PARIS, (Reuters) – Favourite Rafael Nadal must negotiate a tricky path in his bid for a fifth French Open title after the draw for the claycourt grand slam starting tomorrow.
World number two Nadal, however, did not seem too worried by his fate as he was spotted practising on a sunbathed centre court while holders Roger Federer and Svetlana Kuznetsova were making Friday’s draw.
Nadal, beaten for the first time at Roland Garros last year, is in the same half as fellow Spaniard Fernando Verdasco and third seed Novak Djokovic of Serbia.
Following a first-round match against Frenchman Gianni Mina, the Spaniard could meet Australian Lleyton Hewitt and big-serving Ivan Ljubicic of Croatia before a possible quarter-final against Verdasco and a semi-final with Djokovic.
Nadal refused to look beyond his first-round opponent. Asked who were his main rivals in the May 23-June 6 tournament, he said: “First round, no? I play against a wildcard from France and that’s my toughest opponent now.”
Nadal, wearing a white cap back to front, practised for more than an hour on centre court, looking relaxed as he punished his sparring partner with his trademark forehand winners in front of his uncle and coach Toni Nadal.