First of all...I love Rafa. Second: Sasha played INCREDIBLY well...the win was fully deserved. And third: VERY little celebration after such a huge match and win...KUDOS to Sasha for that...hats off...that`s how he showed his respect towards Rafa and the special situation...I really do hope that the people who regulary criticize Sashas character realize that...
@@chuckyvdp1221 Hmm maybe he's not that wrong.. just said it the wrong way. Actually it is true that a lot of players seem playing very well if they play against a lower grade player. It's like that in a lot of sports... You seem good till you meet an opponent that gives you enough resistance to have you make errors. I'm not specific about this match though, I didnt watch the full match.
@@nathansedzik8012 i know what you mean but i watched full match.. of course it wasn't the level of semi final two years ago where Sascha had his bad injury, so both had a long injury time in the last two years.. what i wanna say is: in the past Sascha has shown that he can beat the big 3 Roger, Rafa and Novak and they don't came out of an injury everytime when he did it!! Sascha enjoys much respect of the big 3 cause he has shown what a great tennis player he is 😊
Actually, Zverev didn't celebrate at all, and very rightfully so. If anyone had beaten Nadal in his last French Open game and celebrated, he would get booed.
@@jameswalker6864 literally hasnt played most of the tournaments he usually wins in recent years yet except Australian where he was sick and injured and Rome where he got a concussion lol
@@play_boy7543 The sad thing is when big 3 are gone, next-gen guys are already near 30s or in 30s... It will be very difficult to beat the records of the big 3 in next-gen era.
Played like an absolute champ, shown the brilliance he used to/still have. Congratulations to Zverev but Rafa you have everything to proud of for tonight's performance.
He fought hard, but the quality of the shots is not there anymore. Too many balls landed too short. He was brilliant at the net though. It’s a shame he got such a tough draw, Zverev is one of the top favourites to win the title with his current form.
@@patrikmarflak6559 Correct and too many balls flipped that bounce too high over the net so the opponent can hit a powerful flat forehand. He also has the serve of a female player. He's my goat but it's hard watching him like this.
@@JackL99 Yes, Nadal's and Zverev's serving was night and day. I already knew after Barcelona, that Nadal is not going anywhere this year with that serve. It's sad, but his days are over. Maybe one last chance at the Olympics to go deep, because most top players will probably have timing issues after the grass season. I wish him well, but he will need dry hot day to make the most damage with his topspin, but it also needs to be deeper. High bounce is what he wants to achieve, but not that short. It only causes trouble if it's pushing the opponents far back. Zverev had no problem at all, because without depth there is just not enough penetration even if the ball has a lot of spin. His dropshots were also quite bad. But he was really amazing at the net, I hope he will play doubles with Alcaraz at the Olympics.
Zverev was a class act during and after the match. Played out of his mind and gave Rafa his moment respectfully. Zverev will get his moment when he wins the tournament.
One highlight missing here is the thundering applause form the spectators whenever Alexander made a double fault, to just give a glimpse of what Alexander had to deal with, the absolutely biased spectators with NO manner! Fair result, wonderful justification!
Spent too much time on court prior to the final and got wrecked by Alcaraz in the final's last two sets. Poor strategy, to have a chance he would need to end his prior matches quicker.
There is no better way to say good bye than against a top 5 player. Well done Sascha, great match against the greatest player at Roland Garros of all Times.
I am a Djokovic fan and as such i have the outmost respect for Rafa. The draw for him was a farce. I cant believe the tournament didnt consider the fact that this dude has won the damn thing 14 times... Zverev on round 1? Really? In any case this doesnt tarnish his accomplishments at all. Rafa will be the undisputed GOAT of clay for eternity I think. Big 3 have offered us a lot. Their time is now over. Djokovic will also follow suit pretty quickly. I think he lost the drive since last year let alone the age factor. To be honest you cant ask anything more from them. We were the lucky ones. The best thing is that through their monumental success they paved the way and the future of this sport is more than secured and bright. Amazing players forged through the big 3 are going to keep the sport alive and well.
