WATCH: Rafael Nadal drawing Alexander Zverev in French Open 2024 1R elicits loud gasps from attendees at Roland Garros draw ceremony
The Roland Garros draw ceremony took place on Thursday (May 23) and a huge match was set up for the first round. Alexander Zverev was drawn against Rafael Nadal. When Zverev was picked to play against Nadal, a gasp echoed in the hall as the match-up enticed the attendees.
The Roland Garros draw ceremony took place on-site at L’Orangerie on May 23. The special guest for the ceremony was Marie-José Perec, French three-time Olympic gold medallist.
Roland Garros director Amelie Mauresmo, FFT President Gilles Moretton, and Roland Garros referee Remy Azemar joined Perec in the draw proceedings.
The women's draw took place first and it was revealed that defending champion Iga Swiatek will begin her campaign against a qualifier / lucky loser. The top seed has a possibility of facing Naomi Osaka in the second round.
Following the women's draw, the men's draw was revealed. The moment Perec took out number four and it dawned on everyone present that Zverev had been drawn against Nadal in the first round, a huge gasp was let out by the attendees of the draw.
Watch the reaction from the attendees below:
Rafael Nadal leads the head-to-head record against Alexander Zverev
Rafael Nadal and Alexander Zverev have faced each other a total of 10 times during their careers. The Spaniard has a convincing lead over the German with seven wins to Zverev's three.
The pair faced each other five times between 2016 and 2018 and all those matches went the Spaniard's way. Zverev fought back into the rivalry by winning the next three matches in straight sets. However, Nadal extended his lead to 7-3 with wins in their last two matches.
The last time Zverev and Nadal faced off was also during the French Open. In 2022, the pair met each other in the semifinals of Roland Garros. The German suffered a freak injury during that match which led to him being out for a considerable amount of time. Nadal went on to win the title that year.
When it comes to the current form, Zverev has the upper hand. Nadal has failed to make any deep runs in the clay court tournaments he has participated this season, with a Round of 16 finish in Madrid being his best.
Meanwhile, Zverev, who was also ousted in the last-16 stage in Madrid, won the Italian Open on Sunday (May 19). The 11th meeting between the pair will take place on May 26.