"With this goal, we believe that the best for my body is not to change surface and keep playing on clay until then. It’s for this reason that I will miss playing at the Championships this year at Wimbledon," Nadal wrote on social media. "I am saddened not to be able to live this year the great atmosphere of that amazing event that will always be in my heart, and be with all the British fans that always gave me great support. I will miss you all."
With this goal, we believe that the best for my body is not to change surface and keep playing on clay until then. It’s for this reason that I will miss playing at the Championships this year at Wimbledon. I am saddened not to be able to live this year the great atmosphere of…
The 38-year-old has missed quite a bit of the season already because of abdominal injuries. He missed nearly the entire 2023 season because of a hip injury, meaning he also was absent for the 2023 Wimbledon tournament.
Nadal wrote that he will play in the Nordea Open in mid-July, which is played in Bastad, Sweden. It is a clay court tournament.
It may as well have been the slogan for the entire event, in the semifinals of the French Open, Carlos Alcaraz revealed that the key to winning clay court tennis matches was to enjoy the suffering. On Sunday afternoon, and then, as evening spread over Roland Garros, there was more suffering than enjoyment. But in the end, the Spaniard prevailed and won the third major of his ascending career, beating Germany’s Alexander Zverev in the final 6–3, 2–6, 5–7, 6–1, 6–2.
In a strange, mercurial and episodically brilliant match, Alcaraz overcame both himself and his opponent. If he did not achieve the peak level he displayed winning his other two majors, he showed a remarkable ability to turn a tennis match into a chess match, make subtle adjustments and reset after some inexplicable lapses.
Alcaraz won the first set 6–3, important given that he was trailing Zverev 4–5 in their head-to-head coming into the match. He then dropped the second set, as his level dipped. In the third set, he was up 5–2, on the cusp of a commanding 2–1 set lead, and then lapsed again losing five straight games. He recovered to win the fourth 6–1 and closed out the match with perhaps his best tennis of the afternoon.
In winning the title, the Spaniard, who only turned 21 last month, is now up to three majors. He is the youngest player to win a major on all three of tennis’s surfaces. He has now—get this—won more majors than all male players born in the 1990s combined.
Zverev, on the other hand, will be devastated. In his first major final in 2020, he squandered a 2–0 set lead against Dominic Thiem in the U.S. Open and lost in five sets. On Sunday, he was up two sets to one and couldn't close. Zverev showed an ability to compartmentalize in light of his legal matter being discontinued Friday, settling an abuse case brought by his former girlfriend. But this defeat will sting. With time, perhaps he will take solace in knowing he is the only player male or female to make it to the semifinals or better at Roland Garros in four straight years. But now, in his late 20s, the clock is ticking and an opportunity slipped away.
A theme of transition rang through this tournament. It was easy to forget that in the first round, Zverev beat Rafael Nadal, the 14-time champion, who may have played here for the final time. A week later, Novak Djokovic announced he couldn't play his quarterfinal match because of knee surgery. As old kings fade, a new one emerges. Alcaraz brings a versatile game, a knack for showmanship, an ability to hit the gas, but also—as he showed today—sometimes shrewdly hit the break. He now goes to Wimbledon to defend his title and win his fourth major. Did we mention he’s only 21?
Carlos Alcaraz won his first French Open title on Sunday, taking down Alexander Zverev in a five-set thriller 6–3, 2–6, 5–7, 6–1, 6–2.
At 21 years old, Alcaraz became the youngest men's player to win a Grand Slam title on all three surfaces: hard court, clay and grass. He's also the first Spaniard to win the French Open since 14-time champion Rafael Nadal last won at Roland Garros in 2022.
As Nadal could possibly retire at the end of the 2024 season, many fans see Alcaraz as one of the next great men's tennis players. So, it was fitting that Nadal wrote a congratulatory message on X, formerly known as Twitter, shortly after Alcaraz played his winning point Sunday.
"Congratulations @carlosalcaraz for this immense victory!!!! Big!!!! Very happy for your successes!!! #Vamos," Nadal wrote.
Nadal lost in the first round to Zverev, which was only the fourth French Open loss of his career. Nadal holds the record for the most major titles won at a single tournament with 14 at Roland Garros. He was just 19 years old when he won his first French Open title in 2005.
Alcaraz will play at the next major event, Wimbledon, starting July 1 as the tournament's reigning champion . He has now won three major titles in his young career.
The greatest men’s tennis player in history just hit a serious roadblock in his pursuit of adding to his record number of Grand Slam titles.