@@Johnny-cz2wv the draw is random, but in tennis it is not uncommon to have other factors determine how the draw is handled. Like for example wild cards and previous results. I am not saying that they staged the match, what I am saying is that they could do what Wimbledon does often.
idk man he had his chances in every set . the decisions in the clutch moments lost him the match poor dropshots when it wasn t the case and being aggressive in the worst times
@bObsy. Damn didn't watch the whole match as I was sure nadal would lose but didn't know he broke zverev serve on second and third sets. I hope he wins wimbledon again as the points are shorter and less taxing to his body
Nadal would've gone through against most with that performance it's just unfortunate that he face an in form zverev who was already potentially a contender for the title
Nadal could have lost to this Zverev as well 3-4 years ago so it’s not a bad loss at all. He played good. I have hope he can continue like that and come back stronger.
Great game on Sasha's part and he handled this win very classy knowing that it might have been Rafa's last game on Roland Garros ever. You could see that it was kinda bittersweet for him.
Wow, dont know where too start really. Rafa will forever be a legend, Zverev can win the whole thing and his backhand is the best in the world imo. Just amazing.
He lost against a super strong opponent in great shape. He looks more disappointed rather than resigned. Maybe I’m wrong, but In my opinion not everything is over, there is still room for something into his mind. Never understimate the Heart of a champion.
It is crazy how many casual trash Rafa after this match , literally his first actual big tournament since his very long comeback , didn't even have time to get in form yet still gave one of the current best clay players trouble at 37 , that is impressive af
when ever (fed, Djokovic, Rafa ,Murray,) have been injured they take time get bac up running I don't no why they give him such hard match would been better ease him back thew wins build confidence he s top player i think here will be back next year
@@Nosurrender33 yeah its weird i noticed the same - i think in novaks case....he is just rusty.... but its a bit of age too.....cant generate the shots, not as much power etc.... but its a losing propostion no matter....they should be able to see that, imo
@@Nosurrender33They get tired more easily, hence their shots lack quality and penetration. For a good shot in tennis it's not only about power, but also can your legs be in the right position. It becomes more difficult with age.
Rafa had the chance to go as a great champion. Unfortunality he descided to go as a big looser in the first round. That hurts when you see that. He doesnt accept that his time is over! A drama!
Nadal is obviously not the same machine that he used to be - no amount of will-power can get him past the younger players who are treating the French clay like a hard-court.
Да непривычно рафе проигрывать в первом круге на своём самом любимом турнире,но просто с соперником неповезло ...то что испанец проиграет сомнений не было вопрос был в другом как он это сделал...и тут пошли сразу разговоры о возвращении рафы как бы это было хорошо,но лучше бы он не возвращался...а зачем чтобы проигрывать поэтому пусть легенда уйдёт сейчас,ведь по нему видно что эти поражения ему мягко говоря не в радость так зачем себя мучать....и своих поклонников!
andere gewinnen in 3 sätze & sehr schnell, zverev brauchte dafür über 3 stunden... von was reden sie also?!? zudem sagte nadal er ist auf abschiedstournee, leben sie ihr leben & leben lassen...
Para poner en contexto jugó menos de 10 partidos en el año y por detalles perdió este partido,y zverev venía de salir campeón en Montecarlo. Gran partido Rafa tu legado será eterno!
Rafa, a withdrawal in time is a great victory. This is something that Toni Kroos has been able to see very well, who perhaps could have played for a while longer at a good level, but has preferred to leave it now, not to blot out his career and say goodbye with a good taste in his mouth. It's not worth going to the Olympic Games to go through this again. It is not good for you nor is it good for your audience, who first get excited and then when they see you play like that they are disappointed and feel sorry for you. You are the best clay tennis player in history and no one can take that away from you. You are one of the three best on all courts, although it is already obvious that Djokovic has distanced himself and the throne is going to be his. Don't ruin all this with a woeful performance at the Games or you will always regret it. Retire, relax and live life. There is life beyond the tennis courts.
