Rafael Nadal has been dealt a horrendous hand in what could be his last French Open, drawn against fourth seed Alexander Zverev in the first round.
The Spanish tennis legend is battling hip and abdominal injuries in what looms as his final season on tour and threatened to pull out of Roland Garros if he did not feel confident in his body or ability to compete at a high level.
His participation in the grand slam he has won 14 times has remained uncertain despite multiple practice sessions in Paris this week.
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But Nadal remained in the draw when the ceremony took place on Thursday, three days before the tournament begins.
The unseeded veteran was always at risk of receiving a tough match-up and so it proved when he was pitted against three-time semi-finalist Zverev.
Zverev enters the French Open in top form after winning the Italian Open that was once the domain of Nadal.
Their first-round clash will receive top billing on Court Philippe-Chatrier in a bid to do justice to Nadal’s legacy, though the exact timing remains unclear for now.
An immediate exit would be a devastating blow for the tennis icon after winning in 2022 only to miss the 2023 tournament and now openly accepting retirement is on the horizon this year.
Yet a miracle upset would come as no surprise given he is still standing at 37 when many thought his physicality would force him to retire early.
Other notable first-round matches include world No.1 Novak Djokovic, who has been struggling at times on clay this year, against two-time French Open doubles champion Pierre-Hugues Herbert.
One-time runner-up Andy Murray will face 2015 champion Stan Wawrinka, while there is an all-Aussie clash between Alexei Popyrin and Thanasi Kokkinakis.
Nadal has used his protected ranking to enter the tournament and will play just his 12th match of the year when he walks out to face Zverev.
Injured in January, he returned to the court when the ATP Tour moved into its clay season only to be cast aside by Australian Alex de Minaur in Barcelona.
Three wins followed in Barcelona — including a revenge victory over de Minaur — but Nadal was downcast after being eliminated in Rome two weeks ago.
He was overwhelmed by world No.9 Hubert Hurkacz and won just four games in the straight-sets defeat.
It was Nadal’s first match against a top-10 player in 18 months and he couldn’t have been more disappointed.
“Tough day for me in all ways because I felt more ready than what I showed,” Nadal said.
“I am little bit more unpredictable today, not playing enough for the last two years. Too many doubts.”
He said he had two options for Paris.
“One is to say, ‘OK, I am not ready, I am not playing enough well,” Nadal said.
“Another is accept how I am today and work the proper way to try to be in a different way in two weeks.
“The decision, as you can imagine, is not clear in my mind today. But if I have to say what’s my feeling and if my mind is closer one way or the other way, I going to say be in Roland Garros and try my best,” Nadal added.
“Physically, I have some issues, but not probably yet enough to say not playing in the most important event of my tennis career.”
At the time Nadal said the French Open “seems impossible” if he felt as he did in Rome.
“Let’s see what’s going on, how I feel myself mentally tomorrow, after tomorrow, and in one week,” he said.
“If I feel ready, I going to try to be there and fight for the things that I have been fighting the last 15 years.”
