Zverev on his first-round French Open against Nadal: "The atmosphere in the stands was even better than during the 2022 semi-final"

Alexander Zverev left the Court Philippe-Chatrier in 2022 on crutches, after suffering a serious ankle injury in his semi-final against Rafael Nadal.

Two years later, the two men met again in the same tournament, but this time in the first round.

For the first (and last) time in his career, the Spaniard left his backyard at the start of the tournament, beaten in three short sets by the German.

Revenge for Zverev, who was then impressive enough to reach the final at Porte d'Auteuil for the first time in his career, before losing to Alcaraz.

In the A BIS Z podcast, the world No. 2 looks back at what struck him most during his explosive first-round encounter with Nadal.

"What was impressive was when the announcer started recapping all the years he'd won the title. 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, etc.

Everyone in the audience got louder and louder as he went on. I thought to myself, this is something I'll probably never experience again on a tennis court for the rest of my career.

The atmosphere in the stands was even better than during the 2022 semi-final, it was just crazy.

Playing Rafa was probably my most special match this year. It's a moment that will remain engraved in my memory forever."