Rafael Nadal handed nightmare first-round match in final French Open

rafael nadal handed nightmare first-round match in final french open

Rafael Nadal is playing Roland-Garros for the final time this year (Picture: Getty)

Rafael Nadal has been handed a nightmare first-round match in what is almost certain to be his final French Open appearance before retirement.

The 37-year-old ‘King of Clay’ has been a dominant force at the famous Grand Slam event in Paris for two decades, winning an incredible 14 men’s singles titles.

Nadal, though, is edging towards the end of his career and is widely expected to hang up his racket at some point this year, possibly after the Olympic Games.

As one of the most adored players in tennis history, many Nadal fans were hoping that the Spanish veteran would luck out with a favourable opening match to keep his hopes of a fairytale finish alive for as long as possible.

But the Roland-Garros gods have not been kind – with the draw seeing Nadal face fourth-seed Alexander Zverev in the first round – who just won the Italian Open.

At Thursday’s draw ceremony, shocked gasps could be heard when Zverev was named as Nadal’s opening opponent, one of the toughest names he could get.

Nadal has dropped to 276th in the world after long-term injury problems and heads into Roland-Garros unseeded for the first time.

rafael nadal handed nightmare first-round match in final french open

There were shocked gasps when Rafael Nadal’s opponent was named (Picture: Getty)

Elsewhere, British hero Andy Murray, who has also spoken openly about retirement and could call it a day after the Olympics, faces Stan Wawrinka.

Like Nadal, it is likely to be the last time Murray features at the clay-court event, and he is not expected to go far given his game isn’t best suited to the surface.

Murray only recently returned from a horror ankle injury he picked up at the Miami Open in March.

In other news, Novak Djokovic gets started against French wildcard Pierre-Hugues Herbert as he attempts to land his 25th Grand Slam singles title.

In the women’s singles, meanwhile, there is no Emma Raducanu but British No.1 Katie Boulter faces a tough match against Paula Badosa in the opening round.

The French Open gets started on Sunday, May 26 as Djokovic and Iga Swiatek look to defend their titles in the men’s singles and women’s singles respectively.

OTHER NEWS

20 minutes ago

China to replace Australia's popular giant pandas

20 minutes ago

A shooting at splash pad in Detroit suburb injures 9, including 2 children

22 minutes ago

Jason Kelce Wants His Daughters to ‘Know How Much It Sucks' to Lose

22 minutes ago

Dixon on UW Receivers

22 minutes ago

Who are France's far-right party voters?

25 minutes ago

Gervonta Davis returns to the ring with eighth-round knockout after a year away

28 minutes ago

Fury after police ram terrified runaway cow with their squad car down London street - with cops forced to refer itself to watchdog amid backlash and Home Secretary demanding explanation over 'heavy-handed' incident

30 minutes ago

Where Drag Queens Shop, From Online Markets To Emerging Boutiques

30 minutes ago

‘Only goal was to come out of poverty’: Vijay Sethupathi says he misses his past life as ‘innocent’ young man

30 minutes ago

Depleted Sea Eagles rally to defeat Dragons 30-14

30 minutes ago

Here’s how to invest £60k in a SIPP to target a 7% yield in 2024

30 minutes ago

Rayhan Thomas shoots 67 on ‘Moving Day’ at Korn Ferry Tour in Kansas

30 minutes ago

Chairman Powell is happy with the Federal Reserve's trajectory on rate cuts: Diane Swonk

30 minutes ago

France eye strong start against Austria in pursuit of overdue Euros title

31 minutes ago

US accuses Iran of ignoring Red Sea distress call from vessel hit by Houthi strike

31 minutes ago

Manchester United 'given asking price by Bayern Munich for Matthijs de Ligt' after having £43m offer for Jarrad Branthwaite REJECTED by Everton

31 minutes ago

England's high hopes for Euros glory! Bullish Three Lions fans sing 'Sweet Caroline' in boozy scenes ahead of clash with Serbia TODAY - with 40,000 Brits set to descend on Gelsenkirchen

31 minutes ago

Revealed: Gareth Southgate adds fourth star to his England leadership group... with Kyle Walker and Declan Rice already assisting captain Harry Kane during Euro 2024 campaign

31 minutes ago

12/1 Featured RequestABet on offer for selected Euro 2024 fixtures today - as Denmark take on Slovenia and England battle Serbia in their respective openers

31 minutes ago

King Charles shares sweet throwback footage with the late Prince Philip as he leads tributes on Father's Day

31 minutes ago

Trump challenges Biden to cognitive test, but confuses name of doctor who tested him

35 minutes ago

The lingering England questions that Euro 2024 opener against Serbia will answer

35 minutes ago

Luka Modric, the problem with ageing, and the worst day for Croatia’s best generation

36 minutes ago

Your cheap Netgear router might have some serious security flaws — here's what we know so far

36 minutes ago

Canoe star Jessica Fox completes golden half-century

36 minutes ago

Alan Titchmarsh wife’s health warning as green-fingered star banned from huge TV show

36 minutes ago

“I wanted to switch from Strats”: Vito Bratta on why he made the leap to his iconic ’88 Steinberger GM2T

36 minutes ago

Beth Gibbons review – an unapologetically intense triumph

36 minutes ago

Labour sends activists to 13 seats where it fears losing Muslim voters over Gaza

36 minutes ago

Prestigious Dulwich Prep whose former pupils include BBC's John Simpson drops use of tribe names over fears of 'cultural appropriation'

39 minutes ago

Moment father and son rescued from overturned yacht as search continues

39 minutes ago

Buy Buy Home: The Perth houses for sale you must know about in City Beach, Kensington and Innaloo

43 minutes ago

How the Dan Hurley failure proved Lakers are the Cowboys | The Herd

43 minutes ago

Here’s where I think the National Grid share price will end 2024

43 minutes ago

Dragons implode in 'memorable' Sea Eagles triumph

43 minutes ago

Yamal and Pedri shine as Spain beat Croatia in Euro 2024 opener

43 minutes ago

EU states won't be directly involved in $50 billion loan for Ukraine, Italian PM says

43 minutes ago

This explosive UK stock has hiked dividends by 14.6% a year for a decade. Time to buy?

43 minutes ago

Is Jayson Tatum a Top 10 Celtic of all time? | The Carton Show

43 minutes ago

Austin Hill takes the green flag at Iowa