PARIS, May 25 — Alexander Zverev expects to face “peak Rafael Nadal” in their mouth-watering French Open duel as he prepares to deliver a heart-breaking, final blow to the...
Spain's Rafael Nadal takes part in a practice session ahead of The French Open tennis tournament on Court Philippe-Chatrier at The Roland Garros Complex in Paris May 22, 2024. — AFP picPARIS, May 25 — Alexander Zverev expects to face “peak Rafael Nadal ” in their mouth-watering French Open duel as he prepares to deliver a heart-breaking, final blow to the 14-time champion’s storied Roland Garros career.
One of those came in Paris two years ago when Zverev was forced to retire from their semi-final after suffering an horrific ankle injury which kept him sidelined until January last year. While Paris geared up for an emotional rollercoaster on Monday, 500km away in Geneva, world number one Novak Djokovic was enduring another setback.
“I’ve had some good matches here and there but it is what it is. You have to accept it. I don’t consider myself a favourite there. I’m going to take it match by match and see how far I can go.” As the French Open prepared for Nadal’s swansong, rivals were quick to hail the Spanish star who has lost just three times in 115 matches at Roland Garros since his title-winning debut in 2005.
Nadal is unseeded after his ranking slumped to 276 in the world having played just four tournaments since January last year.
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