Rafael Nadal Loses in the French Open’s First Round to Alexander Zverev

 Spain's Rafael Nadal gestures to the public as he leaves the court after losing against Germany's Alexander Zverev in their men's singles match on Court Philippe-Chatrier on day two of the French Open tennis tournament at the Roland Garros Complex in Paris on May 27, 2024. (AFP)
Spain's Rafael Nadal gestures to the public as he leaves the court after losing against Germany's Alexander Zverev in their men's singles match on Court Philippe-Chatrier on day two of the French Open tennis tournament at the Roland Garros Complex in Paris on May 27, 2024. (AFP)
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Rafael Nadal Loses in the French Open’s First Round to Alexander Zverev

 Spain's Rafael Nadal gestures to the public as he leaves the court after losing against Germany's Alexander Zverev in their men's singles match on Court Philippe-Chatrier on day two of the French Open tennis tournament at the Roland Garros Complex in Paris on May 27, 2024. (AFP)
Spain's Rafael Nadal gestures to the public as he leaves the court after losing against Germany's Alexander Zverev in their men's singles match on Court Philippe-Chatrier on day two of the French Open tennis tournament at the Roland Garros Complex in Paris on May 27, 2024. (AFP)

Rafael Nadal lost in the first round of the French Open to Alexander Zverev 6-3, 7-6 (5), 6-3 on Monday in what might turn out to be the 14-time Roland Garros champion’s last match at his favorite tournament.

It is the first time in his long and illustrious career that Nadal has been beaten in two consecutive matches on clay courts and the first time he has dropped a match earlier than the fourth round at the French Open. His career record at the clay-court Grand Slam tournament is now 112-4.

The match was played with the retractable roof shut at Court Philippe Chatrier, and the loud cheers for Nadal from most in the capacity crowd of about 15,000 echoed throughout.

Nadal, who owns 22 major trophies in all, turns 38 on June 3 and he has been dealing with hip and abdominal injuries since January 2023, limiting him to 15 matches and an 8-7 record since the start of last year. His infrequent play dropped his ranking to No. 275 and he was unseeded for the French Open for the first time.

That is why he ended up facing the No. 4-seeded Zverev, the runner-up at the 2020 US Open, a gold medalist at the Tokyo Olympics and the only man to reach the semifinals in Paris each of the past three years.

Nadal has indicated 2024 likely would be his last season before retirement but he said Saturday that he is not 100% sure he won’t play again at the French Open. And he reiterated that after Monday's defeat.

His three other losses at Roland Garros came against Robin Soderling in 2010 and against Novak Djokovic in 2015 and 2021.



‘Flooding Rains’ Threaten to Dampen Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony

Paris 2024 Olympics - Opening Ceremony - Paris, France - July 26, 2024. Spectators are seen behind the Eiffel Tower ahead of the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympics. (Reuters)
Paris 2024 Olympics - Opening Ceremony - Paris, France - July 26, 2024. Spectators are seen behind the Eiffel Tower ahead of the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympics. (Reuters)
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‘Flooding Rains’ Threaten to Dampen Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony

Paris 2024 Olympics - Opening Ceremony - Paris, France - July 26, 2024. Spectators are seen behind the Eiffel Tower ahead of the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympics. (Reuters)
Paris 2024 Olympics - Opening Ceremony - Paris, France - July 26, 2024. Spectators are seen behind the Eiffel Tower ahead of the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympics. (Reuters)

The Paris Olympics look likely to get off to a soggy start.

Meteo-France, the French weather service, is predicting “flooding rains” Friday evening when the opening ceremony is set to unroll along the Seine River. But the show is set to go on as planned, starting at 1:30 p.m. EDT/7:30 p.m. CEST and should last more than three hours.

Already in the late afternoon, skies were gray with intermittent drizzle. There was a silver lining, though, with temperatures expected to stay relatively warm throughout the evening.

Instead of a traditional march into a stadium, about 6,800 athletes will parade on more than 90 boats on the Seine River for 6 kilometers (3.7 miles). Though 10,700 athletes are expected to compete at these Olympics, hundreds of soccer players are based outside Paris, surfers are in Tahiti and many have yet to arrive for their events in the second week, organizers said Thursday.

Hundreds of thousands of people, including 320,000 paying and invited ticket-holders, are expected to line the Seine’s banks as athletes are paraded along the river on boats.