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AMMAN — All eyes are on Jordan’s national team when they host Tajikistan Thursday evening in a vital match determining qualifiers from Group G for the next stage in the 2026 World Cup journey.

HRH Crown Prince Hussein and HRH Prince Hashem Bin Abdullah, dropped in to the team’s practice ground earlier in the week, underscoring official and fan support to the squad, who have captured hearts and minds following their memorable performance at the 2023 Asian Cup where they reached the final match and settled for runner-up.

Jordan beat 195th ranked Pakistan 7-0 and 3-0 to climb to second in the group ahead of the return leg matches against Tajikistan and Saudi Arabia later on June 11. In earlier qualifiers, Jordan held Tajikistan 1-1 and lost 2-0 to Saudi Arabia who beat Tajikistan 1-0 and tied 1-1 the return.

Following the Asian Cup, expectations have shifted after wins against former Asian champs Iraq and South Korea before eventually losing 3-1 to hosts and reigning champs Qatar, shot the team up 17 spots in FIFA rankings.

Now at 71st, Jordan has regrouped the squad, with most stars playing abroad ready to face 99th ranked Tajikistan, while 53rd ranked Saudi play Pakistan in an away game. The squad has to contend with injuries and possible lineup changes with star striker Mousa Ta’mari recovering from an injury sustained in the French League matches, in addition to goalie Nour Bani Atiya.

Jordan’s Moroccan coach Hussein Amouta who has been become a household name has finally confirmed he would be staying with team after much speculation that he would leave after the next two matches, citing “personal reasons”.

BERLIN — Euro 2024, beginning in Germany on June 14, is a mouth-watering prospect, as France and England lead the heavyweight contenders for a tournament which will be played out in some of the continent’s finest stadiums across a football-mad nation.

The setting for the month-long competition is important, given the underwhelming nature of the last Euros three years ago, held all over the continent rather than in one country, and played before limited crowds during the COVID pandemic.

This time all fans will descend on 10 stadiums in Germany, many with memories of the unforgettable summer of 2006 when the country last staged a major tournament.

The hope is this competition will be just as memorable, and for the right reasons, despite security concerns in a tense global climate and complaints about Germany’s creaking rail network.

That 2006 World Cup was won by Italy, who come into this European Championship as title holders, but it also saw Germany emerge again as a force to be reckoned with after years in the doldrums.

Back then there were question marks about the host nation’s chances, yet they reached the semi-finals.

There are similar doubts this time surrounding Julian Nagelsmann’s team, given Germany have exited the last two World Cups in the group stage and lost in the last 16 at the last Euros.

Host hopes

However, it would be foolish to talk down the three-time European champions too much given the players at their disposal.

“I have the feeling that we can win the tournament. And most of the time, my intuition is not too bad,” said Nagelsmann, whose team play Scotland in the opening game in Munich.

There are good reasons why France and England are widely seen as the favourites to raise aloft the Henri Delaunay trophy at Berlin’s Olympic Stadium on July 14.

France are Europe’s top-ranked nation and have been in the last two World Cup finals. Their team has evolved since Qatar in 2022 but the quality at their disposal, beyond Kylian Mbappe, is fearsome and they are eager to win a first European Championship since 2000.

“Like other nations we have the potential to maybe go all the way, but we must not already be thinking about the semi-finals or a possible final,” warned coach Didier Deschamps.

It is not always the case that everything goes to form. But if it does, and France and England top their groups, they will be on a collision course to meet in the semi-finals at Borussia Dortmund’s Signal Iduna Park.

England carry the burden of never having won the Euros. Beaten on penalties by Italy in the 2021 final, Gareth Southgate’s team lost a nail-biting quarter-final to France at the last World Cup.

The two men who could give them the edge are Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham.

Kane will be at home in his surroundings having just scored 44 goals in his first season for Bayern Munich.

PARIS — Novak Djokovic sealed a 15th consecutive French Open quarter-final with a thrilling comeback victory over Argentinian Francisco Cerundolo in the fourth round on Monday, while Daniil Medvedev became the highest seed to crash out at Roland Garros so far.

In the women’s draw, both Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina comfortably powered into the last eight.

A limping Djokovic looked to be heading for a shock defeat when 2-1 down in sets and 4-2 behind in the fourth set, but battled back from the brink to delight the Court Philippe Chatrier crowd by winning 6-1, 5-7, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3 after four hours and 39 minutes.

