French Open: Novak Djokovic believes Roland Garros will see Rafael Nadal again despite ‘farewell’ Alexander Zverev loss
- Nadal was beaten in straight sets in first round, raising suspicions it could have been his last appearance
- Spaniard is the undisputed king of Roland Garros, having won the grand slam on 14 occasions
Novak Djokovic believes long-time rival Rafael Nadal could be tempted to play the 2025 French Open despite experiencing the “unique moment” of what was generally accepted to be the great Spaniard’s farewell.
Djokovic and Nadal have met 59 times in their careers, with 10 of those clashes coming at Roland Garros.
Djokovic was in a star-studded crowd on Court Philippe Chatrier on Monday as 14-time champion Nadal was knocked out in straight sets in the first round by Alexander Zverev.
“It was great,” said Djokovic after making the second round on Tuesday. “Iga (Swiatek) was there, (Carlos) Alcaraz was there, and we all wanted to get a glimpse of the atmosphere of that possibly unique moment that could be his last.
“But it doesn’t appear like that.”
When asked if he expected to see Nadal play the 2025 French Open, when he will celebrate his 39th birthday, the Serb replied: “Yeah, it looks like [it].
