Zidane picks Nadal over Alcaraz to win French Open
Nadal has only lost three matches in his career at Roland Garros
Football icon Zinedine Zidane has picked Rafael Nadal to go on and win the French Open.
The Frenchman is a fan of the game and way back in 2005 he presented Rafael Nadal with the La Coupe des Mousquetaires.
That was the first of the Spaniard’s 13 titles in the French capital and the 1998 world cup winner believes he is the favourite to add to his impressive tally next Sunday.
"The new generation is great, but I am from the older one. We'll try and keep pushing Rafael Nadal [as the favourite for the French Open] if he can,” said Zidane in an interview with Roland-Garros.
“He's still here, so it would be great. But it's true that the new generation with Carlos Alcaraz will eventually take over," he added before he chuckled: "He’s won a lot of cups since,” in reference to Nadal, who won the last of his French Open titles in 2020.
The 21-time grand slam champion has only lost three matches in his career at Roland Garros and may have to overcome the likes of great rival Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz if he wants to win a record-extending 22nd grand slam title. In the last few years, Roland Garros has undergone some refurbishments.
The Court des Serres, renamed Court Simonne Mathieu, was opened in March 2019 ready for the 2019 tournament, as was the rebuilt Court Philippe Chatrier, with the retractable roof completed in time for the 2020 tournament.
Commenting on the changes to the tennis complex, Zidane said: “Even inside, it’s not just the stadium. Everything’s changed. Things evolve, which is good. “It's always a pleasure to be here and share moments like this in such a relaxed atmosphere and watch great athletes do their thing.
"Roland Garros is such a legendary place, so whenever we have the chance to come here, we seize it." On Friday, ‘Zizou’ was in the stands to watch Nadal defeat Botic van de Zandschulp in straight sets to progress to the fourth round.
