Nadal dismisses Roland Garros favourite tag

Spain’s Rafael Nadal has dismissed the suggestion that he is favourite to win the second Grand Slam of the year as a media fabrication.

The 11-time French Open winner said he didn’t care about whether or not his chances were being rated in the media ahead of the tournament.

Nadal named a handful of players whom he feels could be labelled as favourite ahead of him including his long-time rivals Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic.

“I don’t care if I’m the favourite,” he said. “I care about feeling well and playing well.

“I appreciate that you (the media) see me like that, but (Dominic) Thiem, Novak (Djokovic), Federer, Tsitsipas who has been playing well, (Juan Martin) del Potro, (Kei) Nishikori — all those that are the best in the world will be favourites.

“The only thing that worries me is being well and being competitive.

“The only favourite that matters is the one who has the cup at home in two weeks’ time.”

Nadal didn’t make a dominant start to the clay court season but triumph in Rome seems to indicate that he is peaking at the right time. The 17-time Grand Slam winner was not discouraged by his early season form as he worked his way back to his best after injury.

“When you’re recovering from an injury it’s also difficult to recover mentally,” he said. “I had not had that for a long time.

“Losing in the semi-finals is considered bad… Without playing especially well at the start of the clay season.

“You have to have the humility to value small improvements. For me, one very positive thing was that before I started Rome, it was not a disaster — I’d made three semi-finals.

“It’s not incredible, but it’s not a total disaster either.”

Nadal faces a qualifier in the first round at Roland Garros but could meet Federer or Tsitsipas in a potential semi-final clash.