King of Net Clay Play
Rafael Nadal left his imprint on Roland-Garros last week, playing valiantly in what could end up being his last match at the tournament he has dominated like no other.
Nadal fell to Alexander Zverev in straight sets on Monday, but demonstrated stellar form, particularly at the net.
Nobody won a higher percentage of net points played than 14-time champion Nadal, who converted 19 of 21 net forays against the German.
If you’re scoring at home, Nadal also ends this year’s Roland-Garros with the tournament’s highest winning percentage. Nadal (112-4) owns a 96.55 winning percentage, which neatly tops Bjorn Borg’s (49-2, 96.08 winning percentage).
Longest match: Daniel Altmaier vs Laslo Djere
It was all in a day’s work for Germany’s Daniel Altmaier, who outlasted Laslo Djere in a five hour and four-minute tussle on Court 8, winning 7-5, 6-4, 6-7(6), 5-7, 7-6(6). That scuffle was the only match that topped the five-hour mark in week one. Nine other matches lasted more than four hours, however.
The shortest completed men’s match in week one was Jan-Lennard Struff’s 6-2, 6-2, 6-3 lashing of Alexander Bublik in the second round on Court 5, which was 77 minutes long.
Fastest serve: Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard
The Frenchman couldn’t get past David Goffin in round one, but 20-year-old Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard did rip the fastest serve of week one at 231kph (143.6mph).
Karolina Pliskova and Liudmila Samsonova shared the lead for the fastest week one serve among the women. Pliskova cracked a 203kmh (126.2mph) serve in round one. Samsonova matched her in her third-round loss to Elisabetta Cocciaretto.
Youngest and oldest
Mirra Andreeva, 17, is the youngest player remaining in either singles draw. The teen sensation, who reached the third round in Paris as a 16-year-old qualifier in 2023, will face Varvara Gracheva in the round of 16.
Ons Jabeur is the oldest player remaining in the women’s draw, at 29.
On the men’s side Carlos Alcaraz is the youngest player remaining in the draw. The 21-year-old Spaniard will face Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime in the round of 16.
Thirty-seven-year-old Novak Djokovic is the oldest player remaining on the men’s side. Djokovic became the oldest player to win the men’s singles title at Roland-Garros in 2023 when he won his third title, defeating Casper Ruud in the final.