Rafael Nadal cut an emotional figure after falling to a first round French Open defeat to Alexander Zverev.
The tennis legend has won 14 of his 22 Grand Slam titles in Paris and is dubbed as the ‘King of Clay’ amid such immense success.
Nadal missed last year’s French Open due to injury and hinted that 2024 could be his final year of action ahead of retirement.
And his hopes of winning the tournament one more time potentially came to an end on Monday in a 3-6 6-7 3-6 first round defeat to Zverev.
Nadal appeared downbeat afterwards, with the crowd applauding him having set such a long-lasting legacy on the court.
Zverev was first to speak after his win but kept it short: “Today is not my moment, it is Rafa’s moment. I’m not going to speak much.”
