Rafael Nadal and Alexander Zverev have been forced to cancel a practice session ahead of their Roland Garros match.
In one of the most exciting Grand Slam draws in recent memory, the unseeded Spaniard has been drawn to face the World Number Four in the opening round.
This will be the pair’s 11th meeting with their last encounter coming at the same tournament in 2022, which the 37-year-old claimed after his opponent went down with an ankle injury at 6-6 in the second set of what was a gruelling semi-final.
They are set to battle once again in what could possibly be the Spaniard’s final French Open appearance.
Rafael Nadal and Alexander Zverev cancel a Roland Garros practice session
In what is rare in other sports, tennis players tend to practice with one another leading up to a tournament.
However, if they have been drawn to face one another in the opening round, that’s where the line is drawn and this is what has taken place with Nadal and Zverev.
The players were due to practice together on Friday (May 24), but following Thursday’s draw which sees them play each other in the first round of the French Open, that will no longer take place, according to a tweet on social media platform X.
Nadal has already been practicing with Sebastien Korda, Stan Wawrinka and Daniil Medvedev leading up to Roland Garros, where he is in pursuit of his 15th title in Paris and 23rd major overall.
What is Rafael Nadal and Alexander Zverev’s head-to-head record?
Nadal and Zverev have played one another 10 times throughout their careers.
Their first meeting came in 2016 when Nadal came back from the brink to defeat the German in Indian Wells.
The 22-time Grand Slam champion claimed the first five meetings before Zverev won the next three.
Nadal claimed their Italian Open quarter final in 2021, before advancing to the French Open final in 2022 after Zverev suffered a devastating ankle injury in the semi-final.
Receive exclusive tennis news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
