Rafael Nadal will be giving ‘the best he can’ to be match ready at the French Open, says Justine Henin

Justine Henin believes Rafael Nadal will be giving “the best he can” to get back to full fitness for the French Open in May.

The 22-time Grand Slam winner now faces a race against time to be match ready for the French Open which gets underway on May 28.

Eurosport tennis expert Henin believes Nadal will look to replicate the mental fortitude he needed to come back from a lengthy foot injury when he won the Australian Open and French Open in 2022.

“His energy to win the Australian Open was huge,” she told Laura Robson.

“He kept playing so well, kept winning and then through Roland Garros – even though he had to go through some difficult things – he made it. The effort he had to put into it was huge.

“Maybe too much – we don’t know for the future. He wanted to win that Grand Slam again and will want [to again] if he can come to Roland Garros this year. But time goes on, time flies and he’s also getting older.”

Henin does not think Nadal will want to make his competitive comeback at the Madrid Open in April, but adds he may still have to play at the Masters tournament to get match sharp.

She said: “He won in Madrid already in the past. If he has to choose a tournament it probably wouldn’t be Madrid because of the conditions compared to what he likes with the altitude.

“It looks like he has no choice. Will he be in Madrid? We hope so. Maybe also Rome. We hope Rafa has enough matches to come to Roland Garros in good condition.

“It’s getting harder and harder but we have to remember that Rafa mentally is someone very special.

“For sure he’s giving the best he can to be prepared and ready to be at his best in Paris in a few weeks, but he knows the situation much better than us.”

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