Germany’s Alexander Zverev thought his brother was joking when he informed him he was playing 14-time champion Rafa Nadal in the opening round of the French Open.
Nadal, who has barely played this year, will be making his last appearance at the Grand Slam he has owned for nearly two decades but is not seeded because of his lowly ranking.
There was always the danger that the Spaniard could be paired with one of the top players and Zverev drew the short straw, even though he will be firm favourite to win.
It will be their first meeting since the 2022 semi-final when Zverev retired hurt after suffering a serious ankle injury - Nadal going on to win his 14th title by thrashing Casper Ruud in the final.
“I was on court with (Andrey) Rublev on Friday on Chatrier practising, and then after the practice was over, which was actually a great practice, my brother told me,” Zverev, a semi-finalist for the last three years, told reporters on Friday.
“I actually thought he was joking in the beginning. But then, yeah, it is what it is. I mean, obviously, to be very honest, I wanted to play Rafa again in my career, in his career, because I didn’t want my last memory of me playing against Rafa to be me leaving the court in a wheelchair.
“Ideally, I would have liked to play him in the latter stage of the tournament. It’s a tough draw, but it’s a tough draw for both of us. We’ll see how it goes on Monday.
“Of course I can guarantee you Novak (Djokovic) didn’t want to play Rafa in the first round and (Carlos) Alcaraz, and Jannik (Sinner) didn’t want to play him,” Zverev said. “I don’t want to play him in the first round, but it is how it is. I think he’s excited and I’m excited for it.
“For me, in my mind, I’m going to play peak Rafa Nadal. That’s what I expect him to be,” Zverev said. “I expect him to be at his absolute best. I expect him to play the best tennis he’s played in a long time on this court. That’s my mindset going into this match.”
World number five Daniil Medvedev said he was relieved that he had avoided Nadal in the first round.
“First round would be tough against someone who won 14 titles here,” the Russian said. “I practised with Rafa on Friday and he played pretty well, like I felt much better than what I saw on TV in Rome and Madrid.
“I’m going to be there watching a big match. I’m not shy to say I’m happy it’s not me playing against him.”
Alcaraz ‘little bit scared’ over injury return at French OpenCarlos Alcaraz admitted on Friday that he was “a little bit scared” over how his sledgehammer forehand will bear up at the French Open after overcoming a worrying arm injury.
The world number three was forced to sit out the recent Rome Open to nurse a problem with his right forearm.
“I’m not feeling any pain in the practices when I step on the court. But I’m still thinking about it when I’m hitting forehands,” said the 21-year-old Wimbledon champion. “I’m a little bit scared about hitting every forehand 100 percent.”
Alcaraz, also a former US Open champion, has played just one clay-court tournament in Europe this year, reaching the last-eight in Madrid. The precise nature of his injury has remained a mystery to the Spanish star. “I think you’re not going to believe me, but I don’t know exactly what I have on the forearm,” he said.
“When I do the tests, when I’m talking with the doctors, my team, they explain to me, I listened but I forgot it.”