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.
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.”
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