Absence of clay king Nadal casts shadow over French Open draw

French Open chiefs on Thursday put on a brave face during a lavish multi-media ceremony for the draw to anoint a successor to the absent king Rafael Nadal.

The 36-year-old announced last Thursday that he would not be at the Roland Garros stadium to defend the title he won last June at the expense of the eighth seed Casper Ruud. It was a record-extending 14th trophy.

"We're going into this French Open with a