Ending the debate, French Open tournament director Gilbert Ysern confirmed that the tournament would not seed 9-time champion Rafael Nadal higher than his ranking.
“We thought about it,” Ysern said to French sports paper L’Equipe. “We could not not ask the question for a champion like him, who has embodied the tournament for 10 years and only once not won a match. But the circumstances are different.
“In 2013, he came in injured. Today, it is his sporting level, it seems, which has fallen. He is not hampered. So, we will not adjust the seedings in his favor.”
While Wimbledon does re-seed the top players because of the few grass events, the French Open has never in recent times re-seeded players, men or women, unless for injury.
Nadal currently ranks No. 4 with Madrid title and Rome final points to defend (1,600 pts). If he isn’t ranked in the Top 4 at the time of the French Open draw, Nadal could (25% chance) draw face Novak Djokovic in the quarterfinals.
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