After Italian Flavio Cobolli missed an overhead on the second championship point of the five-set encounter, Zverev dropped on his back and began sobbing.
Roland Garros, a WWI-era pilot, is credited with revolutionizing aerial combat. The major Paris tennis tournament was named after him in 1928, a decade after his death in combat.
The 21-year-old American star battled back over three sets to defeat the world's top-ranked player, Aryna Sabalenka. Gauff is the first American to win at Roland-Garros since Serena Williams in 2015.
Nadal, who has won 14 French Opens, injured his hip in January during the Australian Open. He has pulled out of other matches earlier in the year, but has not said if he will retire.
Tennis's top-ranked Swiatek beat Gauff 6-1, 6-3 in the final at Roland Garros. Swiatek's unbeaten run of 35 matches equals one by Venus Williams in 2000 as the longest this century.
Organizers at Roland-Garros said Serbian tennis star Novak Djokovic should be allowed to compete at the French Open thanks to loosened COVID rules in France.
Ending her most recent quest to tie the record for the most Grand Slam singles titles, Serena Williams had to pull out due to a flare-up from a previous injury.
