Alexander Zverev’s brother reacts to French Open blockbuster against Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal’s French Open first round draw against Alexander Zverev has set pulses racing ahead of the second Grand Slam of 2024, with the Roland Garros clash certain to be a blockbuster occasion.
Nadal is set to play at the tournament he has won on a record 14 occasions for the final time, and he has his work cut out if he is to make it beyond the opening round.
Zverev climbed to world No 4 on the back of winning the Italian Open in Rome at the weekend and heads into the year’s second grand slam as one of the favourites.
Nadal won the title on his last appearance on the Parisian clay in 2022 but has played only four tournaments in the last year and a half because of hip problems and was well beaten by Hubert Hurkacz in the second round in Rome.
Now Zverev’s brother and former player Mischa has reacted to the draw, as he gave his comments to Eurosport.
“When you see the 2024 French Open draw, you have to sit down to digest it,” said Zverev.
“It’s Zverev against Nadal in the first round. How did that go a few years ago? A three-hour match that ended without a match point because Sascha got injured and couldn’t finish. He was then out of action for six or seven months.
“Rafael Nadal won his last French Open back then. Now they’re playing each other again in the first round, but a lot is different: Sascha is seeded and Rafa isn’t even in the top 100, which hasn’t been the case for more than 20 years. Everyone is asking me: Mischa, how will it turn out? What do you think?
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“I’ve always said that Sascha could and should have won it back then. And he will win it this time too, because Rafa has become a bit slower and his fitness is no longer the same. The shots may still be the same, but the big question is whether he can play them over five sets. I think the winner will be Zverev in the end and I hope it will be over in three sets.
“Nevertheless, it will be a very tough match – perhaps not in terms of play, but emotionally, because it could also be Rafael Nadal’s very last match at the French Open. The crowd won’t really be able to decide whether they want to see a great match or simply Rafa on the Philippe-Chatrier once again.
“Both of them will go into the match with a lot of courage, with nervousness, but also with the strange feeling that the era of Rafael Nadal could come to an end on the red clay of Paris.”
Nadal was due to practice with Zverev on Friday in Paris, but that planned session was cancelled when the duo were placed together in the draw.
Reports suggest the Spanish legend won a set against world No 5 Daniil Medvedev in practice at Roland Garros on Thursday, but Nadal would need to raise his levels dramatically from what we have seen from him over the last few weeks to beat Zverev over five sets.