Very disappointed with Nadal performance… he is not running as he used to do, his shots are extremely slow, forehand signature topspin is non existent etc etc etc… he should have retired after his last RG win against Ruud.. it would have been so much better… Sampras remains last person who did it right way. After winning a GS. Sampras is ultimate boss…
Guardando in retrospettiva, questa è stata la migliore prestazione di questo ultimo anno di Nadal, senza alcun dubbio. Meglio così, comunque, il sorteggio sfigato gli ha consentito almeno sullo Chatrier di chiudere in maniera degna
The performance of Zverev was incredible, amazing service %, smashing the ball and hitting lines, and so on. And Rafa broke him a few times and was closed to make the miracle of winning a set. I don't think we can ask more from Rafa considering it was the first round and he played only 5 games this year! he can be the king of clay but to beat Zverev this day he needed to be the god of clay! I could only think of a top form Alcaraz or Sinner beating this version of Zverev! No doubt the favourite to win RG if he makes 80% service.
Félicitations à Nadal pour cette magnifique performance après cette longue période de blessure. Très beau match. Très talentueux joueurs aussi bien Nadal que Zverev merci pour ce moment magique
It's painful to see nadal play like this..looking slow and out of sorts..there was a time when he would brush aside any apononent on this court..he is a shadow of the player he was a few years ago
So sad to see the greatest clay court player ever to have lived bow out. I knew this time would come and since Rafa has essentially been held together with bits of string for years it had to come but it's no less sad after federer gone and now Rafa my childhood is truly over. Well played Zverev !! But Rafa thank you so so so so much for the memories.
Well, Zverev was fantastic, again. He played incredible shots, this is really a bad draw for Nadal otherwise he might have won a round or 3. I see Djokovic and Alcaraz were on the stands and pretty sure both must have been impressed by Zverev.
Alexander Becomes Only the 3rd Player to Beat Rafa at Roland Garros.. Rafa French Open Record is ' Unbeatable '.. Alexander Go & Win it.. To become only the 4th Player After Rafa to Win ATP French Open Singles..
I never liked Nadal and Federer but fair play to them for what they have done for tennis. Nole is next going to pension despite how much I love Nole!! It's just about time for New Generation to take over😂😂 Kings are dead long live the King Jannik Sinner!!!😂
Zverev was very close but Nadal was unstoppable that year and he was up a set already so Nadal would have won anyway but maybe it would have been 5 sets
At his age, the injury break was much too long to be able to claim to return to a sufficient level at Roland Garros and it is probably definitive that he will never be able to win a GC or RG again! It's total domination on clay for almost 20 years, 14 RG, which makes him a champion outside the category.
Really good match from zverev but to be honest, prime rafa would have dominated here. We will miss you rafa. It was an honor watching you through all these years. Vamos!
Very good match. Both played at the top of their current capacity it seems like. This match is also in some ways an evidence on the importance of ATP ranking position to win a tournament. If you have high ranking you get many rounds of relatively easy opportunities. If your far behind in the ATP ranking your way to the final is much harder and energy consuming. This shows that the big three might actually in some ways have helped eachother to their great success. By continuously beating other players they kept players outside the big three, lower in ranking and rather unexperienced in quarterfinal and final match play. Also all players further back in the ATP ranking always had a more difficult oponent track to the final in the tournaments. Leading to them being more worn out and less experienced in reaching so far in competition. Let's say that Nadal had won against Zwerev. It would still have been a very touch way for Nadal to reach the final.
it was a great match and rafa tried his best. Not a rafa fan but this was extremely sad to see, would have liked him to make it deeper in the draw and face zverev then
if Nadal had improved his physical condition earlier this year, he would have entered the French Open with more confidence and had a far better chance of winning such a match. Plus, he would have had a lot easier opponent in the first round and would have steadily raised his form during the tournament, as they always do. To face Zverev, who had recently won the Italian Open, would have been an impossible job for anyone, let alone Nadal, who had just gotten into form in the previous two weeks.
@@msalvs It was on Zverev's racquet in the first set, but in the other two Nadal was up a break. So it was kind of 50-50 match with Zverev taking the big points and he deserves it for sure, but in the end Nadal had some good points too.
Don't you ever joke with Time and age... This life is incredible and wonderful... Just imagine young Nadal and now. BIG DIFFERENCE... TIME TO CALL IT QUIT RAFA #RESPECT #HATSOFF
Is the video editing done by Nadal hater? 1st set is over and no highlights from Nadal. Yes Zverev was very good, but there were some good points from Nadal as well.
