21-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal is currently playing against Alexander Zverev in the Philippe Chatrier arena in Paris. Interestingly, the match is happening inside a closed roof due to the cloudy conditions. 

The indoor conditions certainly favored the German player, as he broke the Spaniard early in the first set. Also, during the first set, we saw another unusual thing from the Spaniard, as the conditions were really humid.

Rafael Nadal uses Sawdust to dry his palms

During the first set, Zverev broke early and Nadal was struggling with the condition. He changed his routine quite a bit, as his shorts were really wet. As a result, he could not put balls in his pocket. Then he used sawdust to dry his sweaty palms.

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Safe to say, Zverev took advantage of the conditions early in the set. However, Nadal made a tremendous comeback and won the first set in a tie-break.

Meanwhile, this is not the first time we have seen Nadal change his routine due to humid conditions. At the Australian Open earlier, he had to change his shorts, as it was completely wet. Even during that time, he didn’t put the balls in his pocket as they would also get wet. We all know about Nadal’s obsession with routines, as he hardly changes them. However, extreme conditions call for extreme measures, even for Nadal.

Nadal is getting closer to his 14th Roland Garros title 

After winning the first set in a tie-break, Nadal is getting closer to another final in Paris. Undoubtedly, he is the most successful player at the French Open; his 13 titles would suggest so. However, this time, the Spaniard is battling a foot injury, which could rule him out for a very long period.

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Despite that, he is giving his all on the court, as he is determined to get his hands on the Roland Garros trophy for the 14th time. On the other hand, Zverev would be hoping for some kind of miracle after losing the first set despite having four set points in the tie-break.

Can Zverev cause an upset against Nadal? Let us know in the comments.