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

In the first round of the men's singles at the Roland Garros 2024 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 the lack of consistency when serving 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 was up 5-4. However, the Spanish legend missed the opportunity. Zverev persisted with his tenacious play to wear down Nadal's strength. 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 stamina made it impossible for him to resist Zverev's youthful strength. Zverev won the set 6-3, ending the match 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 in 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