Rafa played pretty good. He should not yet retire after olympics, but play some more tournaments on clay and retire next year, if he does not get injured again.
Nadal gave 3h battle even without being capable to fight for every ball and by the amount of dropshots that he tried is even more clear that the age doesn't forgive anyone.
First of all...I love Rafa. Second: Sasha played INCREDIBLY well...the win was fully deserved. And third: VERY little celebration after such a huge match and win...KUDOS to Sasha for that...hats off...that`s how he showed his respect towards Rafa and the special situation...I really do hope that the people who regulary criticize Sashas character realize that...
Zverev plays well because Nadal lets him do it, very simple !
@@Flavius_Arbogastesyou really don't know very much about tennis, don't you? cause you talk senseless bullshìt😂😂
@@chuckyvdp1221 Hmm maybe he's not that wrong.. just said it the wrong way. Actually it is true that a lot of players seem playing very well if they play against a lower grade player. It's like that in a lot of sports... You seem good till you meet an opponent that gives you enough resistance to have you make errors. I'm not specific about this match though, I didnt watch the full match.
@@nathansedzik8012 i know what you mean but i watched full match.. of course it wasn't the level of semi final two years ago where Sascha had his bad injury, so both had a long injury time in the last two years.. what i wanna say is: in the past Sascha has shown that he can beat the big 3 Roger, Rafa and Novak and they don't came out of an injury everytime when he did it!! Sascha enjoys much respect of the big 3 cause he has shown what a great tennis player he is 😊
Actually, Zverev didn't celebrate at all, and very rightfully so. If anyone had beaten Nadal in his last French Open game and celebrated, he would get booed.
I guess the reign of the big three had to come to an end at some point. Thank you Rafa, you’re a true legend.
djokovic is still in it, and could potentially become the big favorite as the tournament goes on
Djoko still here
Djokovic has won 0 titles in 2024, he's done.
@@jameswalker6864 literally hasnt played most of the tournaments he usually wins in recent years yet except Australian where he was sick and injured and Rome where he got a concussion lol
@@theriseofnikas I thought I was the only one saying his name like that. :p
End of an era!
Novak has left to fire last shot,then is the end of big3
@@play_boy7543 The sad thing is when big 3 are gone, next-gen guys are already near 30s or in 30s... It will be very difficult to beat the records of the big 3 in next-gen era.
@@pwuo4 Carlos and Sinner are young and better than lost generation(Zverev,Tsitsi,Medvedev)
Played like an absolute champ, shown the brilliance he used to/still have. Congratulations to Zverev but Rafa you have everything to proud of for tonight's performance.
partly....yes...not the same player as like 5 years ago...imo should've retired this year like a king the way Federer did...there's no shame in it
He fought hard, but the quality of the shots is not there anymore. Too many balls landed too short. He was brilliant at the net though. It’s a shame he got such a tough draw, Zverev is one of the top favourites to win the title with his current form.
Proud to go down in straight sets in the first round !!!!
@@patrikmarflak6559 Correct and too many balls flipped that bounce too high over the net so the opponent can hit a powerful flat forehand. He also has the serve of a female player. He's my goat but it's hard watching him like this.
@@JackL99 Yes, Nadal's and Zverev's serving was night and day. I already knew after Barcelona, that Nadal is not going anywhere this year with that serve. It's sad, but his days are over. Maybe one last chance at the Olympics to go deep, because most top players will probably have timing issues after the grass season. I wish him well, but he will need dry hot day to make the most damage with his topspin, but it also needs to be deeper. High bounce is what he wants to achieve, but not that short. It only causes trouble if it's pushing the opponents far back. Zverev had no problem at all, because without depth there is just not enough penetration even if the ball has a lot of spin. His dropshots were also quite bad. But he was really amazing at the net, I hope he will play doubles with Alcaraz at the Olympics.
Zverev was a class act during and after the match. Played out of his mind and gave Rafa his moment respectfully.
Zverev will get his moment when he wins the tournament.
This match was worthy of a final! In this form Zverev is definitly a favorite to win.
