Magic never dies, they say; it simply fades away.
For almost two decades, Rafael Nadal has held Roland Garros under his spell. Fourteen times he has raised the Coupe des Mousquetaires on the final Sunday in Paris, where he returned this year with a ludicrous record of just three defeats from 115 matches.
The Spaniard’s well documented ability to perform miracles on his beloved red clay meant that, despite the toll injury has taken on his battered body, and for all his uneven form since returning to the game last month in Barcelona, nobody was taking anything for granted as he faced Alexander Zverev, the fourth seed, in what was potentially the final French Open match of his career.
It was appointment viewing, a contest that quite literally brought out the stars. Novak Djokovic and Iga Swiatek, the men’s and women’s world No 1s, were both in attendance, as was Carlos Alcaraz, the Wimbledon champion and Nadal’s likely doubles partner at the forthcoming Paris Olympics.
But on a drizzly day in Paris, the magic faded. Zverev exuded self-belief beneath the closed roof of Court Philippe Chatrier, taking on his shots in the baseline exchanges and producing an imperious serving display to claim a 6-3, 7-6 (7-5), 6-3 win and become only the third man to defeat Nadal in Paris, after Djokovic and Robin Soderling.
Despite a nervous start that saw him broken to love in the opening game, there were glimpses of the old brilliance from Nadal, most notably when he electrified the fiercely partisan crowd with a trademark celebratory leap after holding from two break points down early in the second set. That proved the prelude to a first break of serve, and in due course a chance to serve for the second set. But Zverev handled the moment perfectly, returning superbly and biding his time in the baseline exchanges to claim a love break. It was the story of a match that Zverev made his own with a clinical performance, even as he accepted that the day itself belonged to Nadal.
“I played at a good level in all ways, comparing to the way that I was playing the weeks before,” said Nadal, whose build-up to the tournament brought losses to Alex de Minaur in Barcelona, Jiri Lehecka in Madrid, and Hubert Hurkacz in Rome.
“So, happy for that. Of course, disappointed for losing, but in terms of body feelings, happy that I finish healthy and I had a tough battle out there. And I was ready for a little bit more. So that’s it. Accept the moment.
“If it’s the last time that I played here, I am in peace with myself. I tried everything to be ready for this tournament for almost 20 years. Today and the last two years, I have been working and going through probably the toughest process in my tennis career with the dream to come back here. At least I did. I mean, I lost, but that’s part of the business.”
In truth, events conspired against Nadal, first when a cruel draw pitted him against Zverev, one of the only top men’s seeds without a question mark hanging over his form and fitness, and then when the weather intervened. With the roof closed and the conditions heavy, the potency of the Spaniard’s topspin was nullified, balls that would normally rear up above head height instead falling in Zverev’s wheelhouse. The German, high on confidence after his recent win at the Rome Masters, and assisted by Nadal’s struggle to find length in the early stages, gleefully took advantage, stepping inside the baseline to send his opponent scurrying into the corners.
It was once Nadal who meted out such treatment in the wide expanses of Chatrier, but he did not balk at his unaccustomed role, gamely pursuing every lost cause. His defensive powers are not what they were before he underwent hip surgery last summer – not yet, at any rate – but he moved more freely than at any other stage since his latest comeback. The larger problem was his lack of recent matches at this level, which manifested itself in some questionable shot selection, most glaringly when he twice telegraphed poorly-executed drop shots in the heart of the second-set tiebreak.
“I felt my body healthy before the tournament,” said Nadal. “That week was the first week that I started feeling that I can move without limitations. That’s why I was able to build a better level, to practice well against every player. But the normal thinking was [that it was] not enough, one week, to be ready to win these kind of matches.”
It may be enough to do better at the Olympics, however, which will be staged at Roland Garros in July. With that in mind, Nadal suggested he was likely to skip Wimbledon.
“I need to talk with team,” said the Spaniard. “But I don’t think it’s going to be smart after all the things that happened to my body [to] now make a big transition to a completely different surface and then come back immediately to clay, no?”
Zverev, meanwhile, a semi-finalist in each of the past three years, will now attempt to parlay the momentum from this victory into another deep run on the Parisian clay. There will be a sense of catharsis for the German, too, who ruptured ankle ligaments when he faced Nadal at Roland Garros two summers ago and, when the draw was made, said he welcomed the opportunity to ensure his last memory of facing Nadal was not leaving the court in a wheelchair.
“The improvement that he’s made over the past few months and just the difference in level that he played today, compared to his last tournaments, was unbelievable,” said Zverev. “I really felt like it was it was a very good match, and I think if he stays healthy he’s going to continue playing better, and then I think he’s going to be seeded again and that makes it easier for him.”
Zverev’s thoughts will soon be preoccupied by a different type of court, one that lies in the Berlin district of Tiergarten, where his trial for alleged domestic abuse begins on 31 May. He has consistently denied the charges, which were brought by Brenda Patea, a former girlfriend, and will be heard across eight separate days falling across the French Open and Wimbledon.
The match ended with an emotional address from Nadal to the crowd, who began chanting his name with gusto in the warm-up, and were still at it when he left the court three hours and five minutes later.
“It’s difficult for me to talk,” said Nadal, who had previously told Amélie Mauresmo, the tournament director, that he did not want a farewell sendoff at a time when he remains undecided about his future.
“I don’t know if it’s the last time that I’m going to be here in front of all of you. Honestly, I am not 100% sure. But if it’s the last time, I enjoyed it, no? The crowd have been amazing during the whole week of preparation, and today.
“The feelings that I have today are difficult to describe in words, but for me it’s so special to feel the love of the people the way that I felt, in the place that I love the most.”
As the red eyes of many in the crowd attested, that love is one form of magic that will never fade.