Rafael Nadal left what could be his last French Open with an outpouring of love and support with a first-round defeat to Alexander Zverev, who was eager to be back at Roland Garros for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
“I hope to see you again, but I don't know,” Nadal told an ecstatic crowd after crashing out 6-3 7-6(5) 6-3 to fourth seed Alexander Zverev on Monday. local time).
“There is a big percentage that I won't be back here, but I'm not 100% sure. I hope to be back on this field for the Olympics, that motivates me.”
It will be the third time since his Roland Garros debut in 2005 that Nadal, whose body has been tortured by 23 years of professional tennis and who left the tournament with a shattered foot after his record-breaking 14th title two years ago, will not be allowed to celebrate his birthday on 3 celebrate June in Paris, when he turns 38.
The French, who tend to arrive fashionably late on the Philippe Chatrier court after a long lunch, skipped coffee and digestif to fill the arena before the king, as usual with racket in hand, left the court to a deafening roar stepped up.
Spain's Nadal stuck to his routine, avoiding the lines and crossing them with his right foot, sprinting to the baseline during the warm-up and placing his two bottles aimed diagonally at the court.
On a rainy day in Paris, organizers closed the roof, adding to the intimacy of the moment.
On a field he knows better than anyone, Nadal struggled early on to find his goal. He hit a routine drop shot and served a double fault, giving Zverev the opening match.
The German, who was the worst possible draw for Nadal after winning the Rome Masters, kept his foot on the accelerator to take the first set, even though the Mallorcan showed glimpses of his best with a pair of spinning forehand winners down the line.
However, once Zverev eased the pressure, Nadal converted his first break point to take a 3–2 lead in the second set.
“Rafa! Rafa!” the crowd cheered again as world number one Iga Swiatek and Novak Djokovic, as well as compatriot Carlos Alcaraz, joined the party.
Nadal served for the set, but Zverev leveled and forced a tiebreak, which he won comfortably.
There was another break for Nadal in the third set, and some 'I can still do it' fist pumps after a pair of jaw-dropping winners, but two years after Zverev left their semi-final on a wheelchair with a broken foot, the German was this times too good.
In his brilliant career, Nadal was never far from physical problems. Nadal missed almost all of 2023 with a hip problem and his comeback earlier this year was hampered by a muscle tear before minor niggles affected his preparation for the clay court major.
“My body has been a jungle for two years. You don't know what to expect. One day I wake up and I notice a snake biting me. Another day a tiger,” Nadal told a packed press conference after his first departure from the club. Roland Garros.
“I've been fighting with all the things I've been through. But the momentum has been positive in the last few weeks. I felt ready. I think tomorrow I'll be ready to play again if I have to. But that won't happen. ” Unpleasant.
“So that's the point. Now I have to prepare myself, I have to make my ideas clear and see what the new calendar is to try to be ready for the Olympics. I can't say anything today but my main goal now is to to play.” the Olympics.”
Nadal will be eyeing his third gold medal after winning the singles at the 2008 Beijing Games and the doubles in Rio eight years later. He had expressed doubts about his suitability before Roland Garos.
The winner of 22 Grand Slams said it would be unwise to prepare for the grass-court season that follows with a potentially difficult transition back to clay for the Olympics.
“It looks difficult, to be honest. For me, I can't confirm right now what's going on, but it seems difficult to make a switch to grass so that the Olympics take place on clay again,” Nadal said.
“I have to talk to the team. I have to analyze so many facts. But I don't think it will be smart after all the things that have happened with my body to make a big transition to a completely different surface and then come back to clay.
“Today I feel like that's not a good idea, but I can't confirm it. But my feeling is that even if I got booked into Wimbledon because I had to, I don't think it's a positive idea at the moment.”
Sinner and Swiatek on
In other first-round matches, second-seeded Australian Open champion Jannik Sinner barely broke a sweat as he defeated American Chris Eubanks in straight sets, just as former number two Stefanos Tsitsipas did with Hungarian journeyman Marton Fucsovics.
In the women's matches, Swiatek, chasing a fourth title in Paris, started her campaign with a 6-1 6-2 defeat of French qualifier Leolia Jeanjean.
Swiatek has now won her last 15 matches in the French capital, following back-to-back victories in 2022 and 2023.
Coco Gauff also made a strong start, beating Germany's Julia Avdeeva 6-1 6-1 for her 50th win in a Grand Slam match.
The 20-year-old American, who won the US Open last year by breaking her Grand Slam duck, is looking to claim her first French Open title after losing the 2022 final in Paris.