Tennis

Every time Rafael Nadal lost at the French Open

Rafael Nadal was beaten in the first round of the 2024 French Open in straight sets.

Published by
Aidan Cellini

The tennis career of arguably the greatest clay-court player Rafael Nadal may well be over, after being beaten by fourth seed Alexander Zverev in the first round at the 2024 French Open.

The 6-3, 7-6(7/5), 6-3 loss was only the second time since 2005 that Nadal lost a match at Roland Garros before the quarterfinals.

In front of 15,000 fans, the 14-time clay champion waved goodbye to fans, after saying he is likely to retire at the end of 2024.

"If it's the last time that I played here, I am at peace with myself," Nadal said.

Nadal's incredible clay record stretches across two decades when he burst onto the scene in 2005, claiming victory against Argentinian Mariano Puerta in four sets.

Across a period between 2005-2014, the left-hander won 9 out of 10 French Open titles, while backing up his incredible success with another five between 2017 to 2022.

In a miraculous show of dominance, Nadal has never been taken to five sets during a French Open final.

PARIS, FRANCE - JUNE 11: Rafael Nadal of Spain celebrates victory with the trophy following the mens singles final against Stan Wawrinka of Switzerland on day fifteen of the 2017 French Open at Roland Garros on June 11, 2017 in Paris, France. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)

However, his most recent outing at his favoured Grand Slam yielded his worst result at age 37, exiting in the opening round of the tournament.

The loss to Zverev on Day 2 of the French Open beat his lowest his previous record of being beaten in Round 4 by Robin Söderling in 2009 (Nadal withdrew in 2016 ahead of his Round 3 matchup with Marcel Granollers).

It is also the first time in his long career that Nadal has lost two consecutive matches on a clay court, losing to Hubert Hurkacz at the Italian Open on May 11.

The 22-time Grand Slam champion winner (only behind Novak Djokovic's 24) admitted it was doubtful he will enter Wimbledon, with an eye on the Paris Olympics, which will showcase tennis at the French Open site.

Hip and abdominal injuries have limited Nadal's ability to play at a level fans have become accustomed to.

"The last two years I have been going through probably the toughest process in my tennis career with the dream to come back here and at least I did," Nadal said.

Rafael Nadal's French Open record

Result Year Title Opponent Score
Win 2005 1 Mariano Puerta 6–7(6–8), 6–3, 6–1, 7–5
Win 2006 2 Roger Federer 1–6, 6–1, 6–4, 7–6(7–4)
Win 2007 3 Roger Federer 6–3, 4–6, 6–3, 6–4
Win 2008 4 Roger Federer 6–1, 6–3, 6–0
Round 4 2009 Robin Söderling 2–6, 7–6(7–2), 4–6, 6–7(2–7)
Win 2010 5 Robin Söderling 6–4, 6–2, 6–4
Win 2011 6 Roger Federer 7–5, 7–6(7–3), 5–7, 6–1
Win 2012 7 Novak Djokovic 6–4, 6–3, 2–6, 7–5
Win 2013 8 David Ferrer 6–3, 6–2, 6–3
Win 2014 9 Novak Djokovic 3–6, 7–5, 6–2, 6–4
QF 2015 Novak Djokovic 5–7, 3–6, 1–6
Round 3 2016 Marcel Granollers Withdrew
Win 2017 10 Stan Wawrinka 6–2, 6–3, 6–1
Win 2018 11 Dominic Thiem 6–4, 6–3, 6–2
Win 2019 12 Dominic Thiem 6–3, 5–7, 6–1, 6–1
Win 2020 13 Novak Djokovic 6–0, 6–2, 7–5
SF 2021 Novak Djokovic 6–3, 3–6, 6–7(4–7), 2–6
Win 2022 14 Casper Ruud 6–3, 6–3, 6–0
DNP 2023
Round 1 2024 Alexander Zverev 3-6, 5-7(5–7), 3-6
Published by
Aidan Cellini