Alexander Zverev vs Rafael Nadal – Breakdown and Prediction

May 27, 2024

Alexander Zverev vs Rafael Nadal: Roland Garros – first round

In what is going to be an epic match, the 14-time French Open champion will take on Alexander Zverev in the opening round of Roland Garros.

Alexander Zverev Profile

Alexander Zverev is fourth in the ATP rankings and his career high was No. 2 in the world. The German is 28-9 for the season and 10-3 on clay.

Zverev is coming off winning the title in Rome after defeating Nicolas Jarry in the final. Other than that, he has made it to three semifinals this season at the Australian Open, Indian Wells and Miami.

Zverev made his debut at Roland Garros in 2015 and in his last three appearances, he lost in the semifinals.

Rafael Nadal Profile

Former world No. 1 and a 22- time Grand Slam champion, Rafael Nadal is currently 275th in the rankings. The Spaniard is 7-5 for the season and 5-3 on clay.

His last match was a 6-1, 6-3 loss to Hubert Hurkacz in the second round in Rome. His best result of the season was the quarterfinal in Brisbane in first week of the year where he lost to Jordan Thompson.

Nadal made his debut at Roland Garros in 2005 and has won 14 titles there, the last one in 2022.

Head-to-Head Nadal leads 7-3 (last five)

Nadal vs Zverev 7-6, 6- ret. (2022 Roland Garros, semifinal)
Nadal vs Zverev (2021 ATP Rome, quarterfinal)
Zverev vs Nadal (2021 ATP Madrid, quarterfinal)
Zverev vs Nadal (2020 Paris Masters, semifinal)
Zverev vs Nadal (2019 Masters Cup)

Prediction and Conclusion

This is definitely more of a tennis match. Rafael Nadal has won 14 titles, and Roland Garros has been so dominant there that he has a statue in front of the stadium where he will play today. Zverev is a major favorite going into this one, and this can easily be Nadal’s last match in Paris. He has stated before that he is ready to die at Roland Garros, so this will be a real spectacle. These two players met in the semifinals two years ago, when Zverev was close to winning but broke his ankle. The German is a much better player at the moment and will win this one.