One highlight missing here is the thundering applause form the spectators whenever Alexander made a double fault, to just give a glimpse of what Alexander had to deal with, the absolutely biased spectators with NO manner! Fair result, wonderful justification!
Wawrinka Vs Murray and now this... ONE OF THE BEST FIRST ROUNDS EVER: even Nole was in attendance! 🐐
Shame Roger 🐐wasn't...
Zverev in this shape is a serious contender for the title. It would have requested the best Nadal to beat him.
That’s true. He played really good today better then 2 years ago in my opinion. 80 % first serve. Nadal would win 90 % of the other games.
No lol just a younger nadal not this old version
Spent too much time on court prior to the final and got wrecked by Alcaraz in the final's last two sets. Poor strategy, to have a chance he would need to end his prior matches quicker.
There is no better way to say good bye than against a top 5 player.
Well done Sascha, great match against the greatest player at Roland Garros of all Times.
In this form Zverev could win his first slam 💪
Hopefully not 😄
Hopefully yes.🎉
I hope so!💪
That'd be a surprise.
I hope so
I am a Djokovic fan and as such i have the outmost respect for Rafa. The draw for him was a farce. I cant believe the tournament didnt consider the fact that this dude has won the damn thing 14 times... Zverev on round 1? Really? In any case this doesnt tarnish his accomplishments at all. Rafa will be the undisputed GOAT of clay for eternity I think.
Big 3 have offered us a lot. Their time is now over. Djokovic will also follow suit pretty quickly. I think he lost the drive since last year let alone the age factor. To be honest you cant ask anything more from them. We were the lucky ones.
The best thing is that through their monumental success they paved the way and the future of this sport is more than secured and bright. Amazing players forged through the big 3 are going to keep the sport alive and well.
You do realize a draw is random right?
@@Johnny-cz2wv the draw is random, but in tennis it is not uncommon to have other factors determine how the draw is handled. Like for example wild cards and previous results. I am not saying that they staged the match, what I am saying is that they could do what Wimbledon does often.
That is by far the fairest comment from a Djokovic Fan i have ever read...... Thanks for that !!!
think they kinda wanted to see the continuation of that match of 2022 😅
makes me believe zverev would have won in 5 if he wasn't injured tbh
No way Rafa could have won this today with his serving and the way zverev decided to whip through his backhand.
idk man he had his chances in every set . the decisions in the clutch moments lost him the match poor dropshots when it wasn t the case and being aggressive in the worst times
@@cucuiancu5895exactly people be like no way he had so many chances and wasted points
He was horrible. Second set serving for the set and losing it. Third set from 2-0 up and he lost.
@bObsy. Damn didn't watch the whole match as I was sure nadal would lose but didn't know he broke zverev serve on second and third sets. I hope he wins wimbledon again as the points are shorter and less taxing to his body
@@precociousdeathdealer202Rafa has struggled at Wimbledon since 2012. The younger guys are now just better.
That’s not an insult that’s normal!
Nadal would've gone through against most with that performance it's just unfortunate that he face an in form zverev who was already potentially a contender for the title
If you have to go out, go out against the best. Zverev was sublime. Nadal, you have been the greatest.
Djokovic
@@MildlyHumorous-cq1nn Not the best at Roland-Garros, which is what he was talking about. Stop being so insecure.
Nadal could have lost to this Zverev as well 3-4 years ago so it’s not a bad loss at all. He played good. I have hope he can continue like that and come back stronger.
Great game on Sasha's part and he handled this win very classy knowing that it might have been Rafa's last game on Roland Garros ever. You could see that it was kinda bittersweet for him.
Wow, dont know where too start really. Rafa will forever be a legend, Zverev can win the whole thing and his backhand is the best in the world imo. Just amazing.
He lost against a super strong opponent in great shape. He looks more disappointed rather than resigned. Maybe I’m wrong, but In my opinion not everything is over, there is still room for something into his mind. Never understimate the Heart of a champion.
That backhand though 😳
It hurts knowing this is probably the end for Rafa, but I'm grateful for all of the wonderful memories he's given us. What an absolute legend.
