Nadal tries to avoid early exit at French Open

Rafael Nadal admits that he will face “one of the toughest opponents ever” in the first round of the French Open against Alexander Zverev on Monday.

This year's event was supposed to be the 14-time Roland Garros champion's farewell, but he has since stressed that he could not confirm “100 percent” that it would be his last appearance.

Nadal has played only four tournaments since January 2023 after suffering a hip injury and then a torn muscle.

As a result, he was unseeded in the draw and the first round of the tournament, in which he lost only three of his 115 matches, was vulnerable and difficult for him.

World number four Zverev comes to Paris as one of the title favorites after his victory at the Rome Open earlier this month.

“Of course, on paper it is not the best draw,” said Nadal before the match on Court Philippe Chatrier.

“I'm playing against one of the toughest opponents there is, and at the same time he won the last event here, and it's a Masters 1000.

“It's not a small problem. So what can I do? That's the challenge. Just try to be prepared for it.”

Nadal, who turns 38 in a week, has shown his best form at times on clay courts, but lost to Poland's Hubert Hurkacz 6-1, 6-3 in the second round of his last appearance in Rome.

He has a 7-3 winning record against Zverev ahead of their first meeting since the semifinals of the 2022 French Open, when the German had to leave the court in a wheelchair towards the end of the second set after an ankle injury.

“I'm not nervous. No, I'm focused on playing well. That's all,” Nadal said.

“Maybe I'll go there and repeat the catastrophe in Rome. That's a possibility, of course. I don't want to hide that.”

“But in my opinion I have to do something different, play much better and give myself the chance to be competitive.”

– “Didn’t want to” play against Nadal –

Zverev did not play in 2022 after his ankle injury, but has been able to work his way back up the rankings in recent months.

The 27-year-old was long considered a future Grand Slam champion, but one of the four biggest titles in tennis is still eluding him.

However, clay is his strongest surface and he has reached the semifinals at Roland Garros every year for the last three years.

The men's draw seems far more open than usual, with doubts about Nadal's fitness and Novak Djokovic having had a turbulent start to the year.

“I can guarantee you that Novak did not want to play against Rafa in the first round and (Carlos) Alcaraz did not want to play, Jannik (Sinner) did not want to play against him,” Zverev admitted.

“I don't want to play him in the first round, but that's the way it is. He was out because of injury. He didn't play much tennis. His ranking is where it is. Of course it's not ideal, but at the same time you know there's nothing you can do about it.

“Everyone is now looking forward to a tough fight and a tough first round. I think he's excited and I'm looking forward to it too.”

The organizers of the French Open had planned to hold a ceremony to honor Nadal's career, but the Spaniard was hesitant to support such a celebration.

“We were ready to press the button,” admitted tournament director Amelie Mauresmo.

“But it is Rafa who decides his timing, we follow his wishes. We don't want to put him in an uncomfortable position.”

jc/dj