The last time Rafael Nadal and Alexander Zverev squared off at the French Open, it ended with Zverev being helped off the court after sustaining a serious ankle injury. Two years later, the result was very different.
Nadal fell in straight sets — 6-4, 7-6(7-5), 6-3 — in a grueling three-hour match that the 14-time French Open winner said would likely be his final match at Roland Garros. He finishes with a record of 112 wins and four losses.
He was still Rafa, but muted. A little slower than we remember. A little heavier in the feet.