The 14-time tournament winner left the tournament at such an early stage for the first time in his career
Legendary Spanish tennis player Rafael Nadal lost in three sets Alexander Zverev in the first round Roland Garros 2024.
The match between the former world No. 1 and the German representative, who occupies fourth position in the current ATP rankings, lasted more than three hours.
The 37-year-old Spaniard started the match with a lost serve, and failed to overtake his opponent – 3:6. In the second game, he was close to revenge – he served for the set with the score 5:4, but allowed his opponent to realize a break, after which he lost in an equal fight in a tiebreaker – 5:7.
In the third set, Rafael led 2:0, then 3:2, but in the final period Zverev had more strength. It’s 3-6 again and Nadal exits the French Open at the earliest stage of his career. Previously, he had never been eliminated from here earlier than in the third round.
From 2005 to 2022, the Spaniard won Roland Garros 14 times (a record result). In total, Nadal has 22 victories in Grand Slam singles tournaments (the second most in history).
Let us remind you that Nadal entered the Roland Garros 2024 application using a “protected rating”. Since the beginning of 2023, Rafael has missed almost a year due to injuries. This season, his greatest achievements were the quarterfinals in Brisbane (January) and the 1/8 finals of the thousandth in Madrid (April).
Zverev won his fourth victory over Nadal (in 11 matches), taking revenge for his defeat in the semi-finals of Roland Garros 2022.
- Roland Garros. Men. Singles. First round
Alexander Zverev (Germany, 4) — Rafael Nadal (Spain) — 3:0 (6:3, 7:6, 6:3)
Source: Sportarena
I’m Rose Brown , a journalist and writer with over 10 years of experience in the news industry. I specialize in covering tennis-related news for Athletistic, a leading sports media website. My writing is highly regarded for its quick turnaround and accuracy, as well as my ability to tell compelling stories about the sport.
