Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz and Iga Swiatek in stands to watch Rafael Nadal at 2024 French Open

Rafael Nadal is expected to play at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz, and Iga Swiatek were spotted in the stands watching Rafael Nadal face Alexander Zverev on Court Philippe-Chatrier at the ongoing 2024 French Open.

14-time Roland-Garros champion Rafael Nadal faced Germany’s Alexander Zverev in the first round of the tournament. Nadal, who made his return to clay in April at the Barcelona Open, has won five out of the nine matches he has played in the past two months.

Playing against Alexander Zverev, Nadal’s serve broke twice in the first set, eventually leading to the scoreline reading 6-3 in favour of the German tennis star. However, the Spaniard gave tough competition to the 27-year-old in the second set.

While the “King of Clay” was fighting against Zverev for every point, Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic and Iga Swiatek were spotted in the stands. In addition, Manchester City and Spain midfielder Rodri also joined the crowd to witness Rafael Nadal’s prowess.

Nadal broke Zverev’s serve for the first time in the second set; however, the German tennis star forced the set into a tiebreak. The tie-break was eventually won by the World No. 4. Djokovic and Swiatek left the court after the second set ended. However, Carlos Alcaraz kept watching his idol until the match finished.

After the loss, Nadal said, “The feelings you make me feel here are just unforgettable. Thank you so much from the bottom of my heart; I hope to see you again, but I don’t know.”

Rafael Nadal also stated that he’s currently looking forward to representing his nation at the upcoming 2024 Paris Olympics, where tennis will take place at Stade Roland Garros. He added, “I still have some goals. I hope to be back on this court at the Olympics.”

The 37-year-old Spaniard concluded his speech by saying, “If it’s the last time that I played here, I’m at peace with myself. I tried everything to be ready for this tournament. For the last two years, I have been working and going through probably the toughest process in my tennis career with the dream to come back here. At least I did. I lost, but that’s part of the business.”

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