Roger Federer is hopeful that Rafael Nadal will recover from his injury in time to compete in the French Open as the absence of the Spaniard from Roland Garros will be a 'brutal blow' to tennis.

The 14-time Roland Garros champion remains in doubt for his 19th appearance at the clay Grand Slam, where he is defending champion, as he continues to recover from a hip injury sustained during his Australian Open second-round loss to Mackenzie McDonald.