PARIS May26,: Rafael Nadal insisted Friday that he didn't care if he was regarded as the favourite for a 10th French Open, even if his rivals begged to differ.
“100% he's the big favourite,” said Austrian star Dominic Thiem, one of the support cast waiting in the wings should the great Spaniard slip up. “Of course I think he's back at his best this year, and then also he won here nine times. So he knows how it works to win here.
“I think he will try everything to win Le Dcima, I think it will be very unique in tennis to win a Grand Slam title ten times. It's pretty crazy, I guess. So 100% he's the one to beat and the big favourite.”
Thiem, the 23-year-old world number nine, has already faced Nadal three times on clay this spring -- losing in the finals in Barcelona and Madrid before gaining revenge in the quarter-finals in Rome.
It's that kind of surprising setback -- Nadal's only loss on clay this year -- that has the 30-year-old Spaniard eager to calm the mood.
AFP
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