Ben Shelton reacts to 'ridiculous' stat marking first French Open without Rafael Nadal or Roger Federer since 1998

Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer will not compete at the 2023 French Open, marking the first edition of the clay-court Major to not feature the pair since 1998. Ben Shelton was left in awe of this remarkable statistic.

At a press conference held on Thursday, May 18, Nadal announced his decision to forgo his title defense at the upcoming French Open as he was not in the best physical condition to compete at the tournament.

"Today, I'm still in a position that I am not able to feel myself ready to compete at the standards that I need to be [at] to play a Roland Garros," he said. "I am not the guy that is going to be at Roland Garros and just try to be there and put myself in a position that I don't like to be [in]."

This will mark the 14-time French Open champion's first-ever absence from the French Major since 2004. The 2023 edition of the clay-court Major will also be the first to not feature the Spaniard or the now-retired Roger Federer since 1998.

Ben Shelton reacted to the astonishing stat on social media.

"Ridiculous stat," he tweeted.

In his French Open debut in 1999, Roger Federer was ousted from the tournament in the first round by Patrick Rafter. Meanwhile, Rafael Nadal began his dominance at the clay-court Major in his tournament debut, defeating Mariano Puerta in the final to win the first of his 14 French Open titles in 2005.

A brief look at Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer's records at the French Open

The Spaniard defeated Roger Federer in the 2011 French Open final

Rafael Nadal has established himself as the most dominant player in the history of the French Open. Along with a record 14 Roland Garros titles to his name, the Spaniard also holds a 97% win record at the clay-court Major, having won 112 of his 115 matches at the event.

On the other hand, Roger Federer has his lowest win percentage among all the Grand Slam tournaments at the French Open. His record stands at 73 wins and 17 losses, giving him an 81% win rate, in contrast to his records at the Australian Open (87%), Wimbledon (88%) and the US Open (86%).

The 41-year-old's solitary title at the French Major came in 2009 when he defeated Robin Soderling 6-1, 7-6 (1), 6-4 in the final.

Over the course of their careers, Nadal and Federer faced each other in four French Open finals in 2006, 2007, 2008, and 2011, with the Spaniard emerging victorious in each of them.