RAFA NADAL was given a hero’s send-off in Paris as he waved goodbye to the French Open for possibly the final time. Grand Slam champions Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz and Iga Swiatek were present on Court Philippe-Chatrier to witness the abdication of the King of Clay. This was the hottest ticket in town as Nadal – winner of a record 14 French Opens since 2005 – bid farewell to the place where he is adored the most.
Alex Zverev , the No 4 seed, was simply too strong and wily and ended up succeeding in straight sets 6-3 7-6 6-3 over more than three hours. Nadal, who turns 38 on June 3, went down on his shield like a true warrior and did not disgrace himself – he was just beaten by the better man on his special occasion. At times, we did see glimpses of the racquet-wielding matador at his best.
But it was too infrequent to knock out the German, who prevailed two years after their last encounter in the semi-finals when he tore ankle ligaments in a horror fall. For what we assume is the last time on these grounds, Nadal shook hands with his opponent at the net and then the umpire before putting away his racquets and zipping up his bag. The noise was deafening when he arrived on court holding the hand of a ball kid under a closed roof due to the rain.
And it was equally as ear-splitting when he departed, the climax to a record-breaking two-decade spell on Parisian clay. CASINO SPECIAL - BEST CASINO WELCOME OFFERS Technically this is not his final appearance on this red su.
