'Probably a big chance I won’t be back playing here but I can’t say 100 percent...'- Rafael Nadal speaks on his future after loss against Alexander Zverev in Roland Garros

The day had arrived when we finally were able to witness the first-round match between Rafael Nadal and Alexander Zverev in the Roland Garros 2024. There was a lot of hype going into this match and people who came to witness this game being played between an upcoming star Alexander Zverev and the living legend himself.

Though everyone was expecting one more good performance, the match turned out to be a straight victory for the in-form Alexander Zverev, who dominated the king of clay from the first set, itself winning it by a margin of 6-3. In the second set, we saw glimpses of a much more competitive Nadal which also went down to a tiebreaker. Unfortunately, it was not enough to take the set as it was Zverev who won the decisive tiebreaker by a score of 7-5. The third set saw Zverev take the match once again winning 6 games to 3 to get his 4th victory over the King of Clay and qualify for the second round of the tournament.

Nadal on his future in the game

This was not only the first time we saw Rafael Nadal play as an unseeded player or bow out in the first round of the Roland Garros, but it was probably his last season before he retires from the game completely. It wouldn't be surprising as Nadal has not looked the best this season, but after the game, he did have some things to say about his future saying, "It’s difficult to say what’s going on in the future. Probably a big chance I won’t be back playing here but I can’t say 100%... The feelings I had on this amazing court during my career are just unbelievable."

With this statement, he further added how unbelievably good his career has been. He thanked everyone and said his goodbyes. Through these statements, he also mentioned that there might be a possibility that we might see him play next season as well. Though it looks highly unlikely, if it can happen we all will be ready for one more Nadal year. Even though we would have liked to see him play more in the tournament, if this is his last he will still have gone after leaving a huge legacy behind him.