SI

Literally No One Wanted to Face Rafael Nadal in First Round of French Open

Can you blame them?

Tim Capurso

Rafael Nadal returns to Borna Coric during the third set of their match in the Western & Southern Open at the Lindner Family Tennis Center in Mason, Ohio, on Wednesday, Aug. 17, 2022. Borna Coric defeated Rafael Nadal 7-6, 4-6, 6-3.
Rafael Nadal returns to Borna Coric during the third set of their match in the Western & Southern Open at the Lindner Family Tennis Center in Mason, Ohio, on Wednesday, Aug. 17, 2022. Borna Coric defeated Rafael Nadal 7-6, 4-6, 6-3. / Albert Cesare / USA TODAY NETWORK

Rafael Nadal has won 14 French Open titles, the most in tennis history. Nadal has played 115 matches in his career at Roland Garros, and has lost just three times.

Nadal is the sport's boogeyman.

So, it's no wonder that the soon-to-be 38-year-old, despite missing last year's French Open and playing just three tournaments since an injury forced him to withdraw from the Australian Open in January, was not a preferred first-round opponent at Roland Garros among top players on the ATP Tour.

Nadal, who is unseeded, is set to face off with world No. 4 Alexander Zverev when the first round of the 2024 French Open begins on Sunday.

Zverev, speaking to reporters at a press conference on Friday, admitted the first-round match against Nadal was not ideal and said that he didn't believe it when his brother Mischa told him he'd be facing the Spaniard.

"I actually thought he was joking in the beginning. But then, yeah, it is what it is," Zverev said. "I mean, obviously, to be very honest, I wanted to play Rafa again in my career, in his career, because I didn't want my last memory of me playing against Rafa to be me leaving the court in a wheelchair.

"Ideally, I would have liked to play him in the latter stage of the tournament. It's a tough draw, but it's a tough draw for both of us. We'll see how it goes on Monday."

Zverev wasn't the only one. Fellow top-five players Carlos Alcaraz and Daniil Medvedev also admitted they would not be keen on facing Nadal in the first round at Roland Garros.

It's not too surprising that Nadal, who was won 23 majors in his career, is respectfully feared on the tour. What is surprising is that Zverev, Alcaraz and Medvedev were so open and honest about their preference to avoid playing Nadal.

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Tim Capurso
TIM CAPURSO

Tim Capurso is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Prior to joining SI in November 2023, he wrote for RotoBaller and ClutchPoints, where he was the lead editor for MLB, college football and NFL coverage. A lifelong Yankees and Giants fan, Capurso grew up just outside New York City and now lives near Philadelphia. When he's not writing, he enjoys reading, exercising and spending time with his family, including his three-legged cat Willow, who, unfortunately, is an Eagles fan.

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