Nadal 'not sure' if he has played final French Open match after first-round loss to Zverev

Rafael Nadal suffered a first ever opening-round exit at the French Open as fourth seed Alexander Zverev swept to a straight-sets victory at Roland Garros on Monday.

The 14-time tournament champion arrived in Paris having only played four events since January 2023 after suffering a hip injury and then a muscle tear. That left him unseeded and vulnerable to a difficult opening round at a tournament where he has only lost three of his 115 matches.

And so it turned out after the Spaniard was drawn against world No 4 Zverev who arrived in the French capital as one of the title favourites after winning the Rome Open earlier this month.

Nadal showed flashes of top form again on Court Philippe Chatrier but the 37-year-old ultimately went down fighting in a 6-3, 7-6, 6-3 loss. The 22-time Grand Slam winner was a break of serve up in the second and third sets, only to be pinned back on both occasions by his in-form 27-year-old opponent.

Victory meant Zverev became only the third man to beat Nadal at Roland Garros, after Novak Djokovic and Robin Soderling, with the German banishing memories of the serious ankle injury that forced him to quit when the duo last met in the 2022 semi-finals.

Nadal admitted that he was unsure if this was to be his last appearance at a venue where he has reigned supreme since first lifting the Musketeers' Cupin 2005 but did suggest he was keen to return for this summer's Olympic Games in Paris.

“It is difficult for me to talk, I don't know if it's the last time I'll be here in front of all of you,” said Nadal speaking on court. “Honestly, I am not sure. If it is, then you have been amazing. The feelings I have today are difficult to describe in words. It is the place I love the most.

“If it is the last