It's apparently not bad enough for Rafael Nadal that he is in the most miserable slump of his career. Now he faces the prospect of battling top-ranked Novak Djokovic in the French Open quarterfinals.
The draw was unkind to Nadal, once considered by some the most dominant clay court player in the history of tennis. But he has dropped to No. 7 in the ATP rankings and is the sixth seed in Paris. That's the lowest it has ever been at Roland Garros, where he is 66-1 lifetime.
Tournament director Gilbert Ysern was not about to give Nadal a break simply because of his past successes. It's all about current status.
"Everybody has their eyes on this potential clash between Nadal and Djokovic," he told Business Insider. "It will be tough for the loser, because they seem to be the best players on clay at the moment. ... Three or four years ago we thought about giving him a higher seed when he dropped in the rankings because of a long layoff due to an injury. But this year it's different because his ranking dropped mainly due to his results on court."
Nadal has lost five times on clay this season. But his seeding could also prove disastrous to Djokovic if he suddenly rediscovers his magic on clay just at the right time.
