(CNN) โ In what is likely his final appearance at the French Open, 14-time tournament winner and Roland Garros legend Rafael Nadal was knocked out in the first round by No. 4 seed Alexander Zverev 6-3 7-6(7-5) 6-3 in three hours and five minutes.
Zverevโs straight sets victory puts an end to one of the greatest love affairs in the history of sport. Nadal, the โKing of Clay,โ walked off Court Philippe-Chatrier one last time to a thunderous ovation befitting his remarkable record in Paris.
Some of tennisโ biggest stars โ and Nadalโs rivals โ were in attendance to watch this piece of history; Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz and Iga ลwiฤ tek, a self-confessed Nadal superfan, were all there to see the Spanish gladiator battle it out one last time in front of an adoring crowd.