It is crazy how many casual trash Rafa after this match , literally his first actual big tournament since his very long comeback , didn't even have time to get in form yet still gave one of the current best clay players trouble at 37 , that is impressive af
Zverev was more than brilliant
Rafa’s a legend. But today hit so many balls mid court. Anyone in the top 20 is going to rip through those.
same with Murray
these guys have no chance just playing safe down the middle all match.....
why not go for more?????????
Even novak started doing that, idk if thats age thing or smth
when ever (fed, Djokovic, Rafa ,Murray,) have been injured they take time get bac up running I don't no why they give him such hard match would been better ease him back thew wins build confidence he s top player i think here will be back next year
@@Nosurrender33 yeah its weird i noticed the same - i think in novaks case....he is just rusty....
but its a bit of age too.....cant generate the shots, not as much power etc....
but its a losing propostion no matter....they should be able to see that, imo
@@Nosurrender33They get tired more easily, hence their shots lack quality and penetration. For a good shot in tennis it's not only about power, but also can your legs be in the right position. It becomes more difficult with age.
to not show set points and break points in the extended highlights - even if they are unforced errors or double faults - is ridiculous....
Watch eurosport !!
If the apprentice is not better than the master, the profession dies. Thanks to Rafa and Zverev.
Rafa had the chance to go as a great champion. Unfortunality he descided to go as a big looser in the first round. That hurts when you see that. He doesnt accept that his time is over! A drama!
Vamos Rafa… pleasure watching you over all those years. Thank you!
Great game by Alexander 👏
4:04 What a wonderful save by Nadal- Wow 🤩
5:14 that guy seem familiar
pff an inform zverev in the first round must be the toughest draw you can get, against 90 procent of the field he would go trough
Nadal is obviously not the same machine that he used to be - no amount of will-power can get him past the younger players who are treating the French clay like a hard-court.
Да непривычно рафе проигрывать в первом круге на своём самом любимом турнире,но просто с соперником неповезло ...то что испанец проиграет сомнений не было вопрос был в другом как он это сделал...и тут пошли сразу разговоры о возвращении рафы как бы это было хорошо,но лучше бы он не возвращался...а зачем чтобы проигрывать поэтому пусть легенда уйдёт сейчас,ведь по нему видно что эти поражения ему мягко говоря не в радость так зачем себя мучать....и своих поклонников!
andere gewinnen in 3 sätze & sehr schnell, zverev brauchte dafür über 3 stunden...
von was reden sie also?!? zudem sagte nadal er ist auf abschiedstournee, leben sie ihr leben & leben lassen...
What are these highlights without Rafa points?????? It was not a triple 6-0. Shame on you Eurosport
Missing at least two insane Nadal passing forehand...i couldn't believe they didn't show
Para poner en contexto jugó menos de 10 partidos en el año y por detalles perdió este partido,y zverev venía de salir campeón en Montecarlo.
Gran partido Rafa tu legado será eterno!
It was such a pleasure watching this match 😁
Nadal was extremely unlucky to face Zverev in the first round. Otherwise, he could have reached the quarterfinals or even the semifinals.
It was better he lost to a real contender
Todo tiene un principio y un final.
I Felt for Zverev.at the end when it went quiet when he won realising it could be the last time Rafa plays the French open ! What a Ledgend
Unbelievable well played by both players
Rafa, a withdrawal in time is a great victory. This is something that Toni Kroos has been able to see very well, who perhaps could have played for a while longer at a good level, but has preferred to leave it now, not to blot out his career and say goodbye with a good taste in his mouth.
It's not worth going to the Olympic Games to go through this again. It is not good for you nor is it good for your audience, who first get excited and then when they see you play like that they are disappointed and feel sorry for you.
You are the best clay tennis player in history and no one can take that away from you. You are one of the three best on all courts, although it is already obvious that Djokovic has distanced himself and the throne is going to be his.
Don't ruin all this with a woeful performance at the Games or you will always regret it.
Retire, relax and live life. There is life beyond the tennis courts.
