{"id":10647,"date":"2024-12-14T03:17:09","date_gmt":"2024-12-14T03:17:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=10647"},"modified":"2024-12-14T03:17:09","modified_gmt":"2024-12-14T03:17:09","slug":"fact-check-is-rafael-nadal-in-the-top-10-favorites-to-win-french-open-2025-despite-retirement-looking-into-the-viral-claim","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=10647","title":{"rendered":"Fact-check: Is Rafael Nadal in the top 10 favorites to win French Open 2025 despite retirement? Looking into the viral claim"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Rafael Nadal pictured at 2024 French Open (Source: Getty)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Rafael Nadal has retired from tennis, but that hasn’t stopped fans from yearning to see him play one more time at the venue which has brought him most success, Stade Roland Garros. A social media post recently went viral for claiming that the Spaniard has higher odds of winning the 2025 French Open than several current top 10 players.<\/p>\n

Rafael Nadal played his last Roland Garros this year, losing to fourth seed Alexander Zverev in the first round of the tournament, 6-3, 7-6 (5), 6-3. However, despite speculation of his retirement, it was not officially announced that 2024 would be the Spaniard’s final appearance in Paris when he lost to Zverev.<\/p>\n

At the end of October, the 22-time Grand Slam champion announced that he would retire at the end of the season and bid farewell to tennis at the Davis Cup Finals. A few weeks later, fans have continued to reminisce about the 37-year-old’s legacy, with one post recently going viral.<\/p>\n

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Coco Gauff ditches her tennis racket for intense fencing session, proudly ticks off ‘another side quest’<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Recently, a fan shared a graphic on social media platform X showing the odds favorite to win next year’s French Open. Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz, World No. 1 Jannik Sinner, and 24-time Grand Slam champion\u00a0Novak Djokovic\u00a0topped the odds chart.<\/p>\n

Nadal\u00a0also appeared on the list at #7 with +2500 odds, ahead of Daniil Medvedev, Andrey Rublev, and Holger Rune. The fan was shocked by the chart, noting that Nadal is still among the favorites to win Roland Garros next year despite having called time on his career.<\/p>\n

“Only Rafael Nadal could literally retire and still be 7th favorite to win Roland Garros in 2025,” the fan wrote alongside the chart.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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