PARIS: Rafael Nadal lost 6-3, 7-6, 6-3 to Alexander Zverev at the French Open on Monday in what appeared to be his last appearance on the Paris courts. He won a record 14 times.
The 22-time Grand Slam champion showed his old self in a tough challenge against Philippe Chatrier, who was led by a crowd that included old rival Novak Djokovic. But his strongest opponent, the old Spaniard, was too tall to climb, and the sunset of his career was injured.
Nadal has played just four tournaments since January 2023 after suffering a muscle tear following hip surgery.
Fears of a similar performance at Roland Garros surfaced when Nadal lost his opening service match at love. But the Spaniards set their hearts on a close battle that did justice to his extraordinary career.
Before that, Nadal won 14 French Open titles, starting with his first victory as a long-haired, sleeveless teenager in 2005, when players took the court and master of ceremonies.
His hair has gotten thinner over the years, his clothes have gotten better, but Rafa has remained the undisputed “King of the Mud” for almost twenty years.
The task of drawing the curtain on Nadal’s French Open career fell to German fourth seed Zverev, who left the same court in a wheelchair after twisting his ankle in their last semi-final meeting two years ago.
“I can guarantee you, Novak (Djokovic) doesn’t want to play Rafa in the first round and (Carlos) Alcaraz doesn’t want to play, Jannik (Sinker) doesn’t want to play him,” Zverev said. “I didn’t want to play him in the first round, but he did.”
Zverev arrives in Paris after winning the Rome Open earlier this month. The 27-year-old is known as the future Grand Slam champion, but remains one of the four big names in tennis. With the likes of Djokovic, Guillermo and Alcaraz all recovering from injury, Zverev could be having his best moment yet, and in the most favored spot.
The lanky German was in ruthless form against Nadal as he took an early lead, saving two breaks from 3-1 up in the first set. The Spaniard saved two points on his own serve at 3-5, but buried his free into the net to open the third point.
Notably, Zverev has 15 wins to Nadal’s five.
A more competitive contest saw Nadal save two breaks in the second set to win 2-2, with Vamos jumping, kicking and screaming his way to victory. Zverev then took a 3-2 lead with a backcourt forehand.
But Nadal broke to love in the 10th game. He then saved a point in a tense break, which saw Zverev win in 19 shots and his opponent then return from serve.
At the beginning of the third set, Nadal broke again, regaining his momentum in the third game. He then made four saves in a marathon 13-minute fifth game. But his efforts proved too much for the Spanish veteran, who is just shy of 38 years old.
14-time champion Zverev went up 4-3 before closing out the match, but Nadal tired his forehand and went long.
“It’s hard to say what it feels like now, but it’s special to feel the love in the place I love the most,” said a tired Nadal as the crowd rose and wondered what they had seen for the last time. The Spaniard is on his favorite court.
Nadal’s fans flocked to the cold and wet Roland Garros, hoping to see their hero win. Crowds lined up to take photos at the Rafa Monument, a stainless steel monument three meters high and five meters wide near the stadium’s entrance.
Andres, 45, posed with his friends from Alicante, Spain, each posing with “Gracias Rafa” (“Thank you Rafa”). T-shirt.
“Rafa is a role model for us, a model of kindness, selflessness and fighting spirit,” he said. “Whatever it is now, it’s always great.”
Andres hopes for Nadal’s comeback in Paris next year. “Part of Roland Garros will be lost when he leaves,” he said.
This is expected to be Nadal’s last appearance at the French Open, but the Spaniard has been more circumspect about his future since arriving in Paris, telling reporters he could not “100 percent” confirm his retirement from Roland Garros.
“Maybe the last one, maybe not,” he said at a press conference on Saturday.
