From our correspondent at Roland-Garros – Rafael Nadal crashed out of the French Open on Monday after losing his opening-round tie against Alexander Zverev (6-3, 7-6, 6-3), in what may have been his final appearance on the Paris court that saw him triumph a record 14 times.
The 22-time Grand Slam champion showed flashes of his old self as he mounted a spirited challenge on Court Philippe Chatrier, carried by a raucous crowd that included his old rival Novak Djokovic. But his towering opponent was too steep a mountain to climb for the ageing Spaniard, whose career twilight has been blighted by injury.
Nadal had played only four tournaments since January 2023 after undergoing hip surgery and then suffering a muscle tear. He arrived in Paris ranked a lowly 276th in the world, on the back of a straight sets humbling in Rome at the hands of Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz.
Fears of an equally undignified exit at Roland Garros appeared to materialise when Nadal lost his opening serve game to love. But the Spaniard quickly recovered, throwing his heart into a close-fought battle that did justice to his extraordinary career.
Earlier on, there was a deafening roar as the players walked onto court and the master of ceremonies gave a rundown of Nadal’s 14 French Open titles, starting with his maiden win in 2005 as a long-haired, sleeveless teenager.
The hair thinned out over the years, and the outfits got tamer, but “Rafa” remained the undisputed ‘King of Clay’ for close to two decades.
'I didn’t want to play Rafa’
The unenviable task of drawing the curtain on Nadal’s French Open career fell to Zverev, the German 4th seed who left this same court in a wheelchair after twisting his ankle when they last met in the semi-finals two years ago.
“I can guarantee you Novak (Djokovic) didn't want to play Rafa in the first round and (Carlos) Alcaraz didn't want to play, Jannik (Sinner) didn't want to play him," Zverev said ahead of the match. “I don't want to play him in the first round, but it is how it is.”
Zverev arrived in Paris as one of the favourites for the title after winning the Rome Open earlier this month. The 27-year-old has long been touted as a future Grand Slam champion but remains without one of tennis's four biggest titles. With the likes of Djokovic, Sinner and Alcaraz all recovering from injuries, this may be Zverev’s best chance yet, and on his preferred surface too.
The lanky German was in ruthless form as he stormed to an early lead against Nadal, saving two break points at 3-1 in the opening set. The Spaniard saved two set points on his own serve at 3-5 but gave up the opener on the third when he buried a loose forehand into the net.
Tellingly, Zverev had hit 15 winners to Nadal's five.
A tighter contest, the second set saw Nadal save two break points to go to 2-2, celebrating his winning forehand with a leap, punch and scream of “Vamos”. He then broke for the first time to lead 3-2 courtesy of a pinpoint drop shot with Zverev stranded at the back of the court.
But Nadal was broken to love in the 10th game as he served for the set. He then saved one set point in a tense tie-break, which saw Zverev prevail in a 19-shot rally and his opponent then net a service return.
Nadal broke once more at the start of the third set, again undoing his hard work in the third game. He then saved four break points in a marathon 13-minute fifth game. But the effort was proving too much for the veteran Spaniard, just days shy of his 38th birthday.
The 14-time champion was broken again as Zverev moved to 4-3 before sealing the match when Nadal fired a weary forehand long and wide.
“The feelings today are difficult to describe with words but it’s special to feel the love in the place I love the most,” an exhausted Nadal said after the match as the crowd rose to their feet, wondering whether they had seen the last of the Spaniard on his favourite court.
‘Forever the greatest’
Nadal’s fans had descended en masse on a chilly and damp Roland Garros, hoping to carry their hero to an unlikely win. Many lined up for a selfie at the “Rafa monument”, a stainless steel sculpture three metres high and almost five metres wide, located near the entrance to the stadium.
“I wouldn’t have missed this day for the world,” said 45-year-old Andrès, posing for a picture with his friends from Alicante in Spain, each of them sporting a “Gracias Rafa” ("Thank you Rafa") T-shirt.
“Rafa is a model to us, an example of modesty, of courage and fighting spirit,” he added. “He is forever the greatest, whatever happens today.”
Andrès still harboured hopes of seeing Nadal back in Paris next year. He added: “A part of Roland Garros will be missing once he is gone.”
This was expected to be Nadal’s final appearance at the French Open, but the Spaniard has been more cryptic about his future since arriving in Paris, telling reporters he could not confirm “100 percent” this would be his farewell to Roland Garros.
“Maybe the last one, maybe not,” he told a packed press conference on Saturday. “I hope to be clear. I don’t want to create a big confusion, but I’m enjoying what I am doing.”
French Open organisers were prepared to stage a tribute ceremony to Nadal to honour his career, but the Spaniard was reluctant to endorse such a celebration.
“We were ready to press the button on it,” admitted tournament director Amélie Mauresmo. “But it’s Rafa who manages his timing, we follow what he wants.”
Nadal remained coy about his future after his first-round exit on Monday, his earliest at the French Open in 18 appearances.
“I'm not 100% sure if it’s the last time but I enjoyed it, the crowd were amazing during the whole week of preparation and today,” he said. “The body is feeling better than two months ago. Maybe in two months I say it's enough. But it’s something I don’t feel yet.”