“Three or four times I was points away from losing this match,” the reigning champion said to the spectators. “I’m not sure how I won this match.”

Djokovic narrowly avoided his earliest exit from the tournament since 2009, teeing up either a rematch of last year’s final against Casper Ruud or a clash with Taylor Fritz.

The 24-time Grand Slam title winner had reached the last 16 by defeating Italy’s Lorenzo Musetti in another bruising five-set encounter which concluded at 3:07 am Sunday.

He appeared to be feeling no ill-effects as he dominated the first set, but then needed a medical time-out early in the second after pulling up with an apparent knee injury.

The 37-year-old, eyeing a record 370th Grand Slam match win to break out of a tie with Roger Federer, played on but continued to walk gingerly between points.

Cerundolo grabbed the second set by finally taking a break point after 12 previous misses.

The 23rd seed moved ahead by two sets to one against an increasingly frustrated top seed, who was complaining the court was too slippery, before edging to the cusp of a famous win by forging 4-2 in front in the fourth.

But, seemingly from nowhere, Djokovic dug deep to break and level at 4-4.

He forced a decider on his fourth set point of a dramatic 12th game when a stretching Cerundolo could only find the net.

There appeared to be only one outcome on the cards when the Serbian star took a 2-0 advantage in the fifth, but his opponent rallied to level.

Djokovic was left covered in clay after a nasty tumble, sarcastically saying: “Well done supervisors, ground staff, everyone, the court is not slippery at all.”

But he was not to be denied, grabbing the decisive break with a blistering forehand that clipped the back of the baseline.

A dramatic triumph and yet another quarter-final was secured on his first match point when a Cerundolo backhand was given out by the chair umpire after initially being ruled in.

De Minaur beats Medvedev

Fifth seed Medvedev suffered a four-set loss to Australia’s Alex de Minaur, starting strongly before slipping to a 4-6, 6-2, 6-1, 6-3 defeat.

De Minaur will face either Alexander Zverev or Holger Rune, who meet in the night session, in his second Slam quarter-final and first since the 2020 US Open.

Medvedev’s best performance in the French Open remains a quarter-final run in 2021, while he has also lost in the first round in five of his eight appearances.

“Alex played better,” admitted Medvedev, a former US Open champion and six-time Grand Slam finalist.

De Minaur had never got past the second round at the tournament before this year, winning just three of 10 matches.

In the women’s tournament, World No.2 Sabalenka, who was a semifinalist in 2023 and has made at least the last four at her past six Grand Slams, proved far too strong for American 22nd seed Emma Navarro.

The Belarusian raced into the quarters, hammering 36 winners during a 6-2, 6-3 success in only 69 minutes.

“I’m super happy that I was able to bring this consistency on the Grand Slams,” said the two-time Australian Open champion. “That’s really amazing.”

Sabalenka, who lost to Iga Swiatek in the Madrid and Rome Open finals this clay-court season, will play 17-year-old Russian Mirra Andreeva in the last eight.

Andreeva became the youngest French Open women’s quarter-finalist since 2005 with a 7-5, 6-2 win over Russian-born French player Varvara Gracheva.

“When they were screaming ‘Varvara, Varvara, Varvara’, I imagined they were screaming my name and it really helped,” Andreeva said.

Former Wimbledon champion Rybakina, the fourth seed and the only woman to defeat world number one Swiatek on clay this year, saw off experienced Ukrainian 15th seed Elina Svitolina 6-4, 6-3, also in just 69 minutes.

She will next face Italian Jasmine Paolini after the 12th seed fought back to defeat Russian Elina Avanesyan 4-6, 6-0, 6-1.

PARIS — Novak Djokovic believes “things could have been handled differently” after winning his French Open third round match at 3:07am (01:07GMT) Sunday as US star Coco Gauff warned that players’ health was being put at risk.

Defending champion and 24-time Grand Slam title winner Djokovic came from two sets to one down to defeat Lorenzo Musetti 7-5, 6-7 (6/8), 2-6, 6-3, 6-0 in a clash which only started just before 10:45pm (20:45GMT) on Saturday.

It was easily the latest finish to a French Open tie and came after organisers squeezed in extra matches onto the two main show courts, which both have retractable roofs, to counter the scheduling chaos caused by a seventh day of rain in Paris.

“I don’t want to get into this debate,” said Djokovic initially before adding: “I think certain things could have been handled differently.

“There is a certain beauty in winning the match at three in the morning if it was the last of the tournament, but this isn’t the case.”