Novak Djokovic was forced to withdraw from the French Open with a knee injury Tuesday, one day after he outlasted Francisco Cerundolo in a five-set thriller in the fourth round that took nearly five hours to complete.
An MRI found that Djokovic has a torn medial meniscus in his right knee. According to multiple reports, Djokovic will undergo surgery to repair the injury in Paris on Wednesday.
The surgery places Djokovic’s status for Wimbledon in serious doubt. The tournament is set to begin on July 1, giving Djokovic less than a month to recover from the procedure. It’ll also be a fairly tight turnaround before this summer’s Olympics in Paris, which begin on July 27.
“The likelihood is that Djokovic will skip the grass-court swing to focus on playing at the Paris Olympics,” ESPN’s Tom Hamilton reported.
It makes sense that Djokovic would want to prioritize the Olympics over Wimbledon. He’s already won seven times at the All England Club and Olympic gold is the only major honor that he has yet to win in his storied career. He won bronze at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing but has failed to even medal at the last three Olympics. At 37, this is almost assuredly Djokovic’s last chance to win gold.
Skipping the grass court season could also be beneficial for Djokovic because he wouldn’t have to reacclimate himself to the clay courts of Roland Garros, where the Olympic tournament will be held.
But it also seems naive to just assume that, at his age, Djokovic will be able to recover from knee surgery and pick up where he left off. By the time the Olympics begin, he will be older than the oldest Grand Slam champion in men’s tennis history (1972 Australian Open champ Ken Rosewell, who was 37 years, 54 days old when he won). Djokovic’s contemporaries Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal started fading when they reached the age Djokovic is now, both due largely to injuries (a knee for Federer and a hip for Nadal). And Djokovic was already struggling this season before the injury, failing to reach the final in any of the six tournaments he played before Roland Garros. It’s fair to wonder what he’ll look like after rehabbing an injury.
Whether or not the end is imminent for Djokovic, his injury makes it natural to start thinking about the next era of men’s tennis. His career might not be over yet, but it will be before long. His withdrawal from the French led to one major torch-passing moment, as 22-year-old Jannik Sinner will now become the No. 1 player in the world at the conclusion of the tournament. He and 21-year-old Carlos Alcaraz (currently ranked No. 3) are the future of the sport. The question is how much longer they’ll have to battle with Djokovic.
Brown (7) and Tatum will play in their second NBA Finals. / Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports
• Please stop. Fans like and dislike different players. That’s cool. That’s healthy. That’s sports. But if you’re not going to be generous, at least be reasonable. Djokovic won his third-round match at the French Open at 3:07 a.m. local time. He is 37 years old. He came out firing for his fourth-round match against Francisco Cerundolo. Djokovic played impeccably—something he had seldom done in 2024.
Why on earth would he not want to continue on and win as efficiently and quickly as possible? The idea that he was faking, milking sympathy or playing mind games is just silly, evidenced by Djokoivc’s eventual withdrawal due to a torn medial meniscus in his right knee.
Again, no one is saying you are required to like the guy. No one is saying there isn’t a history of sudden recovery. No one is saying conspiracy theories aren’t intoxicating. But how about a thimbleful of common sense here, folks?
Djokovic withdrew from the French Open due to a torn medial meniscus in his right knee. / Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports
The dysfunction in tennis is reaching new heights with tennis matches in each of the majors, other than Wimbledon—which has an 11 p.m. curfew—playing on and ending at 1, 2 and even 4 a.m. Much has been written about the abject absurdity of this, including, among other things, the detrimental health effects on the players, the volunteers and stadium personnel who must work at these hours, the disenfranchisement of fans who pay for tickets and cannot stay to view the matches and the competitive disadvantage to the player participants. A lot of kicking and screaming, but no action. Where are the Billie Jean King’s of today who have the guts to confront and change this injustice?
Fernando
• Yes, another event with a match ending at the same time those Tony Little infomercials are running. And—perhaps—another day of headlines not about tennis, but about an unserious sport that allows players to compete (and it’s less well-paid tournament workers to work) at 3:07 a.m.
Can we agree here? We’re all tired … of the scheduling talk. Of the tennis own-goals … Of losing sleep. But here are the variables:
There is typical tennis intransigence and fragmentation at play. Something has to give here.
Me? I would like to see no night sessions. They are awkward and an obvious cash grab. Doing away with them altogether is unrealistic, but I would like to see a ban on starting matches after, say, 8:30 p.m. But is that fair if one opponent has no day off, and the other opponent does? It’s easy to complain. And we should. Solutions are harder to come by.
