PARIS: Rafael Nadal was drawn to face world number four Alexander Zverev in a blockbuster opening match at his farewell French Open tournament on Thursday.
Nadal, the record 14-time champion at Roland Garros, is unseeded this year after injury saw his ranking plummet to 276.
He and Zverev met in the semi-finals of the French Open in 2022 when the German was forced to retire after suffering a serious ankle injury.
Nadal, the winner of 22 Grand Slam titles, will turn 38 next week and this season will be his last on tour.
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He holds a 7-3 winning head-to-head record against Germany’s Zverev with five of those victories coming on clay.
Zverev, 27, arrives in Paris on the back of lifting the Rome Open title last weekend.
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