Djokovic’s four-hour 29-minute victory allowed the 37-year-old World No.1 to equal Roger Federer’s record of 369 Grand Slam match wins.

“Physically, I really went to my limits to win this match. When you play rallies of more than 20 shots, at two in the morning... Who plays at two in the morning?” he added.

“We play few matches in our life at this time. The conditions were very heavy, it was very cold. You didn’t have many free points behind your serve.”

Djokovic must now recover to face Argentinian 23rd seed Francisco Cerundolo in the round of 16 on Monday after avoiding what would have been his earliest exit at the French Open in 15 years.

“I definitely think it’s not healthy,” said women’s World No.3 and US Open champion Gauff.

‘Not fair’ 

“It may be not fair for those who have to play late because it does ruin your schedule.

“I definitely think for the health and safety of the players it would be in the sport’s best interest to try to avoid those matches starting after a certain time.”

Gauff explained that a 3:00am finish didn’t mean the end of a player’s commitment for the day as a match is usually followed by physical recuperation and media duties.

“So that’s probably not going to bed until 5:00 at the earliest, maybe 6:00 and even 7:00,” said the American.

Women’s World No.1 Iga Swiatek said night sessions need to start earlier for the sake of the public as well as players.

“I don’t know if the fans are watching these matches if they have to go to work next day or something when the matches are finishing at 2:00 or 3:00am,” said the defending champion.

“It’s not up to us. We need to accept anything that is going to come to us.”

In stark contrast to Djokovic’s marathon efforts, Swiatek reached the quarter-finals on Sunday with a 6-0, 6-0 demolition of Anastasia Potapova in just 40 minutes on the same Court Philippe Chatrier.

Despite his reluctance to play late into the night, Djokovic’s stamina and tenacity were widely praised.

“Djokovic is like LeBron James at 39, he fights until the end, he gives everything and he loves it, it’s incredible to see,” John McEnroe told NBC.

“I’m not kidding, this guy looked better physically than he did at the start of the match.”

The Australian Open in Melbourne holds the Grand Slam record for the latest finish — in 2008, Lleyton Hewitt and Marcos Baghdatis played a match until 4:34am.

At the US Open in New York, the record is 2:50am in 2022 when Carlos Alcaraz defeated Jannik Sinner.

Wimbledon operates a strict 11pm curfew with the 2012 clash between Andy Murray and Baghdatis ending at a gentler 11:02pm.

LONDON — Jude Bellingham said his first taste of Champions League glory with Real Madrid was the "best night of my life" after the Spanish giants beat Borussia Dortmund 2-0 at Wembley.

The England international had been frustrated by his former club for much of the showpiece occasion in his homeland, but Madrid once more found a way to win in the Champions League.

Dani Carvajal headed in from a corner before Bellingham teed up Vinicius Junior to fire into the far corner to deliver Madrid's 15th European Cup.

"I have always dreamed of playing in these games," an emotional Bellingham told TNT Sports. "You go through life and there are so many people who say you cannot do things. I was alright until I saw my mum and dad's face.

"My little brother is there and I'm trying to be a role model for him. I cannot put it into words. The best night of my life."

The England international and his teammates struggled to create anything against a dominant Dortmund for much of the game.

"I have to be honest, they were the better team in the first half," Bellingham told DAZN.

"They could have been two or three up, but it's just that character... [Madrid can] come back to haunt you."

The midfielder paid credit to his former side Dortmund for playing their part in his journey to the game's summit.

"Huge respect for both clubs -- the club I'm at now is so special to me and so is my old club," continued the 20-year-old.

"It wouldn't be possible without them. I'll always be grateful and always have respect for what that club did for me."

Carvajal was an unlikely hero as the right-back, along with Nacho, Luka Modric and Toni Kroos, in the final game of his club career, joined Madrid legend Paco Gento as the only players to win the competition six times.

The Spanish international admitted his side had ridden their luck during a dominant first 45 minutes from Dortmund, who struck the post through Niclas Fuellkrug.

"We knew it would be a tough game, and the first half they were very superior but we got out alive," said Carvajal.

"We knew our moment would come, and it did, and we have the 15th."

Midfielder Kroos set up Carvajal's opener and impressed on his final appearance for the club ahead of retirement this summer.

"Kroos has finished his career in the best way, everybody wanted him to retire like this," Ancelotti told TVE.

"It's a fantastic career -- we're very sad but we have to respect it."

The Italian coach pledged there would be big celebrations on Sunday back in the Spanish capital.