As long as we are here … let us stop with the banging on about only men playing the night sessions. The top WTA players do not want to play these matches. Last year, WTA executives marched into the tournament office and expressly asked for players to remain on the day schedule. Their preferences are being heard and honored.
There are plenty of inequities (and, for that matter, iniquities) in tennis. There are times and issues—I keep hearing about practice court assignments—when women get the short end. This is not one of them.
As journalist Reem Abuelleil put it perfectly in a post to X (formerly Twitter): “Not a single woman I have ever asked has said she wants to play the dreaded RG night session. As a feminist, I support women not having to play a time slot they abhor. There are MANY inequality issues in tennis, the RG night session is not one worth fighting for IMO.”
For all the dangers cited about AI, you’d think someone would come up with an AI-driven way to fill those empty seats for the tournaments’ and broadcasting’s sake. Okay, it’d be a lie, but ...
S. S.
• To me, this is a greater offense than scheduling. The grounds are jammed. The outer courts are full of passionate fans. Suzanne Lenglen is rocketing up the rankings, Mirra Andreeva style, among the best courts in tennis. And Philippe Chatrier, the big house—the grande maison if you will; and I hope you will—is crickets and tumbleweed because fans in the pricier seats are too busy eating canapes in the catering tent to, you know, watch actual tennis from their seats behind the baseline.
If not AI, a decent high school programmer could devise a system whereby the best seats are filled. When the aristocrats finish their goose liver and their last swig of Chateau Margaux, they have their seats back.
Sabalenka charged to a fourth-round victory at Roland Garros, with several front-row seats to the match left empty. / Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports
Jon, what do you think of the children holding hands with the players as they escort them onto the Chatrier court? I can see how it’s sweet and endearing but I wonder if it reinforces the dated stereotype of tennis being a mild and gentle game. Can you imagine Mike Tyson or Ronda Rousey being escorted to the ring like this? Prime Iron Mike would say, Thanks kid, Now run along and hide because I’m about to put this guy’s teeth into the back of his throat. Actually, that sounds like something that Serena Williams allegedly said.
Kevin Kane, Kingston, Ontario, Canada
• Funny, I do post-match interviews at Roland Garros. As I prepare for matches to end and the next one to begin, these kids are nearby. (I have to keep reminding myself they are not ball kids.) They are dressed in Lacoste, endearingly excited and nervous, and look a bit confused by it all.
I’m all for it. Why not make as many memories as possible? Why not attract kids to tennis? (Spoiler: I am all about a tradition whereby losing players give their rackets to kids in the stands, as Stan Wawrinka and Christopher Eubanks did.) I see your point about the incongruity, but some differentiators:
A) We are all happy that tennis is more tame than boxing, aren't we?
B) Boxing doesn’t have “glove kids,” like tennis has ball kids. That is, there is already a climate of players interacting with the younger set.
C) A tennis tournament pitches its tent in the community for weeks, not one night.
D) If anything, this speaks well of tennis. Carlos Alcaraz can enter the court holding the hand of a young boy (as I write that sentence, yes, it does sound weird). Moments later he can transition to the ruthless, ball-bashing Minotaur (as opposed to [Alex] de Minaur).
I just finished your midterm report card article for the French Open and as always enjoyed your perspective of the tournament so far. You stated the Americans are "holding their own" and I would like to know your definition of "holding their own." I look at the men's draw and see that only one American male (Taylor Fritz) made the fourth round. I think the results of Ben Shelton, Sebastian Korda and Frances Tiafoe, for example, are disappointing. The women did a little better and had two women (Coco Gauff and Emma Navarro) in the fourth round but it is not shocking that Gauff made it and her draw was really easy. Navarro played Keys in the third round, so it was a given that another American would make the fourth round.
I remember the days when American men (Andre Agassi, Jim Courier and Michael Chang) actually made the French Open finals and won titles. We have also had Serena Williams win the title and a few women like Sloane Stephens and Sofia Kenin make the final in Paris. Personally, I would rather have one or two American contenders (get into the semifinal) than say three or four Americans making the third round and "holding their own".
Don't you think most American fans are more concerned with having an American with a decent chance of making the finals than a bunch of American players winning a couple of matches. Your thoughts.
Bob Diepold, Charlotte NC
• Fair. Full disclosure—self-defense—there were more Americans left in the draw when I filed than when I submitted. But it was not a banner event for Americans after all, Gauff notwithstanding.
