Rafael Nadal lost to Zverev in the "early final", stopped at round 1 of Roland Garros

In the first round of the men's singles at the 2024 Roland Garros tennis tournament, the most anticipated match was the contest between Rafael Nadal and Alexander Zverev. This was considered the "early final" of the tournament and the stands at Philippe Chatrier Stadium were almost full of spectators.

Rafael Nadal lost to Alexander Zverev and stopped at the first round of Roland Garros 2024. (Photo: Reuters).

Despite the enthusiastic cheers from the fans, Nadal showed how injuries and age have affected him. The Spanish legend still has good shots, but his lack of consistency on serve often puts the Spaniard in a difficult position. Nadal lost 2 breaks in the first set and lost 3-6 to Zverev.

In the second set, Nadal got into the rhythm of the match and played on par with his opponent. Nadal even took the lead and had a game to serve to decide the set when he led 5-4. However, the Spanish legend missed the opportunity. Zverev persisted with his tenacious play to wear Nadal down. The German player took the lead at the decisive moment to win the tie-break.

In the third set, Nadal broke again to lead 2-0, but Rafa's declining physical strength made him unable to resist the youthful strength of Zverev. Zverev won 6-3 in this set, and ended the match with a score of 3-0 (6-3, 7-6, 6-3), earning a ticket to the second round.

Zverev became the first player in history to eliminate Nadal in the first round of Roland Garros. He is also the third player ever to defeat Rafa at a Grand Slam in France after Robin Soderling and Novak Djokovic (twice).

Source: https://vov.vn/the-thao/rafael-nadal-thua-zverev-o-chung-ket-som-dung-buoc-tai-vong-1-roland-garros-post1097915.vov