Alex Corretja has advised fellow-Spaniard Nadal to “let it go” and just go for everything in what will most likely be counted as his last Roland Garros appearance.
The former #2 explained he is not expecting anything from his compatriot because the 22-time Grand Slam doesn’t need to prove anything else.
Nadal has already announced that 2024 will probably be the last year of his illustrious tennis career with the upcoming French Open likely to be his final clay slam. The Mallorcan will turn 38 during this year’s edition of Paris major which starts on Sunday.
The former #1 has enjoyed unprecedented success at the Roland Garros by clinching over a dozen (14 titles) at the tournament and having a 112-3 win-loss record.
Nadal recorded his latest comeback form injury at Barcelona Open in April and has since appeared in Madrid and Rome Masters.
The former World #1 reached the R2 in Barcelona, R4 in Madrid and R2 in Rome as he competed in eight complete clay court matches across three different events.
Corretja, a two-time finalist at the Roland Garros – 1998 and 2001 – believes it will be a gift if his countryman competes in Paris irrespective of the outcome.
“We are waiting Rafa. Yes. Open arms for him,” Corretja told Eurosport. “Everybody is hoping that he’s going to be healthy and that we know that he’s getting ready.
“He’s been practicing on Chatrier to test himself and I think he needs to let it go, just go for everything he has. I think it’s difficult to talk from the outside, but I hope that he can just go there and just do whatever he can.
“I’m not expecting anything, it’s just go play and whatever comes is going to be a gift. He doesn’t need to prove anything else. Not even to himself, not even to the whole world.
“So if he is able to be there and play one match, two matches, three matches, every match, every time he jumps on court he will be given the recognition he deserves.
“It’s going to be a party. It’s going to be something unbelievable and the crowd is going to be crazy with him. That’s why we need Rafa in the tournament. I think it’s going to be a major thing to have him in Roland Garros this year.”
Nadal, a 14-time French Open champion is heading into the tournament as ATP #276, thus unseeded. This means that the greatest clay courter of all time could potentially face any top 10 player or even Novak Djokovic as early as R1.