Nadal faces tough draw against Zverev in French Open

Rafael Nadal will commence his French Open return—and likely his farewell to the tournament he has dominated—with a first-round match against German fourth seed Alexander Zverev. Nadal, who has claimed the men’s title a record 14 times, plans to retire later this year.

Zverev, 27, is one of the top contenders for the title and recently won the Italian Open. Meanwhile, Britain’s Andy Murray, who has suggested he will retire in the coming months, will start his campaign against fellow veteran Stan Wawrinka. Murray, 37, has played on the Roland Garros clay only once since 2017 and is returning after recovering from an ankle injury that cast doubt on his participation.

🇪🇸🇫🇷 Rafael Nadal’s 2024 Roland Garros Draw:

R1 – Zverev
R2 – Goffin
R3 – Griekspoor/McDonald
R4 – Rune/Khachanov
QF – Medvedev/De Minaur
SF – Djokovic/Ruud/Fritz
F – Sinner/Alcaraz pic.twitter.com/L8Cyg77rUl

More on this topic:

Djokovic wins one last time against ‘biggest rival’ Rafael Nadal

— Olly 🎾🇬🇧 (@Olly_Tennis_) May 23, 2024

Defending men’s champion Novak Djokovic begins his tournament against French wildcard Pierre-Hugues Herbert, while Iga Swiatek starts her bid for a third consecutive women’s title against a qualifier or lucky loser.

The French Open, the second Grand Slam tournament of the season, begins on Sunday, May 26.