Rafael Nadal lost in the first round of the French Open to Alexander Zverev 6-3, 7-6 (5), 6-3 on May 27 in what might turn out to be the 14-time Roland Garros champion’s last match at his favorite tournament.
It is the first time in his long and illustrious career that Nadal has been beaten in two consecutive matches on clay courts and the first time he has dropped a match earlier than the fourth round at the French Open. His career record at the clay-court Grand Slam tournament is now 112-4.
The match was played with the retractable roof shut at Court Philippe Chatrier, and the loud cheers for Nadal from most in the capacity crowd of about 15,000 echoed throughout.
Nadal, who owns 22 major trophies in all, turns 38 on June 3 and he has been dealing with hip and abdominal injuries since January 2023, limiting him to 15 matches and an 8-7 record since the start of last year. His infrequent play dropped his ranking to No. 275 and he was unseeded for the French Open for the first time.
That is why he ended up facing the No. 4-seeded Zverev, the runner-up at the 2020 U.S. Open, a gold medalist at the Tokyo Olympics and the only man to reach the semifinals in Paris each of the past three years.
Nadal has indicated 2024 likely would be his last season before retirement but he said Saturday that he is not 100% sure he won’t play again at the French Open. And he reiterated that after Monday’s defeat.
His three other losses at Roland Garros came against Robin Soderling in 2010 and against Novak Djokovic in 2015 and 2021.
Sumit Nagal loses to Russia’s Karen Khachanov
Sumit Nagal’s late resistance was not enough as his French Open debut ended with a defeat against big-hitting Russian Karen Khachanov, who overpowered the Indian in straight sets on Monday.
The top Indian singles player, ranked 95, struggled to match the power and range of his fancied rival, losing 2-6 0-6 6-7(5) in the opening round.
Nagal had shocked world number 31 Alexander Bublik at the Australian Open but could not repeat his braveheart act on red clay.
The rain before the match had made the court a bit slower and more suitable for longer rallies. It was a fiery start from the Indian but the Russian had the first break of the match when he broke Nagal in game three. Nagal, though, did well to come back from 0-40 to save three breakpoints. However, looking for a wide forehand, he made an unforced error to hand his rival the first break of the match.
Rain interrupted the match and resumed after a…