- Dominance ends with three-set defeat to 4th seed
- Spaniard says ‘big percentage’ he will not be back
On the 115 occasions that Rafael Nadal had previously stepped out to compete on the courts of Roland Garros, he had lost just three times. Across two decades, he had orchestrated one of the greatest eras of dominance in sporting history, pushing the art of clay court tennis to unimaginable heights. For so long, his success in Paris seemed so inevitable.
Now it may be over. As Nadal returned this year unseeded, days away from his 38th birthday and desperately searching for form of old, his brutal first-round draw against Alexander Zverev pitted his muscle memory of greatness against a top contender with ideal form and preparation.
Written by Tumaini Carayol at Roland Garros
This news first appeared on https://www.theguardian.com/sport/article/2024/may/27/rafael-nadal-alexander-zverev-french-open-first-round under the title “Rafael Nadal loses to Alexander Zverev in what may be his French Open farewell”. Bolchha Nepal is not responsible or affiliated towards the opinion expressed in this news article.
