Nadal Beats Rune In Practice Match As Roland Garros D-Day Approaches
Fans were excited when Nadal returned to the practice courts at the beginning of the week after his arrival in Paris. It was worth remembering to see the Spaniard leaping up and down on his sacred court for the first time in two years.
The crowd grew fond of him and enthusiastically welcomed his return. During his intense practise sessions, Nadal defeated World No. 5 Daniil Medvedev and Sebastian Korda, winning practise sets against each of them.
He was supposed to face Alexander Zverev on Friday, but their combined practice was called off when the draw was made public a day earlier. This year’s clay-court Grand Slam featured a compelling opening encounter between Nadal and Zverev.
The 14-time champion could draw any of the Top 32 seeds because he had a protected rating going into the competition. Regretfully, he attracted the most attractive man visiting Paris.
Zverev triumphed in the final ATP 1000 event held in Rome prior to Roland Garros. Given the uncertainty surrounding Jannik Sinner’s health, Carlos Alcaraz’s play, and Novak Djokovic’s patchy 2024 campaign, the German is seen as one of the clear favorites to win.
But it is not what he would have liked to play Nadal straight away. Furthermore, the 37-year-old veteran defeated Holger Rune in practice by a reported score of 7-5, 2-0, regaining his confidence and fitness.
Practice sets obviously don’t always mean more when it comes to how matches turn out, but Medvedev seemed optimistic about Nadal’s high caliber, which could indicate that Zverev’s showdown on Monday is far from certain.
