Paris May 25 (IANS) World No.1 Rafael Nadal said on Friday that the absence of Switzerland s Roger Federer from French Open did not detract from what could become his 11th title at Roland Garros.
For the second year in a row Federer opted to quit the entire clay season where Nadal is always the favorite to focus on grass court-play which kicks off in June reports Efe.
"It (a possible victory) would be the same whether Roger was there or not " Nadal said at a press conference prior to Roland Garros which begins on May 27.
Nadal stressed that Federer s absence was "bad news for the tournament not for me."
The 16-time Grand Slam champion said he was aware of the danger his first-round rival Alexandr Dolgopolov of Ukraine could pose despite having a 7-2 lead in their head-to-head record.

--IANS kk/vm