When the French Open draw came out, there was a gasp in the tennis-following world. Rafa Nadal drew Alexander Zverev in the first round! Wow! This was the 2022 semi-finals and could have just as easily been the finals. Neither of these guys can be happy about this first round match-up to get things under way on Philippe Chatrier stadium. Oh, what an atmosphere it will be.
Zverev is one of the in-form top players coming in after having just won in Rome as the last big tournament on the clay court swing heading into Roland Garros. It’s wonderful to see Zverev back at this level after a painful-to-watch rolling of his right ankle and tearing ligaments. But back he is, and looking very comfortable on the red dirt.
On paper and given their recent results, the bookies will have Zverev as the winner (though I haven’t checked it). But this is Nadal … and this is Nadal, at Roland Garros! He was basically built to win there … which he did. A LOT. Nadal’s lifetime record at RG is 112-3 which won him 14 titles there. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13 … 14! Yes, records are meant to be broken (and all that), but this record tops the list not only in tennis, but possibly in all of sport. It’s simply superhuman.
At 27, Zverev still has plenty of time to leave his mark on the game and he has already established himself as a veteran in the highest echelons. He’s been knocking on the door for some time and falls in the category of ‘one of the best players never to have won a major’. And that’s unfortunately the rep on Zverev – he is clearly a big match player but not the ‘biggest’ match player. Can he get the monkey off his back and change that in this year’s Roland Garros? His tennis is saying, yes.
Nadal’s record is 7-3 against Zverev (a little surprising they’ve only played 10 times). There are no surprises playing Nadal. He will run around his backhand as much as possible and bludgeon cross-court forehands till the opponent breaks … and they usually do. In fact, no other rivalry was defined by a single tennis stroke as it was between Nadal and Federer … Rafa’s heavy RPM forehand springing high to Roger’s one-handed backhand (Federer solved for it a few times in big matches, but mostly wasn’t able to). But, Zverev, at 6 foot 6 and with one of the best two-handers out there can trade backhands with Nadal’s forehand all day … neutralizing Nadal’s biggest weapon. Zverev’s weaker side is the forehand – don’t get me wrong, it’s world class but just not as technically sound as say a Djokovic’s and can break down under pressure in long rallies against the best … and clay court tennis is about the long rallies. But the shot that can really betray Zverev when he needs it most is his serve. When it’s flowing confidently it’s one of the biggest on tour, but when he’s nervous and tight, those double faults often come in batches and bleeds confidence out of other parts of his game. He will need to keep that under control.
For Nadal, what can be said. He is a titan of the game … and larger than life at Roland Garros. They don’t come much bigger than him in our sport. No one owns a tournament like he does this one. We will see his underwear pinching, shirt fixing, nose rubbing twitches before every serve (gosh that takes some patience to get used to watching!), but we will also a see a game custom made for this surface. Hopefully not for the last time. Watching him the last couple of months at the other events, his game definitely didn’t have the ferocity of the past – he looked slightly heavier, the lefty can-opener serve not as annoying, the first move to the ball not as explosive … but he was likely holding back after coming back from injuries to test his body’s limits … given this will likely be his last Roland Garros, we will see him leave it all on the court even if it breaks him – it will be total beast mode. For those of you that have followed him over the years, you’ll know that his mind is unparalleled in sport and if anyone can channel the ‘good feelings’ (as he likes to call them), it’s Nadal at the French Open.
And the crowd – oh what a crowd it will be. Zverev has a strong fan base but for this match, even God would be the villain. The crowd’s support for Nadal will be insane this year – each match could be his last. Zverev will understand that, and I think he will also soak in the atmosphere and the gravity of it all, while keeping his mind on the business at hand. It will surely be one of the best experiences on a tennis court.
The match is scheduled for 6pm Singapore time tomorrow Sunday May 26th and fans like me will watch with great enthusiasm and spectator nerves. I would love to see Nadal win (sorry Sasha) and if he can somehow fight his way to the 2nd week with his body intact … watch out! The tennis media will be abuzz for a possible title run and the makings of a true fairy tail ending.
For any other player in any other tournament, the intangibles don’t weigh in as much on the outcome of the match. But this is Roland Garros, and this is Rafael Nadal. The King.
Rafael Nadal in 2024
Ranked no.276, the Spaniard played his last match on the 11th of May when he was overcome by world no.8 Hubert Hurkacz 6-1 6-3 in the 2nd round in Rome (draw).
At the moment, during this season the Spaniard has a compiled 7-4 win-loss record.
Rafael Nadal will fight against the world no.4 Alexander Zverev in the 1st round. Their actual record is 7-3 for Nadal.
Nadal won 92 titles in his career: 24 on hard courts, 63 on clay courts, 1 on indoor courts and 4 on grass courts. (See the list of his titles)
He is also scheduled to play in Wimbledon (Wimbledon) after French Open. The main draw will start on the 26th of May.
