Will the German retire the Paris legend?

Top match alert in the 1st round of the French Open: Three-time Olympic athletics champion Marie-Jose Perec proved to be a talented lottery fairy in the draw with the pairing between Alexander Zverev and Rafael Nadal! What’s your prediction for the match in Paris?

The fact that the two top players are meeting so early is due to the fact that the Spaniard is starting as an unseeded professional this time. Due to his numerous injuries in the recent past, Nadal is only ranked 276th in the world rankings.

Nevertheless, he should not be underestimated at his favorite tournament. On the other hand, his German opponent is in stable form and will be competing with the tailwind of his victory at the recent Masters in Rome

For the duel between Alexander Zverev and Rafael Nadal, the betting tip is also on a 3:0 win for the Hamburg player. You can find odds for the match at Betano, where there is also an interesting welcome bonus available.

Alexander Zverev – Statistics & current form

Zverev is seeded No. 4 at this year’s French Open 2024 and is therefore one of the top favorites to win the title on the Seine. However, the 2021 Olympic champion got off to a cautious start to the clay court season. At the start in Monte Carlo, Zverev had to retire after the second round as he was beaten by Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas.

Things didn’t get any better after that in Munich – his second appearance was again his last due to a defeat against Chile’s Garin. At the following Masters in Madrid, he only made it as far as the round of 16, where he suffered a surprising 2-0 defeat against Argentina’s Francisco Cerundolo

Zverev arrives with Rome title

However, the dress rehearsal for the French Open 2024 was all the more successful. Zverev snatched victory at the Masters in Rome after six convincing matches. It was his sixth Masters title and the fact that the German only dropped one set against the Chilean high-flyer Tabilo, who had previously beaten none other than Novak Djokovic, showed just how strong he was on the Tiber.

Zverev has also been very strong in Paris in recent years, reaching the semi-finals in each of his last three appearances. In view of this, the betting tip and odds on a maximum of 35 games are also worth a recommendation for the clash between Zverev and Nadal.

In the eyes of the betting base, a clear victory for the Hamburg player is to be expected, which means that there are comparatively few games until a decision is reached. If you would like to join the additional prediction, you can find quotes at Tipwin:

Rafael Nadal – Statistics & current form

The Iberian’s season came to an end after just three matches last year. Due to a serious injury at the Australian Open, the clay court legend did not play any further matches in 2023.

The fact that he is still not really fit was evident in the current calendar year when he withdrew from the Australian Open, among other things, and his performances on clay so far have been mixed. Nadal started the clay court season in mid-April at the tournament in Barcelona, but lost his second match against Australian Alex de Minaur

Nadal is still not getting anywhere

The record French Open winner with 14 titles then competed at the Masters in Madrid, where he at least made it to the round of 16. In contrast to Zverev, who recently regained his confidence at the Masters in Rome, Nadal’s most recent tournament in the Italian metropolis was not satisfactory either.

He only won the first round with great difficulty against the Belgian Bergs, who himself only has a three-digit ranking in the world rankings, and then Nadal was beaten by the Pole Hurkacz. The results show that Nadal is a long way from his former form and is unlikely to return to his former peak performance

Alexander Zverev – Rafael Nadal Direct comparison / H2H result

The last direct duel also took place in Paris and was associated with a particularly bad moment in Zverev’s career. The German had to concede defeat in the tiebreak of the second set due to an injury.

The severe ligament blister subsequently resulted in a seven-month break for the Hamburg native. In addition, Nadala has only lost once in five matches against Zverev on clay.

Furthermore, the record on all surfaces is also clearly 7:3 in favor of the Iberian.

Alexander Zverev – Rafael Nadal betting tip

The first round match between the German and the Spaniard could be historic. If Zverev triumphs, it will probably be the last time that the Spanish clay court king, who has won the Coupe des Mousquetaires 14 times, takes to the court in Paris.

The 37-year-old has hardly been on the world’s courts for some time now and is a regular guest in rehab clinics. Due to his many injuries, Nadal currently only occupies a three-digit place in the world rankings

In light of this starting position, the prediction for the match between Alexander Zverev and Rafael Nadal is a 3:0 win for the Hamburg player. This is supported not only by the physical condition of the professional from Manacor, but also by Zverev’s recent stable form. He won the sixth Masters title of his career at the dress rehearsal in Rome