"Tomorrow [I'll have a] cigar, sunglasses, we sing, we dance, we'll do it all," said the jubilant coach.

LOS ANGELES — Mike Tyson’s upcoming return to the ring against YouTuber Jake Paul has been postponed after the former heavyweight champion’s recent health scare, organisers said on Friday.

Tyson, 57, needed medical treatment on board a flight from Miami to Los Angeles on Sunday after complaining of nausea and dizziness in an incident that came just under two months away from his July 20 fight with Paul in Texas.

Fight organisers said in a statement on Friday that Tyson had been advised to do only minimal training in the coming weeks following a follow-up with doctors on Thursday, revealing the boxer had been struggling with an “ulcer flare up”.

“The recommendation is for Mike Tyson to do minimal to light training over the next few weeks and then return to full training with no limitations,” the statement said.

“Both Mike and Jake are in agreement that it is only fair to ensure that both athletes have equal training time to prepare for this important match and are able to compete at the highest level.

“The health and well-being of athletes is our top priority, and we fully support Mike in taking the necessary time to allow him to perform at the level he expects of himself.”

The statement said a new date for the fight, which is to be carried live by streaming giant Netflix, would be announced by June 7.

Tyson, who on Tuesday insisted he felt “100 per cent” despite Sunday’s health drama insisted he would be in prime condition when his showdown with Paul eventually goes ahead.

“I want to thank my fans around the world for their support and understanding during this time,” Tyson said in a statement.

“Unfortunately, due to my ulcer flare up, I have been advised by my doctor to lighten my training for a few weeks to rest and recover.

“My body is in better overall shape than it has been since the 1990s and I will be back to my full training schedule soon.

“Jake Paul, this may have bought you some time, but in the end you will still be knocked out and out of boxing for good.”

Paul meanwhile said he backed the fight’s postponement.

“I fully support postponing the event so Mike Tyson has no excuses come fight night,” Paul said.

Tyson, who turns 58 in June, had been due to face the 27-year-old Paul in a professional bout comprising eight two-minute rounds that has been sanctioned by boxing authorities in Texas.

However, several members of the boxing community, including former heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder, had voiced reservations about the fight, expressing concern Tyson could be hurt.

Tyson shrugged off the misgivings at a press conference earlier this month, describing his decision to return to the ring as a “no-brainer”.

“I’m beautiful, that’s all I can say,” Tyson said. “The people who said that wish that they were up here. No one else can do this.”

Tyson, who terrorised the heavyweight division in the 1980s and 1990s as the self-styled “baddest man on the planet”, last fought as a professional in 2005.

PARIS — As the French Open announced stricter measures on Thursday to clamp down on inappropriate fan behaviour, players had varying stances on a polarising issue with Iga Swiatek told by one rival “she cannot complain”.

Tournament director Amelie Mauresmo said action would be taken to weed out troublemakers following complaints by Swiatek, the women’s defending champion, and David Goffin.

“We’re happy to see there’s an atmosphere, emotions and that the spectators are there. However, we will be uncompromising with respect to the players and the game,” said Mauresmo.

“If there’s the slightest behaviour that oversteps the mark, it will be the exit,” asserted Mauresmo, while acknowledging that “identifying the person is not always easy”.

Swiatek scolded spectators in her on-court interview for making noise during several points of her tense second-round win over Naomi Osaka.

But Paula Badosa, who will face second seed Aryna Sabalenka in round three, suggested Swiatek has it better than most given her status as the World No.1 and a four-time Grand Slam winner.

Swiatek has not played on any court other than Philippe Chatrier or Suzanne Lenglen since her second-round match of the 2021 French Open.

“I think she cannot complain, because I played Court 8 and 9 and you can hear everything,” said Spain’s Badosa, the former World No.2.

“Like, I can hear Suzanne Lenglen, Philippe Chatrier, Court 6, 7 during the points. I think she’s very lucky she can play all the time on Philippe Chatrier and she’s okay with that.

“But I don’t mind. As I said, I played in small courts these days, and I was hearing so much noise. In that moment, I’m just so focused on myself and on my match that it doesn’t really bother me.”

Badosa recalled the 2020 and 2021 editions of the tournament, when fan capacity was reduced due to Covid-19 restrictions and matches at times were played in front of empty stands.

“Honestly, I like when the fans cheer and all this. I think I get pumped,” she said.

