The draw for Rafael Nadal in the French Open turned out unfavorable.
In the list of top tennis players, Nadal, who is placed 276th, faced the possibility of meeting another strong opponent in the first round of Roland Garros, where he has astonishingly won 14 times.
Despite Nadal succeeding in beating Zverev seven out of their last ten matches, the German is one of the favorites to win this tournament. Set to begin on May 26th, Nadal feels confident after emerging victorious in the recent Italian Open, securing his ninth Masters 1000 title.
Their last encounter happened during the thrilling 2022 French Open semifinals, where Zverev gave up in the match due to a bitten ankle, which inhibited him from playing for the remaining year.
The 37-year-old Nadal has only lost three times at Roland Garros since his debut in 2005. To prevent Zverev from becoming the fourth, Nadal would need to harness all his years of experience.
The End of an Era
In May last year, Nadal announced that 2024 would be his final year on the tour. However, he's had trouble recovering from injuries since then, affecting his capacity to train and compete at a high level.
With the 22-time Grand Slam champion still unsure about his ability to participate in the French Open after his agonizing loss to Hubert Hurkacz at the Italian Open a few weeks ago, Nadal had a tough start to his season. Skipping the Australian Open due to injury, Nadal has only played in four tournaments in 2023, reaching the fourth round of the Madrid Open as his best result.
On the other hand, Djokovic, reigning champion, will kickstart his journey against one of the newest players, Tomas Machac, while Wawarinka, a winner before, is poised to take on the legendary Andy Murray, who might also say goodbye to the French Open as his career nears its end.
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Source: edition.cnn.com
