Rafael Nadal's quest to win another grand slam suffered a huge bump as he lost the first-round match against Alexander Zverev in straight sets 6-3, 7-6(7-5), 6-3 at the ongoing Roland Garros.
This is the first time in over a decade that Rafael Nadal lost two consecutive matches on clay courts and the first time he has lost a match earlier than the fourth round at the Roland Garros. This is Nadal's appearance at the French Open since 2022 after he missed out on last year's edition due to injury.
What did Rafael Nadal say about his defeat?
"I don't know if it's gonna be my last time here in front of you, not 100 percent - but if it is I enjoyed it. The feelings that I have are difficult to describe, it's so special to feel the love of the people in the place I love the most. I have been going through a very tough two years in terms of injuries and I went through a process with the dream of being back at Roland Garros. The first round was not the dream one but I was competitive and had my chances. It's difficult to say what's going on in the future, a big percentage that I won't be back but I can say 100 percent I am enjoying playing and having fun. Maybe in two months, I'll say it's enough, but it's something I don't want yet and I want to be back on this court for the Olympics. I never could imagine when I was a kid that I would be here at almost 38 with all the success I had here. I really hope to see you again but I don't know."
Zverev became only the third man to beat Nadal at Roland Garros, after Novak Djokovic and Robin Soderling. The last time both men met in the French Open was in 2022 when the German had to retire in the semi-final clash due to an injury.
Nadal has been out of action for over 15 months because of an injury he suffered in 2022, which has been a big blow to his career.
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