Comparing eras is ill-advised. The Big Three carmakers used to dominate auto sales. We are in a different, globalized world. Same for tennis. But I agree with your larger points.
1) Clay remains an American bugbear and, aside from Gauff, the Yanks underachieved.
2) Diversification is great. But in sports, you’d rather have a unicorn than a portfolio of solid but unspectaculars.
Gauff has been a standout for the Americans, advancing to the French Open semifinals. / Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports
Hey Iga: NBA players are expected to hit clutch free throws with the roof caving in. You can hit a second serve. Woman up.
Thank you, Dominic Ciafardini NY
• This pertains to Iga Swiatek’s scolding of rowdy fans during the on-court interview following her win over Naomi Osaka. I wouldn’t analogize it to free throws. There is a precision required to hit a tennis ball—and hearing is part of that importance—that makes crowd noise especially distracting. I get why players need silence when the ball is in play. (I don’t get why you go here when addressing a crowd after a stirring victory.)
Hi Jon,
At what point are networks going to say enough is enough with regards to John McEnroe? I was watching the Grigor Dimitrov-Zizou Bergs match and it was appalling to hear them making fun of Zizou's name. Does he think it's O.K. to say stuff like this because he was joking? Hey, can't you take a joke?
I was a huge fan of McEnroe the player but he's way past his sell-by date as a commentator.
Any comments?
Ananth
• I get it. And you don’t have to go far—you don’t even have to leave the players’ locker room—to find complaints similar to Ananth’s.
But I’ll go to bat for John McEnroe here. Broadcasters are like tennis players. Different ones have different strengths. Straight talk: does he geek out on the players outside the top 20? He does not. Does he come to the booth prepared with arcana about Zizou Bergs? He does not. When the ball is in play, are there many commentators better at providing insight, speaking plainly, finding nuance and answering the questions posed to them by their well-prepared partner? There are not.
Besides, too many of his contemporaries are disparaging tennis, playing golf and reappearing only for corporate affairs. Midway through his 60s, John McEnroe is crossing oceans to sit in a booth and commentate on Belgian qualifiers.
Jon,
I just don’t get the Sebastian Korda hype. Everyone says he’s gonna win a major someday, and yet, when I see him play he loses in straight sets. When he does win, it seems like it takes him five (or three at a non-majors) sets against some dweeb ranked 112. (Obviously, I’m exaggerating since he was seeded at a major.) If I recall, his most famous match is his epic meltdown against Rafael Nadal. I’m sure I sound like a jerk picking on him, but I guess I’m more frustrated with the commentators who won’t stop hyping him up incessantly. What’s your view of Korda?
P.
• I think that’s too harsh by an order of magnitude. He’s a good athlete and player, comes from an athletically successful family and is still relatively young. (He will turn 24 at Wimbledon.) I also question the “hype” premise. Optimism, yes. Even exuberant optimism. But I’m not sure it rises to the level of hype.
That said, objectively, this stock hasn’t taken off as expected. He’s had a lot of injuries and some disappointing failures to close. Coupled, though, with some big-time wins. (Beating Daniil Medvedev at a hardcourt major is a serious takedown.) Give him time. Meanwhile, this is a fascinating Korda-orbit read.
Korda fell to Alcaraz in straight sets in the third round of the French Open. / Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports
Jon
To add to the wild card discussion, I would like to see the two players with the best record during the ITF clay court season get two of the wild cards into the French Open. The same would apply to the grass court season at Wimbledon and the hard court season at the U.S. Open and Australian Open. More players should have to earn their way into a major event. This would also make the ITF events more meaningful.
David
• I like that idea. At least the USTA makes players earn the hideous reciprocal wild card based on points. If we are going to have these golden tickets, at least add an element of merit. Not, say, Kristina Mladenovic may be in her 30s and no longer a top-200 singles player. But she was good a bunch of years ago and is French. So, hey, why not let her take the spot of a top 100 player who earned it?
I love watching Gaël Monfils play and we are sad to see him lose. It occurs to me that I cannot recall hearing him say anything [memorable]. Is it me? Is it a language thing? What is he like to speak to?
Sarabeth
• In no way whatsoever is this a criticism. But Monfils’s flair and creativity, expressiveness and—in the best sense of the word—on-court outrageousness do not extend to the interview milieu. He’s professional and courteous but it’s much more of a chill vibe than Nicholas Kyrgios or even Alize Cornet. See for yourself.
