Nadal
Rafael Nadal is predicted to not reach the semifinal round of this year’s French Open. Reuters/Jason O'Brien

Rafael Nadal may have had successful stints playing at the French Open, but an early prediction on the second Grand Slam event of the year has the “King of Clay” bombing out before the semifinal round of Roland Garros.

Nadal, who won nine of his 14 Grand Slam singles titles at the French Open, failed to reach the semifinal round of tournament last year after losing to world No. 1 Novak Djokovic in the quarterfinal stages. It was a season full of setbacks as the Spaniard battled a knee problem and inconsistency on his game, and according to Bleacher Report’s Merlisa Lawrence Corbett, it could be déjà vu for the 29-year-old Mallorcan.

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“Last year, he failed to win any of the major French Open clay-court tuneups,” Corbett wrote in her 2016 French Open early predictions. “More trouble awaits this year. Nadal will fail to reach the semifinals.”

Nadal has a fair share of success albeit shortcomings in the second half of the 2015 season. It was supposed to continue this year after Nadal reached the final round of the Qatar Open, but the 14-time Grand Slam winner suffered an early exit at the Australian Open against compatriot Fernando Verdasco last month, putting doubts on whether he still has the knack of winning matches in major tournaments.

Nadal’s next competition will be at the Argentina Open in Buenos Aires, where he will defend his title against the likes of David Ferrer, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, and John Isner. Nadal said he is hoping it would be the beginning of a good season for him after his stunning defeat in Melbourne.

“The years when I have played in Argentina were special and full of beautiful memories because the crowd is one of the best in the world,” Nadal said in a statement posted on the tournament’s official website. “I asked for this wild card after the bad result in Melbourne, and I hope Buenos Aires will once again be the beginning of a good season.”