Rafael Nadal's brief—and likely?—last dance at Roland Garros is still worth celebrating

For a few pure and shining moments on Monday in Paris, Rafael Nadal sloughed off the burdens of age and injury and played like the paragon who has claimed 14 Roland Garros singles titles.

Serving in the fifth game of his first-round match with Alexander Zverev, the soon-to-be 38-year old “King of Clay” hit a pair of ferocious forehand winners—old-school Rafa shots that took full advantage of the outsized dimensions of the court that he has said he loves like no other. (As Jannik Sinner said just a few days earlier, “The court is his building, his house.”).

Then Nadal produced a serve-and-volley winner, a marriage of power and touch.

At 40-love, he cracked a massive, serve-plus-one forehand winner.

Sheesh. It felt just like old times once again.

The popular cliche holds that “Father Time is undefeated,” a truism that has been put to a stress test by Nadal in recent weeks. Inevitably, though, time—aided by a hefty dose of Zverev’s talent—prevailed. The lanky German, currently ranked No. 4, maintained his poise in the face of a crowd besotted with Rafa to become just the third man ever to beat Nadal at this tournament. The score was 6-3, 7-6 (5), 6-3.

We may never again see Nadal gamboling across the terre battue, rivulets of sweat running down his arms and brow, socks and shorts stained by red clay resembling dried blood.

That isn’t definite yet, as Nadal has had to repeat in recent weeks. He was obliged to say it again, in an emotional on-court interview following the loss. Nadal is clinging to the hope that he may be back here in 12 months’ time.

“Today, the feelings I have are difficult to describe in words,” Nadal said in his post-match on-court interview as rain fell on the roof of Court Philippe-Chatrier on a gloomy, cold day.

But love for Nadal emanated like heat from the crowd, and he basked in it.

“For me it is so special to feel the love of the people in the place that I love the most. I don’t know if it’s gonna be the last time to be here in front of all of you, I’m not 100 percent sure. But if it’s the last time, I enjoyed it.”

Nadal spoke briefly about the injury-plagued “tough two years” that he has endured, driven by his desire to return at least once more to Roland Garros. The depths of that desire were manifest all spring.

Nadal won just five matches in three previous clay events this year, and was pulverized most recently in Rome by Hubert Hurkacz, 6-1, 6-3. Yet Nadal elected not to get in a few more much-needed reps by entering either of the two tune-up events last week. The decision was less strategic than sentimental.

“In some way, this place is magical for me, no?” Nadal said in his pre-tournament, on-site press conference. He explained that he feels inspired by the “vibes” and support he receives in Paris. The sense he gets of well-being at the event paid off, he said, in an excellent pre-tournament week of practice that left him able to run for the first time “without a lot of limitations.”

“I do the things that still give me positive vibes and emotions,” he added, “Practice here one week before is giving me a lot of things that the other two events will not give me, internally. That's for me the main thing more than the other stuff. Just about personal feelings and emotionally.”

With this very difficult first-round challenge looming for Nadal, the preceding days were choc-a-bloc with testimonials and declarations of appreciation for Nadal and all he’s done for tennis. Among them were some gems addressing his talent, something often overlooked in the focus on his determination and almost brutal, physically punishing game.

“Sometimes people forget he has a lot of talent in his hands also,” Daniil Medvedev said, after he practiced with Nadal last week. “We were warming up serves and then he did three in a row volley, dropshots, banana ones, like with a backspin, and it was funny. We were saying, ‘Yeah, no talent, just hard work.’”

Before the match, when Zverev was asked if he felt he was playing the man or the “statue” (there is a sculpture of Nadal on the grounds, outside of the main stadium), he replied: “In my mind, I'm going to play peak Rafa Nadal. That's what I expect him to be. 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.”

Nadal’s rivals would concur with his analysis. There was significant buzz among the players last week about the way Nadal was demolishing everyone with whom he practiced.

His affection for Roland Garros is no mystery. It has produced such an abundance of success that it may never be equaled anywhere, by anyone. His record in Roland Garros finals is 14-0, and his overall mark on the terre battue fell to 112-4.

Nadal is as much loved for his emotional nature and sincerity as his success and gladiatorial style. But he knows, perhaps better than anyone, that inspiration and love of craft don’t necessarily translate into the kind of invincibility he once enjoyed. He’s been cheating time, but where Nadal once was the quintessential champion on clay, the player Zverev eliminated was just a very good one.

While Nadal could not quite live up to Zverev’s fears, he played well enough to show that even under the present circumstances he would win plenty of ATP matches—at least best-of-three matches, because while he showed plenty of quality, his trademark stamina and focus faded visibly as the match approached and exceeded the three-hour mark.

While Nadal has not written off a return to Roland Garros next year, he has good reason to feel optimistic about competing in the upcoming Olympic Games—also in Paris—in doubles, alongside Carlos Alcaraz. In fact, the best-of-three format and red clay play into the strengths that Nadal retains.

It’s hardly surprising that there has been a “should I stay or should I go?” element in Nadal’s thoughts on his future. He’s a born competitor, so agonizing over when to pull the plug is not only natural. It’s a decision likely to be made at a time when he feels all his options—both physically and opportunity-wise—are exhausted. That day is unlikely to arrive this year.

“I am traveling with my family,” he told the French fans. “I’m having fun. My body is feeling better than it did two months ago. Maybe, in two months I will say, “It’s enough. I can’t give anything else.’ But I don’t feel that yet.”

The winner, Zverev declined to do a lengthy on-court interview when approached. But he did take the microphone and, speaking for his fellow players as well as countless fans, he said, “Thank you, Rafa, from all of the tennis world.”