The king of clay, Rafa Nadal, was knocked out in the first round of the French Open last night, with Alexander Zverev beating him in straight sets.
Zverev, seeded fourth for the tournament, made klein skooltjies of the 37-year-old Spaniard, winning the match 6-3, 7-6 and 6-4.
It was an emotional match for Nadal fans in what could possibly be the 14-time winner’s final appearance at the tournament.
Nadal says: “It’s difficult for me to talk on whether it will be the last time that I will be here.
“I am not 100 percent sure, if it is the last time I enjoyed it. The crowd has been amazing and the feelings that I have today are difficult to describe in words. It’s so special to feel the love from the people at the place I love the most.”
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In other action on Monday, Italian world No.2 Jannik Sinner looked fully recovered from his injury problems as he saw off American Christopher Eubanks 6-3, 6-3 and 6-4.
Sinner, the Australian Open champion, withdrew from the Madrid Open and missed the Rome Masters with a hip injury, but was back on form at Roland Garros as Eubanks exited at the first hurdle for the second successive year.
Sinner says: “The hip is good, I’m glad that my team and myself, we were working very hard to be on court as soon as possible.
“For sure, the general shape is not at 100 percent yet, so we try to build every day.”
World No.1 Novak Djokovic is in action today when he faces Pierre-Hugues Herbert.
A packed house for a very special match 🧡 You simply can't miss the Highlights by @Emirates Day 2 edition. #RolandGarros #Emirates pic.twitter.com/PjhWHaMdY9