The Roland Garros semifinal battle versus Nadal resulted in the German world No. 12 tearing three ligaments in his right ankle. He underwent surgery to repair those injuries this year.
Zverev thinks this could be the last year for the tennis icon as he anticipates a year that he hopes would bring him his first Grand Slam victory.
Additionally, the former No. 2 predicts that the Spaniard will win his 15th championship on the renowned clay court at the French Open before making his final bow.
Rafael Nadal will go official about his retirement at Roland Garros, Zverev revealed in a statement to Eurosport.
“I don’t like to say this, but I believe he will play in a significant match, possibly take the title, and then bid farewell”.
Nadal has been the subject of retirement rumours among fans with Roland Garros tickets for a while, but the 22-time Slam champion has consistently denied them.
While winning the Australian and French Open championships last year and finishing second in the global rankings to his compatriot Carlos Alcaraz, Nadal, 36, has shown no signs of slowing down.
If Nadal were to retire, he would follow in the footsteps of his longtime friend Roger Federer, who made the same decision last year, four years after his final Grand Slam victory in Australia in 2018.
In their previous encounter in Melbourne in 2017, Nadal narrowly prevailed in the round of 32 after five sets.
If they were to cross paths again in 2023, it would be in the championship match at Rod Laver Stadium, with the players on opposite ends of the draw.
In the opening round, Zverev will compete against a qualifier, while Nadal will play Jack Draper of Great Britain in an attempt to add to his record-tying 23 Grand Slam victories.
How well do you remember Roland Garros 2022?
Do you truly adore tennis? But are you certain you can recall every detail of the Roland-Garros competition in 2022?
The competition featured singles, doubles, and mixed doubles play at the Stade Roland Garros in Paris, France, from May 22 to June 5, 2022. There are also junior and wheelchair competitions planned. In the men’s singles and women’s singles, the reigning champions were Novak Djokovic and Barbora Krejková, respectively. Neither Djokovic nor Krejková could successfully defend their titles; Djokovic fell to Rafael Nadal in the quarterfinals, and Krejková fell to Diane Parry in the opening round.
Due to COVID-19 limits in France, Roland Garros tickets were sold out following the previous two editions, bringing the event back to its maximum spectator capacity. It was the second Grand Slam competition of 2022 and the 126th French Open.
Out of 128 players in each of the central singles draws, there were 16 qualifiers for men and 16 for women. The 2022 ATP Tour and 2022 WTA Tour both included it.
The player will win if he is the first to ten points as the rules are now enforced in Wimbledon and the US Open. It was also the first time the competition included a super tie break in the final set.
Due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the international tennis governing bodies permitted players from Russia and Belarus to continue competing in tennis competitions, but not under the names or flags of those countries until further notice. This was the initial Grand Slam tournament since that time.
Rafael Nadal, who captured his 22nd Grand Slam title, won the men’s singles championship for the 14th time in front of his favoured fans with Roland Garros tickets. Casper Ruud, the eighth seed playing in his first grand slam final, was defeated by him in straight sets.
Nadal’s victory increased his record for the most wins in a single French Open tournament and brought his total number of major singles victories for men to 22.
Iga Swiatek won the women’s singles title, making it her second French Open and second grand slam triumph overall after winning the title at the 2020 French Open.
She won in straight sets over Coco Gauff, the 18th seed and participant in her maiden grand slam final. Since Maria Sharapova’s victory at the 2006 US Open, Sviatek has won multiple majors, becoming the youngest to do so.
The light-hearted moment of Roland Garros 2022
Alexander Zverev’s third-round encounter at the French Open featured a funny moment for anyone with Roland Garros tickets when a bird amusingly stopped play.
The audience on Court Suzanne-Lenglen enjoyed the match as the No. 3 seed advanced to the fourth round of the Roland-Garros tournament with a wild 7-6(2) 6-3 7-6(5) triumph over American Brandon Nakashima.
Although Zverev had a robust first service game and Nakashima had two break points, the German played brilliantly to win the first two sets.
A bird chose to intervene abruptly and end the third set in a dramatic but amusing fashion, with the score tied at 3-3 and a pivotal juncture.
The bird was first seen circling above the court behind Nakashima and then across to Zverev’s side of the net, making him the first of the two players to notice it.
The bird quickly dove down and was almost struck by the ball as the 25-year-old was executing a backhand. Both players were pulling away from the point then, so the umpire had to step in.
Ultimately, it was merely a silly occurrence that made both players and the audience chuckle. After the match began, Zverev maintained composure to win the third set tie-break 7-5 and guarantee his advancement.
Women’s battle heating up for 2023
We’re all looking at the other women on the circuit after two-time Australian Open champion Naomi Osaka announced she would not be competing in this year’s Fench Open and after 2022 winner Ash Barty announced her retirement.
Here is a quick summary of the three tennis players we’re watching as the French Open gets underway mid-year and the tennis season continues in France.
Iga Swiatek: It can be advantageous to enter the competition ranked first in the world. She will be going in strong for the 21-year-old former US Open and French Open winner after being named this week’s Polish Sports Personality of the Year.
Swiatek has “no true weaknesses” on the court, say, tennis experts. It’s helpful!
Ons Jabeur is the most highly-ranked African and Arab tennis player in WTA and ATP rankings history. This talented player has already achieved history.
Ons Jabeur, the No. 1 Tunisian player at the age of 28, recently garnered accolades from Nick Kyrgios, the No. 1 Australian player, who described her as a “special player.”
Jabeur joined Naomi Osaka’s sports agency, Evolve, this past week.
Caroline Garcia: The second half of 2022 was explosive for this 29-year-old. She advanced to the US Open semifinals while winning the Bad Homburg, Poland, and Cincinnati Opens.
Now ranked No. 4 worldwide, Caroline Garcia will play at the Australian Open.
But the road hasn’t always been smooth; this week, she spoke out about her battles with bulimia, telling The Age:
She replied, “There are moments when you feel empty within your body and need something to fill you up. I went through periods of overeating, which occasionally wasn’t very good. Sometimes, the connection was difficult.”
“But I’m more conscious of it now. I discussed it. And I make an effort to combat it in various ways.”
With the marquee event being one of the most attended sporting events globally, Roland Garros tickets are already in full swing for 2023. Official sites differ from your go-to option, and trusted resellers are your best solution in reliably sourcing tickets.
