Eyes strained as excitement built over where Nadal’s name would appear on the LED screen at Thursday’s draw ceremony.
Murmurs came from the audience when Nadal appeared next to a blank space reserved for a seed. Shocked gasps followed when Zverev was plucked out to fill the gap.
Nadal missed last year’s tournament for the first time in 19 years after a torrid time with injuries but is fit enough to return this year under a protected ranking.
The lack of matches over the past 18 months has seen Nadal drop to 276th in the world, leaving the former number one unseeded at Roland Garros for the first time.
That left Nadal vulnerable to the possibility of facing a high-ranked player. Landing Zverev – long one of the leading players on tour, adept on clay and in form – was about as bad as it could get.
Murray has also been handed an eye-catching draw in what feels like a fitting occasion – and despite winning just six games in their 2020 match, he might not necessarily fear Wawrinka.
Murray and Wawrinka once sparred for the biggest prizes and met in the 2017 Roland Garros semi-finals, a brutal match which exacerbated the career-changing hip injury which the Scot later needed surgeries on.
Wawrinka, 39, is also a three-time major champion like Murray, but the Swiss has not won back-to-back tour-level matches since the US Open in August.
Murray has not played much, though. He managed to avoid surgery on ruptured ankle ligaments in order to return to Roland Garros and only has three matches under his belt since Miami in March – losing twice.