They didn’t include the best two shots of the match? Zverev backhand drive volley and nadal forehand up the line
Gracias por hacernos disfrutar y por tu legado Rafa. Trasciende de lo puramente tenístico. Gracias. 👏🏻👏🏻🇪🇸🇪🇸
Full match pls 🙏🏻
Very disappointed with Nadal performance… he is not running as he used to do, his shots are extremely slow, forehand signature topspin is non existent etc etc etc… he should have retired after his last RG win against Ruud.. it would have been so much better… Sampras remains last person who did it right way. After winning a GS. Sampras is ultimate boss…
This Sasha is too strong for him. Bravo
Yes, this match was not the final of Roland Garros 2024 - it was a 1st round match. Unbelievable quality.
Guardando in retrospettiva, questa è stata la migliore prestazione di questo ultimo anno di Nadal, senza alcun dubbio. Meglio così, comunque, il sorteggio sfigato gli ha consentito almeno sullo Chatrier di chiudere in maniera degna
The performance of Zverev was incredible, amazing service %, smashing the ball and hitting lines, and so on. And Rafa broke him a few times and was closed to make the miracle of winning a set. I don't think we can ask more from Rafa considering it was the first round and he played only 5 games this year! he can be the king of clay but to beat Zverev this day he needed to be the god of clay! I could only think of a top form Alcaraz or Sinner beating this version of Zverev! No doubt the favourite to win RG if he makes 80% service.
Félicitations à Nadal pour cette magnifique performance après cette longue période de blessure. Très beau match. Très talentueux joueurs aussi bien Nadal que Zverev merci pour ce moment magique
It's painful to see nadal play like this..looking slow and out of sorts..there was a time when he would brush aside any apononent on this court..he is a shadow of the player he was a few years ago
So sad to see the greatest clay court player ever to have lived bow out. I knew this time would come and since Rafa has essentially been held together with bits of string for years it had to come but it's no less sad after federer gone and now Rafa my childhood is truly over. Well played Zverev !! But Rafa thank you so so so so much for the memories.
Imagine if Roland Garros didn't exist, he would still be an average tennis player, Djoko wins on every surface.
Nadal has multiple Grand Slam titles on every surface so what are you talking about?
you make no sense at all
@@1515guitarheroYes he has but how many in comparison to RG?
@@grandbaks4468 Why does that matter to you?
Even if Rafa loses, he will always remain the King of Clay.
Well, Zverev was fantastic, again. He played incredible shots, this is really a bad draw for Nadal otherwise he might have won a round or 3. I see Djokovic and Alcaraz were on the stands and pretty sure both must have been impressed by Zverev.
Alexander Becomes Only the 3rd Player to Beat Rafa at Roland Garros.. Rafa French Open Record is ' Unbeatable '..
Alexander Go & Win it.. To become only the 4th Player After Rafa to Win ATP French Open Singles..
Last time they played here together was 2022 semifinal and nadal won by zveriv braking his leg
Zverev looks like he could win this thing this year
I hope he wont
@@excalibur9545he will not lol
Does anyone else find it weird that the first set are only points shown of Sverev? Gives such a one sided view of the highlights....
I never liked Nadal and Federer but fair play to them for what they have done for tennis. Nole is next going to pension despite how much I love Nole!! It's just about time for New Generation to take over😂😂 Kings are dead long live the King Jannik Sinner!!!😂
Never liked Nadal and Federer💀
Than you are not a fan of the sport☝🏻
@@mikahu3050 Well I do respect them but I never liked them. It's like you said I'm not fan of soccer because I like Maldini over Ronaldo or Messi🤔😁
That was a beautiful match. I got a little emotional towards the end. Well played Nadal👌🏽
Zverev won,but like he plays today ,he will never play so good, never more in his life!! Today was his day!
Hot take: Nadal would have lost the 2022 match, had Zverev not rolled his ankle.
Nah, he was up a set and would probably close the second.
Zverev was very close but Nadal was unstoppable that year and he was up a set already so Nadal would have won anyway but maybe it would have been 5 sets
Super player. Well done Rafa. Retire and enjoy yourself. It will be some time before your record wins, at Roland Garos is surpassed. What a player. 🎾
At his age, the injury break was much too long to be able to claim to return to a sufficient level at Roland Garros and it is probably definitive that he will never be able to win a GC or RG again!
