Alexander Zverev vs Rafael Nadal Prediction & Picks - ATP French Open

Prediction published on 5/27/24, 1:16 AM  by Tyler Doty | Modified on 5/27/24 at 3:38 AM in ATP French Open Picks

The Roland Garros Grand Slam finally opens its doors this week in the French capital. For this first round, a thrilling match is on the schedule, reminiscent of the 2022 semifinal of the same tournament, between Germany's Alexander Zverev and Spain's Rafael Nadal.

Alexander Zverev is having an excellent season. In great form, the German has just secured six consecutive victories in the Rome clay court tournament, notably defeating the world's 12th-ranked Taylor Fritz in the quarterfinals. The top 5 world-ranked player also beat top 20 Nicolas Jarry in the final, winning the title in the Italian capital in just two sets. Recently, the German also reached the semifinals of the Miami Masters 1000 against Grigor Dimitrov but lost in a three-set match.

On the other side, Rafael Nadal is making a strong comeback in his favorite tournament: Roland Garros. The Mallorcan has won this Grand Slam 14 times and returns to the courts this year after a long injury. A quarterfinalist in his first tournament of the season in Brisbane, he then lost to Alex de Minaur (world number 11) in Barcelona. More recently, the Spaniard secured three consecutive victories, including a rematch against Alex de Minaur in Madrid. There is no doubt that he will give his all to at least win a set in this first round.