-toe with one of the most promising tennis stars. Tennis analyst Mike James, who is part of Holger Rune's team, took to social media platform X after the practice session to share his experience.
In a tweet, James said he had never seen anything like this. He was mesmerized by the sheer number of spectators turning up to watch two players practice. James also shared pictures of the court during the session.
"The most incredible practice I’ve been a part of today at Roland Garros. 10,000 in attendance," James tweeted.
Rafael Nadal has entered the main draw of the 2024 French Open via protected ranking. The Spaniard has been the stern task of facing off against fourth seed and reigning Italian Open champion Alexander Zverev in the first round.
Meanwhile, Holger Rune has been out of touch this year and struggling to go deep into tournaments. The Dane is seeded No. 13 and will be up against Dan Evans in his opening-round contest in Paris.
"Part of the business" - Rafael Nadal reacts to his French Open draw
Rafael Nadal has made peace with his draw at the 2024 French Open. During his pre-tournament press conference, the 14-time Roland Garros champion expected something like this to happen with the draw, especially because of his non-seeded status in the tournament.
"At some point somebody told me the draw. I mean, the reaction is something that I expected in some way. When you’re not seeded, anything can happen. That’s part of the business," Nadal said during a press conference.
Rafael Nadal will come into this year's clay slam after a couple of productive performances in preceding tournaments. At the Madrid Open, the 22-time Grand Slam champion defeated Darwin Blanch, No. 10 seed Alex de Minaur, and Pedro Cachin before losing to Jiri Lehecka for a fourth-round finish.
At the Italian Open, the Spaniard registered a hard-fought win against Zizou Bergs in the first round before being swept aside by Hubert Hurkacz.