Rafael Nadal Loses on French Open to Alexander Zverev
Image credit: The Hindu
Tennis star Rafael Nadal’s possible farewell at the French Open ends with a loss. His opponent was 14-time winner Alexander Zverev. The 22-time Grand Slam champion has offered fans some of the best matches ever happened in Tennis. However, he lost to the German Fourth Seed who is currently in his prime. The champion was beaten with a score of 6-3 7-6 (7-5) 6-3.
Nadal is a world champion who was previously unbeatable on the Paris clay. He missed last year’s French Open and indicated that he might be joining this for the last time. However, it is still not clear whether French Open 2024 was the Farewell for him. After the match, there is a strong chance it can be.
Nadal appeared on the Court Philippe Chatrier at the finest moment of his career. On the court speech, he said, “I don’t know if it’ll be the last time I’m going to be here in front of you. If it is I have enjoyed it.” He also added, “The crowd has been amazing the whole week. For me, it’s so special to feel the love of the people the way I have felt.”
At the court, Nadal offered a glance of his brilliance. However, it was not enough to beat Zverev. Nadal played a total of 116 matches at Roland Garros and this marks only his fourth defeat on the court. Previously, Robin Soderling had beaten him in 2009 and then Novak Djokovic two times in 2015 and 2021.
Although he lost the match, the fans showed their love and appreciation as many of them were found crying after the match. Whether it was regarding his farewell or the match, there is no doubt that his fans love him much. It goes without saying that Nadal is the tournament’s finest champion with most wins on Paris Clay.
On the other hand, Zverev is one of the most fine-tuned players in the modern era who has not won major titles yet. He is one of the best clay-courters who reached the 2022 French Open semi-finals but he faced a nasty injury in his ankle which took a lot of time in his career. Earlier this month, the tennis player showed his potential by winning the Rome title. It is fair to say that the 27-year-old player has given very tough competition to Nadal who is currently 37 years old.
Talking about Zverev, Nadal said, “The first round wasn’t the ideal one, but I was competitive, I had my chances, But it was not enough against a great player.” Nadal had practiced much before the match and his performance reflected that.
Zverev is also facing a court case over domestic abuse allegations but he did not let that distract him and maintained his composure throughout the match. The tennis player from Germany has denied all charges, He has to appear for the hearing which is scheduled for Friday.
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