When Rafael Nadal confirmed his appearance at Roland Garros, it confused almost everyone. Whether he would claim his 15th French Open title or announce his retirement was anyone’s guess, even though opinions had been leaning toward the latter. Rafa fans and rivals alike gathered to watch the 22-time Grand Slam champion in action. However, it wasn’t Rafa’s first-round exit that surprised Serena Williams‘s ex-coach, Rennae Stubbs, but the presence of the world no.1 Novak Djokovic in the stands.

The notion of the rivalry between the Big 3 has been a thing of the past since the retirement of Roger Federer. However, two of the three players, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal, are still on the court, re-writing history. But the 2024 season has not been favorable to either of the players; more so for the Spaniard who is yet to regain his form. As the murmurs of Rafa’s retirement pick up pace, everyone wants to catch a glimpse of the legend on the court. And the Serbian tennis star is no different.

On the Racquet’s Rennae Stubbs Tennis Podcast, Serena Williams’ former coach could not hide her astonishment at the presence of Djokovic in the stands. She further said that the presence of Carlos Alcaraz and Iga Swiatek was anticipated because the two are big fans of the Spaniard. But the 24-time grand slam champion was a pleasant surprise. She explained, “I mean, Novak was out there. Alcaraz was out there, Iga Swiatek was out there. I was surprised, I wasn’t surprised to see Iga, she said she wanted to go watch him. Iga Swiatek, like his biggest fan, but I was surprised to see Novak out there.”

However, rivalry and respect certainly go hand-in-hand among the Big 3. And Djokovic, being part of the same league, paid his respect to the decades-long career of the Spaniard. However, he isn’t ready to see his rival leave the Tour just yet, as he praised Rafa after the match, “He could have easily won one of those two sets, and maybe the match was going in a different direction. But he was a bit unlucky with the draw, because Zverev is in great form, winning Rome, and he was serving extremely well. It’s tough to play Sascha when he’s feeling the ball so well.”

Other coaches and players expressed also their disappointment for Rafa’s first match-up with Zverev. And Coco Gauff’s coach echoed the same sentiment, after his first-round exit.

French Open’s traditions led to Rafael Nadal’s early exit

Nadal was on the path to recovery from hip surgery. And many believed that a match-up with an unseeded player may have kept Rafa’s swan song with Roland Garros alive this season. And Brad Gilbert, head coach of American tennis star Coco Gauff, said the same before the match. He said, ‘He deserved to be seeded like 20th and could work way into the tournament’. Rightly so, Nadal lost to Zverev  6-3, 7-6, 6-3,  as it’s not easy to play a seasoned top-5 player. 

However, there was a silver lining to the match. Although the Spaniard was unable to claim the number 15th Roland Garros, he did not also announce his retirement. The match certainly has lifted the spirits of Rafa fans as the former world no.1 was able to stave off one set from the World no.4. And with the gritty fight put up by Nadal, fans would expect him to play at the Wimbledon Open or maybe at the US Open.

What do you think, will Nadal come back for the Grass Slam? Do let us know in the comments.