Reilly Opelka says Rafael Nadal will still be No. 1 French Open favorite if he plays

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• Rafael Nadal

Reilly Opelka says he considers Rafael Nadal to still be the No 1 French Open title favorite as the Spaniard's astonishing record at Roland Garros speaks for itself. Nadal, 36, hasn't played in any tournaments since the Australian Open after suffering a serious injury to his psoas muscle.

Nadal was hoping to return to action at the start of the clay season but he was forced to skip Monte Carlo, Barcelona and Madrid. Even if Nadal does play at the French Open, he will arrive with very limited preparation. However, that does not change the fact that Nadal is a record 14-time French Open champion.

Opelka: If Nadal plays, he is the No 1 favorite

"If Rafa Nadal is still in the draw, if he's in the tournament, if my life is on the line, I'm going with Rafa every time, just out of respect, you kind of have to. But behind Rafa, for sure, I'd say Carlos is the only guy who could beat him there, and also, I like his chances against Novak at the French Open," Opelka said on Tennis Channel, per Sportskeeda.

Opelka also mentioned Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz among the top favorites for the French Open title. "It's hard [to pick between Alcaraz and Novak]. Even Novak is hard to count him out but those two, I'd give them the same odds to win the tournament — Novak and Carlitos.

That's how good this guy [Alcaraz] is. You are talking about the two greatest players that have ever played tennis and you know, he is potentially favored above them. I mean that's how crazy this discussion even is," Opelka explained.

Last week, Nadal shared a lengthy message to his fans. In his message, Nadal revealed he decided to start undergoing a new treatment in the hopes it would work and allow him to play at the French Open.