Rafael Nadal confirms he might not yet be done playing the French Open

If Rafael Nadal never plays again at the French Open, he has nothing to be ashamed of after losing to Alexander Zverev in the first round. Zverev is the younger player and is currently in better form than Nadal. While the German won in three sets, they certainly were not easy. In nearly every game, one player pushed the other to near the brink of being broken.

Nadal made a large number of ridiculous shots. He matched Zverev in many ways with cross-court winners and drop shots, but Zverev could simply get to more shots. The German was also helped by a more bombastic serve than Nadal ever truly had in his career. Many times, the key to Nadal's success was his forehand, but Zverev was Nadal's equal in that facet on Monday.

Many tennis fans might have assumed that whenever Nadal lost at the 2024 French Open would be his final time playing at the tournament. He might return for the Summer Olympics this year, and the tennis part of the games will be held at Roland Garros. Doing well at the Olympics would be fantastic, of course, but they are not the same as the French Open.

Rafael Nadal might have lost in the first round of the 2024 French Open but he might not yet be done with the tournament

Before the first-round match with Zverev, Nadal mentioned that he is not completely sure he won't play at the French Open again. During an on-court interview after losing to Zverev, Nadal reiterated that he might not yet be done playing the French. Most likely, he was done, but he cannot foresee the future, so anything is still possible.

The concern prior to the Zverev match might have been tennis fans not wanting to see such a diminished Nadal if he returned to Roland Garros. On Monday, even though Nadal lost, he proved himself worthy of still being a threat at Roland Garros. Zverev is the ATP No. 4, of course, and a very good clay-court player. Nadal might have beaten most people he played.

The rest of 2024 might determine Nadal's future. He has young children and has suffered a number of injuries over the last few years. If he can stay healthy, he might return to the French Open in 2025. If that happens, let's hope he gets a better draw than facing a player like Alexander Zverev first.

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