When a teenaged Rafa Nadal bounced in to Roland Garros in pirate pants and sleeveless shirt in May 2005 before scything through the draw, few realised it marked the start of an unprecedented era of sporting domination.

"In Roland Garros, knowing all the Spanish players who have won this tournament and be able to put my name on that amazing list is something unbelievable," Alcaraz told reporters.

"Unfortunately I have to tell you that I am not going to be playing in Monte Carlo. My body simply won't allow me," said the battle-weary Spaniard on social media.

The Spanish icon's bombshell decision came four days after the 37-year-old lost a Las Vegas exhibition to compatriot and world number two Carlos Alcaraz.

"It's a good thing that as a player I will not face him many times," said Nadal, who expects to retire in 2024 after a series of injuries limited his appearances on the circuit.

"Everywhere you look in Saudi Arabia, you can see growth and progress and I'm excited to be part of that," Nadal, who pulled out of the ongoing Australian Open with a muscle injury, said in a statement.

The 37-year-old returns to the courts in Brisbane this week, almost a year since he last played professionally before an injury curse that has long plagued him returned with a vengeance.

Nadal, a 22-time Grand Slam champion, makes his comeback after a near year-long injury absence at the Australian Open warm-up event in Brisbane starting Sunday.

Nadal dropped out of the top 100 for the first time in 20 years earlier this season and has slipped to number 668 but is eligible for a protected ranking having been injured and not competing for at least six months.

The 22-time Grand Slam champion has undergone surgery twice in 2023 after struggling with a hip injury.

"I believe that numbers are numbers and statistics are statistics. In that sense, I think he (Djokovic) has better numbers than mine and that is indisputable," Nadal said in an interview with AS published on Wednesday

"I said that possibly 2024 was my last year, I maintain that, but I can not confirm it 100 percent because I do not know," Nadal told Movistar.

The 'Big Three' dominated men's tennis over the last two decades with a collective 66 Grand Slam titles between them but Djokovic is now clear of the retired Federer (20) and Nadal (22), who is expected to call time on his career next year

"I think he's got basically best of all three worlds," said Djokovic."People have been talking in the past 12 months or so about his game consisting of certain elements from Roger, Rafa, and myself. I would agree with that."

Veteran Feliciano Lopez watched the rise to greatness of fellow Spaniard Rafa Nadal at close quarters

The 36-year-old Djokovic defeated Casper Ruud in straight sets in the French Open final, breaking the tie of 22 majors he shared with longtime rival Rafael Nadal

The 22-time Grand Slam title winner, who celebrated his 37th birthday on Saturday, could in theory be back in time for the Davis Cup finals in November

Djokovic shares the all-time men's record of 22 Grand Slam titles with Nadal but can break that tie by winning the French Open for a third time

Both men are vying for a record-extending 23rd Grand Slam title at Roland Garros, with the tournament beginning on May 28

Nadal skipped tournaments at Indian Wells, Miami and Monte Carlo as well as the current Barcelona Open after suffering the injury that effectively ended his Melbourne Park title defence as he fell to a second-round defeat by Mackenzie McDonald