Spanish tennis legend Rafael Nadal exited the Roland Garros tournament, the second of the four Grand Slam events, in the first round for the first time in his career, losing to German Alexander Zverev on Monday. Nadal's loss, likely his last appearance at the tournament, was by scores of 3-6, 6-7, and 3-6 over three hours and five minutes. The king of clay courts, who will celebrate his 38th birthday on June 3, and holds the record for the most titles at Roland Garros (14 times), announced last Saturday that there is a "very high chance" this year's edition would be his last.
Nadal delivered a strong performance against Zverev, reminiscent of his prime at Roland Garros, showcasing numerous backhands and forehands and executing improbable points that received significant cheering from the crowd from start to finish, attended by his rival, Serbian Novak Djokovic, the world number one, as well as his clay-court successor, Carlos Alcaraz, and Poland's Iga Swiatek, the top-ranked female player.
However, the Spanish matador lost focus on some points against a stubborn opponent who defended his chances and managed to defeat him for the first time at Roland Garros, noting that their last encounter was in the semifinals of Roland Garros 2022, when Zverev suffered a serious ankle injury that almost ended his career. This victory was only Zverev's fourth against Nadal in their 11 matches.
After the match, Nadal said, "I'm not 100% sure, but if this is the last time, I enjoyed it," adding that the likelihood of him not returning to play at Roland Garros is high. He continued, "I hope anyway to return for the Olympics" this summer in Paris. Nadal had never previously exited in the first round of Roland Garros in nearly two decades before his loss today. The Spaniard has suffered only four defeats at Roland Garros in almost 20 years, losing twice to Djokovic and once to Sweden's Robin Soderling.
