Jimmy Connors has just predicted how far he thinks Rafael Nadal will go at Roland Garros

Follow us on Google Discover

Jimmy Connors, much like most other tennis pundits, has his eyes firmly fixed on Roland Garros.

After all, as the latest Grand Slam, it was always bound to dominate the headlines, especially after the full French Open draw emerged earlier this week.

It threw up some truly enthralling matches on both the men’s and women’s sides, but with Rafael Nadal suggesting this could be his final time at this prestigious tournament, attention was fixated on the Spaniard.

Connors would then predict how he might fare against Alexander Zverev, and if he could enjoy a deep run by beating the German against all the odds.

Jimmy Connors previews Rafael Nadal vs Alexander Zverev

Speaking on his podcast, Advantage Connors, the former world number one and US tennis icon could do nothing else but preview the upcoming and ongoing Roland Garros action.

With day one still in full flow, he unsurprisingly focused on the main fixtures whilst also predicting who would make the final.

On the women’s side, Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka dominated his thinking, but for the men’s, it is much trickier to look into the future.

However, one thing he did predict was how far Nadal would go, boldly claiming that he would bypass Zverev in the first round.

The 71-year-old noted: ‘I’m going to go out on a limb here and I’m going to say that Nadal beats Zverev. What do you think of that?

‘I’m just going to say that he might have a couple good matches in him. He might not have seven, but he might have a couple good matches in him. But it’s going to be hard to think that he can win the tournament.’

Can Rafael Nadal dare to dream at Roland Garros?

Whilst it might seem completely improbable to believe that the world number 276 could upset the newly-crowned champion of Rome and enjoy a deep run in this Grand Slam, Nadal has always been one to do the improbable.

And on these courts, at this tournament, it really would be foolish to discount the 14-time Roland Garros champion, a record that will almost certainly never be broken.

Perhaps winning the whole thing might well be a stretch, given his body is likely not even capable of the gruelling hours upon hours that reaching a final would command.

However, there is no doubting that he has not lost his immense quality, and that could shine through, particularly against, Zverev, to cause an almighty first-round upset.