It's total domination on clay for almost 20 years, 14 RG, which makes him a champion outside the category.
zverev in top form 🚀
Really good match from zverev but to be honest, prime rafa would have dominated here. We will miss you rafa. It was an honor watching you through all these years. Vamos!
It took the Top Guys to be either age or injuries for new generation to be beat them in grand slams.
I watched the first 2 mins of the highlights …no any single points of nadal?! That’s a disgrace Eurosport, shame on u,
Zverev ,emotivna Slovenska duša.
Very good match.
Both played at the top of their current capacity it seems like.
This match is also in some ways an evidence on the importance of ATP ranking position to win a tournament.
If you have high ranking you get many rounds of relatively easy opportunities.
If your far behind in the ATP ranking your way to the final is much harder and energy consuming.
This shows that the big three might actually in some ways have helped eachother to their great success.
By continuously beating other players they kept players outside the big three, lower in ranking and rather unexperienced in quarterfinal and final match play.
Also all players further back in the ATP ranking always had a more difficult oponent track to the final in the tournaments. Leading to them being more worn out and less experienced in reaching so far in competition.
Let's say that Nadal had won against Zwerev. It would still have been a very touch way for Nadal to reach the final.
Bravo Alexander. Go on.
Cant believe you missed the best point of the match at 3-5 in the second set tiebreak
it was a great match and rafa tried his best. Not a rafa fan but this was extremely sad to see, would have liked him to make it deeper in the draw and face zverev then
Great win 🇩🇪👑
if Nadal had improved his physical condition earlier this year, he would have entered the French Open with more confidence and had a far better chance of winning such a match. Plus, he would have had a lot easier opponent in the first round and would have steadily raised his form during the tournament, as they always do. To face Zverev, who had recently won the Italian Open, would have been an impossible job for anyone, let alone Nadal, who had just gotten into form in the previous two weeks.
Federer, Nadal, Murray, such stellar careers, such anticlimactic endings. Like Stephen King wrote them.
This aint the highlights...this is Zverev points
That’s pretty much the story of this match. It was on Zverev’s racquet the whole time.
@@msalvs It was on Zverev's racquet in the first set, but in the other two Nadal was up a break. So it was kind of 50-50 match with Zverev taking the big points and he deserves it for sure, but in the end Nadal had some good points too.
My tought exactly
Don't you ever joke with Time and age... This life is incredible and wonderful... Just imagine young Nadal and now. BIG DIFFERENCE... TIME TO CALL IT QUIT RAFA #RESPECT #HATSOFF
We love you Rafa! 💜💜💜
I remember Rafa walking Andre out like that. Life is fast and short. Wtf 😉💪💜
End of nadal's era. Hope he retires soon
King of Clay, hope this is not the last time we see Rafa on Clay
Olympics!
He'll be at the Olympics..
Damn... Rafa's body can't run... It's actually very impressive that he can still play at this level.
"Надаль проиграл в первом круге РГ" - звучит как что-то нереальное..
Time to call it, all good things come to an end
omg...i had to turn off the audio..what's wrong with them?
Is the video editing done by Nadal hater? 1st set is over and no highlights from Nadal. Yes Zverev was very good, but there were some good points from Nadal as well.
Dobar meč, bravo Zverev
The goat novak watching from the stands
Rafa played pretty good. He should not yet retire after olympics, but play some more tournaments on clay and retire next year, if he does not get injured again.
Nadal i Nole treba da place reket o klin dosta su uzeli Federer Nole Nadal tri nedostizna za grem slemove
Zverev was Söderling 2.0 from 2009
2006 version of Nadal would have won 6-2 6-3 6-1 ….
Nadal gave 3h battle even without being capable to fight for every ball and by the amount of dropshots that he tried is even more clear that the age doesn't forgive anyone.
It's definitely the end of the era of the Big Three.. It's sad that both Rafa and Djoker seem to be reaching their respective limits..
we all knew the outcome of the match before it even started
First Roger went away and now Rafa is slowly going away. I just can't help myself being sad.
Apart from his serve Nadal was at his peak here on his favourite surface and court and Zverev still smoked him