Rafael Nadal is favorite for French Open 2023 even if he 'hardly wins a match this season', believes former doubles World No. 1 Paul McNamee
Rafael Nadal has already been tipped as the favorite to clinch the title at the 2023 French Open by former Australian tennis pro Paul McNamee.
The Spaniard had an injury-troubled end to his 2022 season and things have not improved for him at the start of this year. He lost both his matches at the United Cup to Cameron Norrie and Alex de Minaur, and will soon begin his Australian Open title defence with six defeats in his last seven matches on the tour.
This is in stark contrast to his form last year, especially at the Grand Slams where he was on a 22-match win streak before it came to an end at the hands of Frances Tiafoe at the US Open.
While former doubles World No. 1 Paul McNamee is unsure of the 36-year-old's chances at three of the four Grand Slams, he believes that form does not matter for the 14-time French Open champion in Paris.
"Will he win another slam? Perhaps not at three of the four majors but, for Nadal, there’s always the French Open. His record 14 titles, including 2022, is arguably the greatest single record in the history of sports. It’s up there with Michael Jordan’s double three-peat of NBA titles," he wrote in his column for The Age.
"For me, even if Nadal went from a 22-match streak last year to hardly winning a match in this new season, he would still go in as the favourite at Roland Garros," he added.
The 68-year-old stated that his belief in the World No. 1's chances at Roland Garros stems from him having the 'single best shot' in tennis history.
"On clay, there’s a maxim I subscribe to: “The best shot wins.” Well, in my opinion, the Nadal forehand is the single best shot in the history of tennis. Better than the Sampras or Federer serves, the Del Potro forehand or the Djokovic or Rosewall backhands. It’s handy when you go into every match, on every surface, knowing you have the best shot on the court," he expressed.
"The trinity will all need to be retired before their careers can be evaluated" - Paul McNamee on the GOAT race between Nadal, Federer, and Djokovic
Speaking about the GOAT (Greatest Of All Time) title, Paul McNamee believes that Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic should all retire from the sport before debating on who deserves that honor.
"In 2022 he (Nadal) won two Grand Slam titles, and he became a father for the first time. That’s a very successful year by any measure. He now sits on a record 22 grand slam titles, one ahead of Djokovic and two ahead of Federer. These particular stats in the GOAT race are arguably the most important, but in my opinion the three members of the trinity will all need to be retired before their careers can be evaluated," he expressed.