I once thought that perhaps something got lost in translation. But, no, the French journalists report similarly. Nice guy. Impossible not to like. But saves his outrageousness and flair for the court.
Jon, I've been wholly dissatisfied with how unseriously the ATP has taken the accusations of partner abuse against Alexander Zverev and his associated legal entanglements. Because of this, I personally am boycotting his matches. I don't know how much commentators have focused on this part of his story, but I imagine Tennis Channel is doing a good job. I skipped the Break Point episodes that featured Zverev too.
Barbara Katzenberg
Lexington, MA
• Tallon Griekspoor nearly made your life easier. This has not been the ATP’s finest moment—I don’t think many would argue otherwise. My moles on the inside defend the inaction by pointing to the rulebook, the fact that players are half the ATP, the absence of legal resolution and an inconclusive investigation. But our hands were tied is, apart from a regrettable metaphor, a weak response. Plenty of sports leagues—and workplaces—would not abide by this fact pattern.
I would argue that Tennis Channel has been responsible here. You cannot do what Netflix’s Break Point did and simply ignore these allegations. You also cannot recite them every time Zverev tosses the ball to serve. At some level, this is the same for fans. Some have written him off entirely, as Barbara has. While I would submit it takes a lot of willful ignorance, other fans believe this is—altogether now—a witch hunt, and that opportunistic women are the problem here.
Novak Djokovic faced quite a difficult test during his fourth round match at the French Open on Monday.
The World No. 1 defeated No. 23 Francisco Cerúndolo after being down 2–1 sets in a five-set thriller, 6–1, 5–7, 3–6, 7–5, 6–3. The match lasted four hours and 39 minutes.
Djokovic was close to losing the match in the fourth set as Cerúndolo held a 4–2 lead. The 24-time Grand Slam champion came back to tie 4–4, then eventually won the set. This momentum propelled him to victory in the final set.
With this win, Djokovic also made tennis history by surpassing Roger Federer for the most Grand Slam match wins in history.
Monday's fourth round match was reminiscent of Djokovic's third round match, which he also won in five sets. Djokovic won the first set vs. Lorenzo Musetti, then dropped the next two before winning the final two sets. It's been a long week for Djokovic on the court, to say the least.
The fourth round win didn't come without other obstacles, too. The 37-year-old appeared to injure his knee in the second set, which caused him to plead for the grounds crew to sweep the court more often. The umpire denied his request.
The reigning French Open champion now awaits the winner of the match between Casper Ruud and Taylor Fritz.
Iga Swiatek continues to dominate in her run to win a third consecutive French Open title as she crushed Anastasia Potapova 6–0, 6–0 in the fourth round on Sunday.
Swiatek didn't drop a single game in the match, which only lasted 40 minutes. This was the quickest match in Swiatek's career thus far. In fact, she only lost 10 points during the entire match. The games never went to deuce, and Potapova never forced a break point.
The World No. 1 was at a loss for words with her commanding performance on Sunday when she spoke after the match.
"I was just really focused and really in the zone," Swiatek said. "It went pretty quickly, pretty weird."
Ever since Swiatek turned 23 on Friday, she's been on a tear. She beat Marie Bouzková in straight sets in the third round, too. Swiatek's journey hasn't been fully a breeze, though, as her second round match vs. four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka went into a decisive third set.
Swiatek will face No. 5 Marketa Vondrousova in the quarterfinal on Tuesday, June 4. This is Swiatek's fifth consecutive quarterfinal at the French Open.
When fans watched Novak Djokovic crush Robby Ginepri 6–0, 6–0, 6–3 in the first round of the 2005 French Open, could they have known what was coming next?
That turned out to be the first Grand Slam match win for Djokovic, who won his 369th such match Friday against Italy's Lorenzo Musetti 7–5, 6–7 (8), 2–6, 6–3, 6–0. With the win, he tied Swiss legend Roger Federer's record. Rafael Nadal is third with 314.
Musetti did not make it easy on Djokovic, but the 37-year-old defending champion recovered to take the final two sets. He will play Argentina's Francisco Cerúndolo Monday morning in the fourth round.
Djokovic's first match victory in a major came mere days after he turned 18, and took place so long ago that he won it while representing Serbia and Montenegro. Montenegro gained its independence from Serbia a year later.
Djokovic remains in search of his record 25th major championship.
If you scroll quickly through Daniil Medvedev's resume since he turned pro in 2015, a hierarchy of surfaces becomes clear.