“Look, we had a very tough situation years ago when we were playing without fans with the Covid situation, so now, for me, I’m so happy they’re back and think they’re very important for our sport.”

‘Quiet or super loud’

Daniil Medvedev sympathised with Swiatek’s frustration at being distracted by the crowd at key moments, pointing out the fine margins between winning and losing.

“If someone screams in your ear, your serve, you could double fault. That’s as easy as that. That’s not good,” said Medvedev.

“Now what happens is that 95 per cent of matches, tournaments, it’s quiet. And then when suddenly you come to Roland Garros and it’s not, it disturbs you, and it’s a Grand Slam so you get more stress and it’s not easy.”

“There is no in between,” he continued.

“It either should be quiet or super loud but all the time, and then we would get used to it, I would get used to it also, and we would not actually complain about it.”

Goffin, who claimed he was spat at by a spectator as he defeated French player Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in the opening round on Tuesday, said he had received plenty of support from his peers.

“I don’t know how many people and how many players came to me and were on my side,” said Goffin, whose tournament ended on Thursday in a straight-sets defeat by Alexander Zverev.

“I was surprised that everybody was, like, ‘Okay, what you said is great, what you said to the press is great, I agree.’ So everybody is behind me, so I’m really surprised.”

Mauresmo said there would be “no hesitation” to remove anyone caught throwing something at a player.

She said it would be at an umpire’s discretion how to handle other disruptive spectators, but called for them to be sterner while announcing alcohol will now be prohibited in the stands.

Sebastian Korda, who awaits Carlos Alcaraz in the last 32, wants fans to enjoy themselves, but within reason.

“I’ve played in Australia on one of their brand new courts that has a bar right next to it. It wasn’t a fun experience,” he said.

“I think they should do whatever they want, but hopefully not get too rowdy out there.”

LOS ANGELES — Anthony Edwards scored 29 points and Karl-Anthony Towns produced a crucial late burst of long-range shooting as the Minnesota Timberwolves defeated the Dallas Mavericks 105-100 on Wednesday to keep their NBA Western Conference finals series alive.

The Timberwolves, trailing 3-0 in the best-of-seven series heading into game four, held off a furious late rally to close out a battling victory at the Mavericks’ home arena.

Edwards led the Minnesota scoring but the decisive contribution came from Towns, who drained a trio of three-pointers to help the Timberwolves take a 98-92 lead with less than two minutes remaining.

“Game four, down 3-0, this ain’t no time to have any doubts,” Towns said of his flurry of scoring. “I just wanted to go out and be aggressive, shoot my shot and be confident with every shot I shoot.

“Defensively I wanted to be as disciplined as possible. And offensively — just don’t lose any confidence and don’t lose any aggression.”

After Towns put Minnesota six points clear, Edwards extended the cushion to 100-92 via a jump shot with 1min 47sec left on the clock to leave the visitors in control.

But there was still time for Dallas to give the third seeds a nervous finale, closing to within three at 100-97 before Edwards’ sublime pull-up jumper from 21 feet put the Timberwolves five points clear with 40 seconds left.

The visitors held that advantage through to the buzzer and now have a slender lifeline to cling to as they head to game five back in Minneapolis on Thursday.

Edwards said he had been determined to prevent Dallas clinching a clean sweep.

“I’ve never been swept in my career, even though I’ve been to the play-offs three times,” Edwards told TNT television. “I took it personally.

“I definitely didn’t want to get swept, especially here on their home court, hearing the fans talking trash all day. I think we came out and competed at a high level today.

“I think I was aggressive. I didn’t shy away from the ball and they kept giving it to me and trusting me,” added Edwards.

Dallas were left frustrated after losing despite another triple double from Luka Doncic, who finished with 28 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists.

Doncic, however, had an off-night from long range, making just four-of-11 from three-point distance. As a team, Dallas went 14-from-40 outside the arc.

“This one’s on me,” Doncic said. “We got to do better. They’ve won one game, we’ve just got to focus on the next one.

“It was close in the end but we couldn’t finish. So they won and now we just have to focus on the next one.”

Towns finished with 25 points, with Mike Conley adding 14 and Rudy Gobert 13.

WASHINGTON — The Boston Celtics clinched the Eastern Conference championship on Monday with a 105-102 win over the Indiana Pacers, sweeping the series 4-0 and booking a spot in the NBA Finals.

The Celtics will face the winner of the Western Conference Finals, where the Dallas Mavericks hold a 3-0 lead over the Minnesota Timberwolves ahead of Tuesday’s game four.

