Rafael Nadal is set to conclude his 19-year French Open career with the chances of adding to his 14 titles significantly diminished, leaving behind a record and legacy unlikely to be matched.
The legendary Spaniard, a 22-time Grand Slam champion, claimed his first Roland Garros title as a teenager in 2005. He will celebrate his 38th birthday a week from Monday.
Once the world number one, Nadal has now dropped to 276 in the rankings. He has played only 15 matches since January last year due to a hip injury followed by a muscle tear, adding to a series of physical issues that have caused him to miss 12 Grand Slam tournaments in his career.
Unseeded this year, Nadal faces a challenging start to his farewell as he is drawn against world number four Alexander Zverev in the first round, with the match scheduled for Monday, May 27.
“I’m going to play the tournament thinking that I can give my all, 100 percent.
“And if 100 percent is not enough to win a match, I’ll accept that. But I don’t want to step onto court knowing that I have no chance. If there’s a 0.01 percent chance, I want to explore that and give it a go,” Nadal explained after a second-round exit in Rome.
In addition to his 14 titles in Paris, Nadal holds a remarkable record of 112 wins and only three losses at Roland Garros, with two of those defeats inflicted by his career-long rival Novak Djokovic.
He is widely revered in the tennis world. During his first training session on Court Philippe Chatrier at Roland Garros on Monday, an estimated 6,000 spectators gathered to watch, with many chanting his name.
Fellow Grand Slam champions Stan Wawrinka and Daniil Medvedev joined Nadal for practice sessions this week.
Wawrinka said Nadal was as “strong as ever” while Medvedev admitted he was “happy not to be facing” the Spanish star.
In their six clay-court encounters, Zverev has defeated Nadal only once.
Their meeting in Paris in 2022 ended abruptly when the German was forced to retire from their semi-final due to a severe ankle injury.
“In my mind, I’m going to play peak Rafa Nadal. That’s what I expect him to be. I expect him to be at his absolute best,” said Zverev, who arrives in Paris having won the prestigious Rome Open title.
