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Paris | Rafael Nadal lost in the first round of the French Open to Alexander Zverev 6-3, 7-6 (5), 6-3 on Monday (Tuesday AEST) in what might turn out to be the 14-time Roland Garros champion’s last match at his favourite tournament.

Nadal has indicated 2024 likely would be his last season before retirement, but he said on Saturday that he is not 100 per cent sure he won’t play again at the French Open. And he reiterated that after Monday’s defeat, only his fourth in 116 career matches at the place.

When it ended, in anticlimactic fashion, with 22-time Grand Slam champion Nadal simply unable to play at his usual level after 1½ years of hip and abdominal injuries, he thanked the raucous Court Philippe Chatrier crowd for the “incredible the amount of energy” it provided throughout the 3 hours, 5 minutes of play.

“It’s difficult for me to talk. I don’t know (if) it’s going to be the last time I am here. I am not 100 per cent sure,” said Nadal, whose 1½-year-old son, Rafael jnr, sat on his mother’s lap in the stands. “If it’s the last time, I enjoyed it.”

It is the first time in his long and illustrious career that Nadal has been beaten in two consecutive matches on clay courts and the first time he has dropped a match earlier than the fourth round at the French Open.

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