Rafael Nadal loses fourth-ever match at Roland Garros, in first round, to Alexander Zverev

PARIS—There are first-rounders that feel like a final, and there was Rafael Nadal vs. Alexander Zverev.

Perhaps it made sense that the player who lost the first point—Nadal—also lost the final one.

In between Nadal’s drop-shot miss and his forehand error three hours and five minutes later, there was excellent tennis from both men. But Nadal’s came in inconsistent surges, while Zverev’s was barrage of steady yet powerful serves, forehands and backhands.

Ultimately, Nadal could not muster what was necessary to truly compete with, let alone defeat, Zverev—the Rome champion, Roland Garros semifinalist three years running and maybe even the tournament favorite. His 6-3, 7-6 (5), 6-3 victory over the living legend only bolstered his credentials.

“Thank you Rafa, from all of the tennis world,” Zverev said afterward, in a brief post-match interview. “It’s such a great honor.”

Then he ceded the stage for the first time all day.

“It’s not my moment, it's Rafa’s moment.”

This was a first-round match for a reason, of course: Nadal is a 14-time champion on the terre battue, but he is also 37 and does not resemble the player the ticketholders watched dominate, year after year, in this very stadium. That only made his fans cheer harder. Guttural screams rained down in all languages. When one particular Spanish supporter’s native tongue wouldn’t do, he cursed in English.

The scene resembled a prize fight or a soccer match, comps sometimes used to describe tennis matches but which rarely feel accurate. That wasn’t the case on Monday, with celebrities in attendance—including Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz and noted Nadal fan Iga Swiatek—and rousing Rafa support cascading from every centimeter of Court Philippe-Chatrier. The closed roof only added to the intense volume.

“I am not 100 percent sure,” Nadal said afterward, about whether he’d play this tournament again, “but if it's the last time, I enjoy it.” (He did acknowledge that the Olympics—which will be held at Roland Garros—are coming up.)

But ranked 275^th, Nadal was at the mercy of the draw gods, and they were vengeful in summoning Zverev to the other side of the net. The German was ruthless from the onset, striking 15 winners and converting two break points in a 54-minute, 6-3 set that didn’t feel anywhere near that close.

The dynamic forced Nadal to hit bigger, which loosened up himself and the crowd. Rafa started played his greatest hits in the second set, particularly during a stretch that saw him escape a 15-40 deficit, hold serve, and then break Zverev for 3-2.

The nostalgic tunes continued all the way until Nadal served to even the match—at which point he was broken at love. A tiebreaker was an fitting way to decide the engrossing set and, in all likelihood for Nadal, the match itself.

After an exchange of mini-breaks, Zverev took the upper hand at 3-3, getting away with a short approach. Then, trailing 5-3, Rafa delivered an encore: a stunning, curling forehand cross-court passing shot that elicited the second biggest reaction of the day. Only the pre-match announcement of all 14 of Nadal’s championship-winning years exceeded the intensity.

But two points later, Nadal’s music stopped. He never relented while trailing by two sets—he did say if there was any tournament he’d “give everything and die” for, it’s Roland Garros—but Zverev was simply the better player. He finished with six service breaks (Nadal had two) and 44 winners against 30 unforced errors (Nadal’s numbers: 34 to 30)

Taking the lead for good at 3-3 in the third, Zverev closed out the memorable day with another break.

“I have to congratulate Sascha for this great match, and victory in Rome,” said Nadal. “I really wish you all the best the rest of this tournament.”

It is just Nadal’s fourth-ever loss at Roland Garros. Whether he’ll want to risk taking another remains to be seen, but it was clear even before today that he would savor this tournament, no matter how long or short it lasted.

“I just can say thanks to all the love I received from all the players, from the organizers, from the tournaments, from all the community of tennis and sport, no?” Nadal said on Saturday. “I feel very proud that probably I leave a positive legacy there. Not only about tennis. Probably about like human person, no? So that's more important than any result at the end of the day.”

He reiterated that sentiment today.

“Accept the moment,” Nadal said in post-match press. “If it’s the last time that I played here, I am in peace with myself (smiling). I tried everything to be ready for this tournament for almost 20 years. And 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, no?

“At least I did. I mean, I lost, but that's part of the business.”