Spoiler:
German advances to the second round in straight sets
May 27, 2024
Alexander Zverev is the No. 4 player in the PIF ATP Rankings.
AFP/Getty Images
Alexander Zverev is the No. 4 player in the PIF ATP Rankings.
By ATP Staff
Alexander Zverev weathered a mid-match storm from 14-time champion Rafael Nadal Monday to win their first-round Roland Garros blockbuster 6-3, 7-6(4), 6-3.
Nadal found moments of his vintage best tennis, especially with his trademark forehand passing shot. But Zverev's booming serve, aggressive forehand and calm under pressure proved too much to overcome after three hours and five minutes.
As soon as the draw was made, the talk of Roland Garros was this tantalising showdown, a rematch of their semi-final in Paris two years ago, when they played for more than three hours before Zverev was forced to retire due to a devastating ankle injury.
There was so much excitement for the match that Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz and WTA No. 1 Iga Swiatek all sat in the stands to take in the action. The encounter was very tightly contested for a straight-sets match, but for every moment in which Nadal seemed to seize the momentum — and rallied the raucuous crowd fully behind him — Zverev found an answer to retake control.
The German became just the third player to defeat Nadal at Roland Garros, joining Djokovic (2) and Robin Soderling. The Spaniard is now 112-4 at the clay-court major after suffering just the third first-round loss at a Slam of his illustrious career.
Nadal has struggled with injuries over the past couple of years and tallied a 5-3 record this clay-court season entering Roland Garros, below his lofty standards. He at times played better tennis against Zverev than he did throughout the clay season, but it was not enough against the No. 4 player in the PIF ATP Rankings.
Zverev's aggressive play set the tone in the first set. The two-time Nitto ATP Finals champion took the action to his opponent, hitting 15 winners compared to five for Nadal in the opener.
When the 22-time major champion Nadal was in position to crank up his forehand in neutral rallies, Zverev did not panic and did well to neutralise Nadal's typically effective ad-court pattern with his steady two-handed backhand.
Nadal faced two break points early in the second set to fall into a deep deficit under the Court Philippe-Chatrier roof. But after digging out of trouble, he conjured memories of his very best tennis to claim a service break. The 37-year-old was all over the court, earning roars of approval from the raucuous crowd with his jaw-dropping shotmaking.
Several times during the match, Nadal hit sizzling forehand passing shots and gave the crowd massive fist pumps to try to work his way back into the match. Nadal leads their Lexus ATP Head2Head series 7-4.
Zverev is confident on the back of his title victory at the Internazionali BNL d'Italia, the ATP Masters 1000 event in Rome.
May 27, 2024
Alexander Zverev is the No. 4 player in the PIF ATP Rankings.
AFP/Getty Images
Alexander Zverev is the No. 4 player in the PIF ATP Rankings.
By ATP Staff
Alexander Zverev weathered a mid-match storm from 14-time champion Rafael Nadal Monday to win their first-round Roland Garros blockbuster 6-3, 7-6(4), 6-3.
Nadal found moments of his vintage best tennis, especially with his trademark forehand passing shot. But Zverev's booming serve, aggressive forehand and calm under pressure proved too much to overcome after three hours and five minutes.
As soon as the draw was made, the talk of Roland Garros was this tantalising showdown, a rematch of their semi-final in Paris two years ago, when they played for more than three hours before Zverev was forced to retire due to a devastating ankle injury.
There was so much excitement for the match that Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz and WTA No. 1 Iga Swiatek all sat in the stands to take in the action. The encounter was very tightly contested for a straight-sets match, but for every moment in which Nadal seemed to seize the momentum — and rallied the raucuous crowd fully behind him — Zverev found an answer to retake control.
The German became just the third player to defeat Nadal at Roland Garros, joining Djokovic (2) and Robin Soderling. The Spaniard is now 112-4 at the clay-court major after suffering just the third first-round loss at a Slam of his illustrious career.
Nadal has struggled with injuries over the past couple of years and tallied a 5-3 record this clay-court season entering Roland Garros, below his lofty standards. He at times played better tennis against Zverev than he did throughout the clay season, but it was not enough against the No. 4 player in the PIF ATP Rankings.
Zverev's aggressive play set the tone in the first set. The two-time Nitto ATP Finals champion took the action to his opponent, hitting 15 winners compared to five for Nadal in the opener.
When the 22-time major champion Nadal was in position to crank up his forehand in neutral rallies, Zverev did not panic and did well to neutralise Nadal's typically effective ad-court pattern with his steady two-handed backhand.
Nadal faced two break points early in the second set to fall into a deep deficit under the Court Philippe-Chatrier roof. But after digging out of trouble, he conjured memories of his very best tennis to claim a service break. The 37-year-old was all over the court, earning roars of approval from the raucuous crowd with his jaw-dropping shotmaking.
Several times during the match, Nadal hit sizzling forehand passing shots and gave the crowd massive fist pumps to try to work his way back into the match. Nadal leads their Lexus ATP Head2Head series 7-4.
Zverev is confident on the back of his title victory at the Internazionali BNL d'Italia, the ATP Masters 1000 event in Rome.
