Rafael Nadal confirms who he thought was going to win Roland Garros before the tournament had started

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Rafael Nadal was unsurprisingly given a very warm reception from the French Open fans following his early exit.

The Spanish legend was up against it from the very start in Paris, having been handed a very unfortunate draw.

Even with his expertise on clay, the 22-time Grand Slam champion was perhaps fearing the worst after an opening-round clash with Alexander Zverev was confirmed.

The German fourth seed had just won his second Italian Open title before heading to France, with that form helping Andy Roddick predict a first round win for Zverev.

And that is exactly what happened, with the former world number two beating former world number one Nadal in straight sets.

Rafael Nadal confirms Carlos Alcaraz prediction at the French Open

With retirement expected to arrive soon, it was likely Nadal’s farewell, but he was at least avenged by compatriot Carlos Alcaraz not long after.

The young Spanish star went all the way on the Paris clay, defeating Zverev in the final to win his maiden French Open title, with Nadal having predicted such an outcome before the tournament got underway.

“I am happy for him and for his family,” Nadal told L’Equipe. “He’s an incredible player and a good person.

“For me, it was the big favorite. I felt that if Carlos played at his level, without necessarily being incredibly good, he would be difficult to beat.

“He is the one who has the greatest ability to play in different ways. And on clay, that makes the difference: he can play aggressively, defend, reverse the course of the rally in different ways.

“The other players are amazing, but on land they have a little less options than him.”

Are Carlos Alcaraz and Rafael Nadal set for Olympic gold?

Nadal certainly knows all about Alcaraz’s ability, with the pair going to witness each other’s games up close later this summer.

The Spanish duo have been confirmed as doubles partners for the 2024 Olympics, with tennis fans very excited at the upcoming partnership.

Alcaraz might only just have finished up at Wimbledon by the time the major event gets underway in Paris, but all signs lead to a gold medal for Spain.

Not only is Nadal skipping Wimbledon in order to focus all of his attention on the games, but both Spaniards have proven their ability on the clay despite their contrasting experience, with the clay of Roland Garros playing host to the Olympics.