"Didn't want my last memory of playing Rafael Nadal to be me leaving on wheelchair"- Alexander Zverev aiming to exorcise ghosts of French Open 2022 SF
Alexander Zverev faced Rafael Nadal in the semifinal of the 2022 French Open but had to retire without completing the second set due to injury. The pair have been drawn again for a blockbuster first-round clash at the 2024 edition and the German player is hoping to exorcise the ghosts of his past.
One of the biggest news coming out of the French Open draw was fourth seed Zverev being pitted against unseeded 14-time winner Nadal.
This will be a rematch from the semifinal of the tournament in 2022 where Nadal led the match 7-6(8), 6-6 before Zverev suffered a freak ankle injury that saw him leave the court in a wheelchair.
The German player has found solace in the tough draw by claiming that he did not want his last memory of playing against Nadal to be one where he leaves the court in a wheelchair.
"It is the way it is, I mean, obviously, to be very honest, I wanted to play Rafa again in, you know, in my career in his career because I didn't want my last memory of me playing against Rafa to be me leaving the court on a wheelchair," Zverev said during a press conference.
"Ideally I would have liked to play him in at a later stage of the tournament um but it is how it is now. He is unseeded this year, I am seeded. It's a tough draw but it's a tough draw for both of us and we'll see how it goes," he added.
In 2022, Zverev was seeded third and defeated Carlos Alcaraz in the quarterfinal. Meanwhile, fifth seed Nadal defeated Novak Djokovic in the quarterfinal and Casper Ruud in the final to win his 14th French Open and last Grand Slam title.
"I think he's going to be peak Rafael Nadal" - Alexander Zverev expects a tough fight against the Spaniard
When it comes to ranking and form, Alexander Zverev has a huge upper hand over Nadal. Zverev recently won the Italian Open while Nadal was ousted in the second round in Rome. However, the German player reminded everyone of how the Spaniard was being questioned in 2022 as well.
"I expect him to be at his absolute best, to play the best tennis that he's played in a long time on this court. [In] 2022, I remember he came into Roland Garros not winning Monte-Carlo, not winning Madrid, not winning Rome and he came into this tournament, everybody's like 'oh he's a big question mark'. He came and dominated the entire tournament so in my mind I think he's going to be peak Rafael Nadal," Zverev said during a press conference.
Nadal leads the head-to-head stats against Zverev by 7-3. The 2024 French Open first-round clash between the pair will be their 11th match against each other.