The Celtics win in Indianapolis was their seventh straight in the post-season but they left it late against a Pacers team again without injured star guard Tyrese Haliburton.

Jaylen Brown once again proved decisive.

He hit a step-through to level at 102-102 with 2:40 left in the fourth, then superbly rose to block Andrew Nembhard at the rim.

With 45 seconds remaining Brown found Derrick White in the corner who sank the three-point jumper that ultimately clinched the game — and the series.

Nembhard, who had 24 points, 10 assists and six rebounds for the Pacers, missed a three-pointer with 33 seconds left which would have tied the game.

Brown led Boston’s scoring with 29 points and Jayson Tatum had 26 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists.

The Celtics return to the finals two years after losing to the Golden State Warriors as they search for their first NBA title since 2008.

“It’s been nothing but a grind, we haven’t skipped no steps all season,” said Brown, named the Eastern Conference Finals MVP after averaging almost 30 points through the series.

“We’ve got a bunch of great guys in this locker room, tough guys. Our coaching staff has been great, front office great and now we want to take the next step,” he added.

Boston have gone 12-2 throughout the post-season as they beat the Miami Heat, Cleveland Cavaliers and the Pacers to reach their 23rd NBA Finals in franchise history.

Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla paid tribute to his team.

“Look at all the talent, look at the players that we have. It’s really all about them, they let us coach them. They allow us to push them, they listen to us and they set the temperature of the organisation every single day,” he said.

“As a coach, the greatest gift you can have is a group of guys that trust you and that allow you to coach them,” he added.

Pacers upbeat in defeat 

It was the third time in the four series games that Indiana had lost after holding leads or being tied in the final minute of a game.

The Pacers had led by nine with 8:28 left in the fourth but without the influential Haliburton they were unable to see the game out.

“An amazing season, a magical season. The level of fight was just tremendous all the way through this,” said Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle.

“Circumstance never fazed them one way or the other.

“They were in this to win every possession that they could and in any game that they could, and so a lot of respect to our players and just how they conducted themselves in this series,” he said.

“There are a lot of things accomplished this year. Expectations will be raised for next year, which is good,” added Carlisle.

PARIS — Rafael Nadal’s record-breaking French Open career came to its likely end on Monday when the 14-time champion slumped to a demoralising first round defeat against Alexander Zverev.

Nadal, who turns 38 on June 3, went down 6-3, 7-6 (7/5), 6-3 to world number four Zverev, suffering only his fourth loss in 116 matches at Roland Garros since his 2005 title-winning debut.

It was the first time he had been defeated in Paris in the opening round and will again lead to questions over his long-term future in the sport.

“I don’t know if this is the last time I will be here, I am not 100 per cent sure but if it is then I wanted to enjoy it,” said Nadal.

“The feelings today are difficult to describe in words.”

Plagued by injuries, which had limited him to just four events since January last year, former world number one Nadal is now 275 in the rankings and was unseeded in Paris.

However, he insisted on the eve of the tournament that he was “100 per cent keeping the door open” on his future in a sport which has brought him 22 Grand Slam titles.

In a repeat of the 2022 semifinal, which Nadal won when Zverev quit with ankle ligament damage, the Spaniard had his chances.

He was a break of serve up in the second and third sets, only to be pinned back on both occasions by his in-form 27-year-old opponent.

Chants of “Rafa, Rafa” had loudly echoed under the roof of Court Philippe Chatrier which was shut tight against the torrential rain sweeping across the grounds and bringing havoc to the schedule.

They subsided to silence when Nadal was broken to love in his opening service game and he was left to regret his inability to convert two break points in the fourth game.

Nadal saved two set points in the ninth game but surrendered the opener after 50 minutes when he buried a loose forehand into the net.

It was only the fourth opening set he had lost at Roland Garros.

Nadal broke for the first time in the match to lead 3-2 in the second set but couldn’t back up the advantage and handed the break back to three-time semifinalist Zverev as he served for the set.

A tense tie-breaker followed which the German claimed, buoyed by stretching to 5/3 on the back of a gruelling 19-shot rally.

Nadal dug deep and with the likes of Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz and Iga Swiatek having watched from the packed stands, he broke and held for 2-0 in the third set.

However, Zverev again roared back to level at 2-2 before a besieged Nadal had to save four break points in a 13-minute fifth game to stay in contention.

The effort was too much and a composed Zverev was soon 4-3 up and the match was over when Nadal fired a forehand wide and long.