TENNIS
When did Rafael Nadal last lose a match at the French Open?
Nadal, a 14-time French Open champion at Roland Garros, was beaten by Alexander Zverev in the first round in Paris today.
Rafael Nadal suffered only the fourth Roland Garros defeat of his career as he exited the French Open in the first round today, losing in straight sets to Germany’s Alexander Zverev.
Nadal, who has lifted the French Open men’s singles title a record 14 times, was beaten 6-3, 7-6, 6-3 by Zverev, the fourth seed in Paris.
Having slipped to 275 in the men’s world rankings after an injury-hit past couple of seasons, Nadal was unseeded in the French capital this year - the first time the Spaniard has not been given a seeding at a grand slam tournament since the 2005 Australian Open.
When had Nadal last lost a match at the French Open?
Defeat to Zverev was Nadal’s first loss at the French Open since 2021. Three years ago, the Spaniard succumbed to Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals at Roland Garros, going down in four sets to the tournament’s eventual winner. Before losing to Djokovic, Nadal had gone 35 matches without defeat at the French Open - a run that is second only in tournament history to the 37-year-old’s 39-match streak between 2010 and 2015.
After his 2021 defeat, Nadal bounced back the following year to lift his most recent French Open men’s singles title, beating Norway’s Casper Ruud in the final, before missing the 2023 tournament through injury. He had gone into today’s defeat to Zverev on a six-game winning run at Roland Garros.
What is Nadal’s overall win-loss record at the French Open?
Since making his French Open debut in 2005, Nadal has won 112 of his 116 matches at Roland Garros. Aside from his defeats today and in 2021, the 22-time grand slam winner’s only other losses in Paris were against Robin Söderling in the 2009 fourth round, and against Djokovic in the 2015 quarter-finals.
Was this Nadal’s last French Open?
Given that Nadal has previously suggested that this is likely to be his final season on the ATP Tour, the French Open’s organisers had planned to hold a farewell ceremony for the veteran at this year’s event. Speaking at the weekend, however, Nadal refused to rule out returning for another crack at the tournament, leading French Open director Amélie Mauresmo to shelve the Roland Garros tribute to Nadal - for now.
“As you can imagine, we had something planned for him. But […] because he doesn’t know if it’s going to be his last Roland Garros or not, he wants to leave the door open maybe to come back next year as a player. So we are not going to push him, obviously, to do anything,” Mauresmo said, per AP.
Speaking on Saturday, Nadal said: “It’s a big, big chance that it’s going to be my last Roland Garros. But if I have to tell you it’s 100% my last Roland Garros? Sorry, but I will not. Because I cannot predict what’s going on.”
Talking after his defeat to Zverev, Nadal echoed his weekend comments on his uncertain French Open future, telling fans inside Court Philippe Chatrier: “I don’t know if it’s going to be the last time that I’m here in front of you. If it’s the last time, I enjoyed it. The crowd have been amazing during the whole week of preparation, and the feelings I have today I’m unable to describe in words.”