"Should silence conspiracy theorists","Worst f*cking thing that could happen" - Fans crushed as Rafael Nadal draws Alexander Zverev in French Open 1R 

The 2024 French Open draw is out, and Rafael Nadal has been pitted against Alexander Zverev in the first round, leaving tennis fans in disbelief. The match-up bears immense significance, considering it could be the Spaniard’s final appearance at the tournament.

At the event, Novak Djokovic, Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev feature as the top four seeds, respectively. Djokovic has drawn Casper Ruud in his quarter, while Sinner will have a potential quarterfinal meeting with Hubert Hurkacz. Andrey Rublev, meanwhile, features in Carlos Alcaraz’s quarter.

What stands out, though, is Alexander Zverev’s quarter of the draw. He would potentially face off against Daniil Medvedev in the last-eight if they both make the stage. But what awaits him in his opening round is the ultimate test and not something he must’ve prepared himself for.

The German, who recently expressed his wish to face French Open’s most successful champion, Rafael Nadal, in a big match, preferably a semifinal or a final, has surprisingly drawn the 14-time winner in the first round.

Nadal hasn’t earned the desired results this year amid unceasing injury issues. Ranked No. 276, the Spaniard has used his protected ranking of No. 9 to enter the Grand Slam event and is thus unseeded.

The winner of Zverev vs Nadal will have potential meetings with David Goffin, Tallon Griekspoor/ Mackenzie McDonald, Holger Rune/ Karen Khachanov, Daniil Medvedev/ Alex de Minaur, Novak Djokovic/ Casper Ruud/ Taylor Fritz en route to the final.

Despite being aware of the possibility of Rafael Nadal facing a seeded opponent in the opening round, tennis fans were shocked by the outcome.

"Brutal draw, and if he maneuvers through this blood bath of a draw, it will go down as the greatest feat in tennis history," one fan said.

"That should silence the conspiracy theorists. And of course, never count Rafa out," another fan said, pointing at previous claims of the Spaniard allegedly getting cake-walk draws.

"Nah wtf. don't need that, Zverev will end Rafas career at RG is the worst f*cking thing that could happen," yet another fan said.

It's worth reminding that Rafael Nadal and Alexander Zverev’s previous meeting came in the semifinal of the 2022 French Open.

The neck-and-neck battle reached a devastating conclusion after three hours of play, as Zverev rolled his ankle and had to be escorted in a wheelchair amid tears and screams of agony.

"Is this some kind of a joke!! Come on!! This is definitely a joke right.. PLEASE let it be a joke," one fan said.

"Just got out of my gym class and i’m f*cking crying screaming barking LMFAOOOOOOOOO bye!" another fan wrote.

"You gotta be kidding me. @rolandgarros you had ONE JOB," yet another fan wrote.

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Just days before the French Open draw, Alexander Zverev expressed his desire to face Rafael Nadal again

Rafael Nadal (right) and Alexander Zverev pictured at the 2022 French Open (Image Source: Getty)

Although Rafael Nadal can’t be ruled out when it comes to the French Open, the Spaniard is set to face an inspired Alexander Zverev in the first round.

On Sunday, May 19, the German won his sixth Masters 1000 title at the 2024 Italian Open. He thus heads into the claycourt Slam as one of the top four favorites, ahead of the 14-time champion.

During his pre-tournament press conference at the Italian Open, Zverev shared his desire to meet Nadal again, revisiting the unfortunate ending from two years ago.

"I would love to do it one more time just simply to kind of have a different ending to those memories, right? That's just something in my mind. I would love to play him in a final or semifinal, in a big match again. I think that would be great for both of us. We'll see how it will be for him," he said.

The World No. 4, though, also noted that despite Rafael Nadal’s suboptimal form, facing him on Court Philippe Chatrier is a whole different ball game.

"He becomes different. His ball becomes all of a sudden, a few kilometers an hour faster. All of a sudden, his footwork and foot speed becomes a lot faster. It's more difficult to hit a winner, especially on Philippe Chatrier," Alexander Zverev said.

"It is very difficult. It's probably the biggest challenge in tennis," he added.