Rafa Nadal “not worried” about potential French Open clash with Djokovic or Federer
Rafael Nadal said he is “not worried” about Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer being drawn in the top half of the 2021 French Open draw with him.
It is the first time ever that the ‘Big Three’ have all landed in the same side of a Grand Slam draw.
Djokovic and Federer are projected to meet in the Roland Garros quarter-finals – while Nadal would play the winner of that section in a potential last four match.
“I see it as natural. One player is almost 40 [Federer], another is almost 35 [Nadal] and the other is 34 [Djokovic],” Nadal said in a pre-tournament interview.
“It seems logical that younger players climb in the rankings. Whenever that happens you have these consequences [with the seedings]. I see it as completely normal.
“I’m not worried about it. I have a lot of work in front of me to play a potential match versus Djokovic [in the semi-finals]. They [Djokovic and Federer] would need to play each other and I have my own path.
“My path right now is [Alexei] Popyrin [in the first round] and that’s where my mind is. My draw is hard enough to be thinking about anything else. I must continue my preparation, focus on my routines and keep advancing in the way we want.”
- Join the tennishead CLUB and receive £250/$350 of FREE GEAR including ASICS Gel-Resolution 8 trainers, shorts, shirt & socks
- Keep up to date with the breaking news & tennis action at our tennis news section
- Win amazing prizes by entering our competitions
- Learn more about your favourite players including Roger Federer, Rafa Nadal and Novak Djokovic
- Check out the latest tennis equipment with our tennis gear reviews
- Receive regular updates in our legendary free newsletter
- Read in depth features with stunning photography in tennishead magazine
- Can’t visit the tournaments you love? Check out our guide on how to watch tennis on TV
- Don’t miss a thing with our Live Scores service
- Follow tennishead on social media at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram & YouTube
- EXCLUSIVE 5% DISCOUNT for all tennishead readers on tennis rackets, balls, clothing, shoes & accessories with All Things Tennis, our dedicated tennis gear partner