On hard courts, the Russian has won his only major championship—the 2021 U.S. Open—and reached three Australian Open finals. On grass, he reached the Wimbledon semifinals in 2023.
Clay has been less kind to the 28-year-old. The furthest Medvedev has advanced at the French Open is the quarterfinals in '21, and he's reached just two clay ATP singles finals ever.
On Saturday, after topping Tomas Machac of the Czech Republic 7–6 (4), 7–5, 1–6, 6–4 in the French Open's third round, Medvedev had some self-deprecating fun with his clay struggles.
"We've rarely seen you this relaxed at Roland-Garros..." an interview began.
"That's because I often lose in the first round," Medvedev replied.
Q: 'We've rarely seen you this relaxed at Roland-Garros...'
He is a man who needs no introduction. Especially here, where his statue adorns the grounds. But when Rafael Nadal came out Monday for his first match of the 2024 French Open, the courtside announcer did his thing. Taking a breath, he summoned Nadal by name and then ticked off the years he had won the title.
Fourteen in all. It’s a joke of a tally. The recitation of which enabled a somber occasion to start with some levity.
Presumptively, this was to be Nadal’s last French Open, his final raging against the dying of the light. He turns 38 next week. His current ranking slums outside the top 250, the kind of grim math that comes when your body doesn’t let you play—much less win—many matches.
He entered the tournament unseeded, jarring in itself. And, the tennis fates did their thing, yielding a first-round opponent of … Alexander Zverev, the fourth seed, the player who won last week’s big preview event in Rome, one of the top contenders, the last player at Roland Garros to push Nadal.
So it was these last dance vibes that came edged with a wince. The Rolling Stones or Elton John can announce a final tour. They may not hit every note. But they also don’t lose in straight sets to, say, Mumford & Sons.
Tickets to the most anticipated first-round match in the history of tennis—it's not hyperbole: try and name another—fetched $5,000 on the secondary markets and brought out both royalty and tennis nobility. Though he plays Tuesday, Novak Djokovic was in the stands. As was Carlos Alcaraz, the betting favorite to win this event. Iga Świątek, the defending women’s champion, finished her first-round rout, showered and took a seat.
As for the match itself … it played out as expected. Nostalgia and hope are powerful intoxicants. But eventually, they regress to the mean, and talent and time win out.
There were moments when Nadal did a convincing Nadal impersonation, striking the ball ferociously, picking off volleys, looking like the clay court impresario whose career record at this venue, going into Monday, was 112–3. There were times when he looked like a man in his late 30s—playing a fine opponent, more than a decade younger. There were times when he looked fresh, and there were times he looked physically spent, as one would expect from any player who had gone more than 450 days without playing a best-of-five match.
Nadal was, inauspiciously, broken to start the match, and Zverev took the first set 6–3. Nadal broke Zverev and served for the second, electrifying the crowd. When he failed to close, the deflation was palpable. When he lost the second set in a tiebreaker, this went from an exercise in potentially witnessing history to an exercise in potentially witnessing Nadal’s final match, at least at the French Open.
Nadal addressed the Roland Garros crowd following the match, saying he wasn't sure if this was his last French Open. / Clive Mason/Getty Images
The third set was Nadal's insistence on not going quietly. He got up an early break but then gave it up and fell 6–3, 7–6, 6–3. Respectable? Absolutely. But not the result befitting a 14-time champ.
You cite the comical, flattering stats, you also have to cite the downers. For the first time in nearly 20 years, Nadal lost in the first round of a clay event. For the first time here, he lost in the first round. For the first time ever, he has now lost back-to-back matches on clay.
Credit Zverev for compartmentalizing, ignoring the occasion, locking in mentally, and simply bringing his flagrant talent—especially on his backhand—to bear. He can now pivot from this momentous match to trying to win his first major, a distinct possibility. (Zverev's appeal of a penalty order issued by a German court stemming from domestic abuse allegations made by his ex-girlfriend goes to trial during the tournament.)
As for Nadal … who knows? He called off a retirement ceremony the tournament had planned. It’s not that he’s being coy about the endpoint of his unrivaled career. It’s that, by all accounts, he genuinely doesn’t know when the ride will end. Ironically his last match might be in Paris in two months, assuming he fulfills his vow to play in the 2024 Olympics.
He left the court wearing a look of resignation. One that suggested he has played the French Open for the last time. But also—a champion to the end—that he genuinely thought he could take this match.
On Monday, Zverev won. So, alas, and as ever, did time.
