Nadal's French Open Reign Ends in First Round, Future Uncertain

Paris: In a big upset, 14-time Roland Garros winner Rafael Nadal lost his men's singles match against Alexander Zverev on Monday, 6-3 7-6(5) 6-3. It might be the final match the famous Rafael Nadal plays at his favorite tournament. In his lengthy and storied career, this is the first time Nadal has lost a match before the French Open's fourth round and the first time he has lost two straight sets on clay courts. At the clay-court Grand Slam event, he presently has a 112-4 lifetime record.

The retractable canopy of Court Philippe Chatrier was closed throughout the match, and the boisterous applause for Rafael Nadal reverberated throughout the approximately 15,000-person limit audience. With 22 major championships to his name, Rafael Nadal will be 38 on June 3. Since January 2023, he has struggled with hip and abdominal problems, which has limited him to just 15 matches and an 8-7 record since the beginning of the year.

Nadal remarked:

"I don't know if this is the last time I will be here, I am not 100% sure but if it is then I wanted to enjoy it,". "The feelings today are difficult to describe in words."

Having only participated in four tournaments since January of last year due to a slew of ailments, former world number one Rafael Nadal is currently ranked 275th and was not seeded in Paris.

On the eve of the competition, he declared, nevertheless, that he was "100% keeping the door open" about his future in the sport that has yielded 22 Grand Slam victories.

Screams of "Rafa, Rafa" resounded loudly beneath the roof of Court Philippe Chatrier, which was closed tight against the downpour that was flooding the grounds and disrupting the timetable.

Despite having stated that 2024 would probably be his final season before retiring, Rafael Nadal acknowledged on Saturday that he is unsure if he would compete in the French Open once more. And following Monday's loss, he reaffirmed that. In 2010, he suffered a defeat at Roland Garros against Robin Soderling, and in 2015 and 2021, he lost to Novak Djokovic.