Rafael Nadal’s hopes of adding a 22nd Grand Slam to his collection of titles has taken a hit ahead of the French Open due to a rib injury. The Spaniard suffered the problem in his BNP Paribas Open triumph over compatriot Carlos Alcaraz in the semi-finals of the competition.

He managed to overcome Alcaraz, only to be beaten by Taylor Fritz in the final. Nadal missed the Miami Open due to the injury and his hopes of competing in the French Open, where he has won 13 of his 21 Grand Slams crowns, are now in jeopardy.

Novak Djokovic is the reigning champion at Roland-Garros, having inflicted a rare defeat on Nadal in the tournament in the 2021 semi-finals. He is poised to return ahead of the French Open but will be short of match practice. As a result, there could be an opportunity for a new Grand Slam champion to emerge from the ranks or present an opportunity for Daniil Medvedev to add a second title to his name.

Nadal will press to play in the competition, but there could be a slight chance that he is not operating at 100%. With the two dominant players on the ATP Tour, seemingly ailing in terms of match sharpness and fitness, the rising stars on the circuit have to seize the moment to make their breakthrough.

Stefanos Tsitsipas

Tsitsipas made a breakthrough last year when he reached his first Grand Slam final at the French Open, only to lose out against Djokovic. The Greek player had held a 2-0 lead in sets but was powerless to resist the comeback of the Serb, who was relentless to take the crown.

Tsitsipas is seemingly heir apparent to Nadal on clay, boasting an outstanding record on the surface. The 23-year-old has won 149 out of his 201 matches on clay, with a win percentage of 74.13%. He has all the attributes to succeed at Roland-Garros but needs to develop the clinical edge against the best players in the game.

When Tsitsipas has faced off against top talent, he has failed to rise to the occasion. To take the next step in his career, he must raise the level of his performance.

Tsitsipas has a massive opportunity at the French Open, as evidenced by the fact that outright online markets have him priced at competitive odds of 13/2, according to the top betting sites. Using free bet codes could be a way to get value on Tsitsipas if you’re still unsure about his credentials, and there are a number of great offers available from bet365, Betway, and 888Sport among others to unlock bonus funds to back the Greek. The 23-year-old is too good of a player, especially on clay, not to win a Grand Slam, his time could be now for his breakthrough.

Carlos Alcaraz

Alcaraz is a player on the rise after winning his first ATP Tour 1000 title at the age of just 18 following his triumph at the Miami Open. The Spaniard enjoyed an excellent hard court season, reaching the quarter-finals of the US Open before he was forced to retire against Felix Auger-Aliassime. Alcaraz played out a thriller at the Australian Open against Matteo Berrettini, taking the Italian to a fifth with a brilliant comeback in the third round before losing out in a tie-breaker.

A breakthrough came in the Rio Open when he avenged his defeat to Berrettini by knocking out the Italian in the quarter-finals before stunning Diego Schwartzman in the final to become the youngest ATP 500 champion in history. The Spaniard added further scalps at Indian Wells, defeating the defending champion Cameron Norrie among other higher-seeded players before Nadal stopped his run in the semi-finals.

However, Alcaraz proved his quality once more at the Miami Open, overcoming Tsitsipas, Hubert Hurkacz, and then Casper Ruud in the final to secure his first ATP Tour 1000 crown. Like all Spanish players, he has grown up playing on clay courts and made a solid impression in his first outing at the French Open by reaching the third round as a qualifier. He could be ready for a deeper surge in the tournament in 2022, with revenge over Nadal on his mind.

Rising Stars

Tsitsipas and Alcaraz are two players with excellent records on clay and could be ready to profit should Nadal not be able to compete in the French Open.

The looming presence of Djokovic could make matters extremely interesting for the rest of the field, but his lack of match action could play into the hands of the starlets among the other players on the tour that are desperate for success at the highest level.