French Open: Nadal Reaches Final After Zverev Retires
After a three-hour contest that produced plenty of high drama, Rafael Nadal reached the French Open final for the 14th time on Friday as Alexander Zverev was forced to retire beacuse of an ankle injury while trailing 7-6(8) 6-6.
A semi-final between Nadal, who has won the claycourt major a record 13-times, and Zverev who has been playing the best tennis in his career lived up to expectation for three hours and 13 minutes. The players exchanged brutal shots from the baseline, breaking serve on numerous occasions and even missing multiple set points.
Yet they never even managed to complete two sets. The German Zverev had been giving the 13-time Roland Garros champion a run for his money until he screamed out in agony after rolling his right ankle in the final point of the 12th game of the second set.
“Tough now. Very sad, he was playing an unbelievable tournament, he’s a very good colleague on the tour,” Nadal, who will face either Croatia’s Marin Cilic or Norway’s Casper Ruud on Sunday, said. “I know how much he’s fighting to win a Grand Slam. It was a super tough match.”
“Over three hours and we didn’t even finish the second set. Of course being in the final of Roland Garros is a dream without a doubt but at the same time that it finishes that way is tough. Seeing him cry like this is a tough moment.”
The 25-year-old Zverev, bidding for a maiden Grand Slam title, had matched the Spaniard with his power throughout the contest. However, the injury ended the game prematurely.
Zverev refused to surrender and was going toe-to-toe with Nadal until the moment he twisted his ankle as he sprinted to retrieve a shot on his forehand and had to be taken off the court in a wheelchair.
“He started the match playing amazing,” Nadal said. “A miracle that first set but I was there fighting, trying to find solutions.”
“When Sasha is playing well under any condition he is an amazing player. Under these conditions (with increased humidity) it was even more difficult for me to put him away.”
Nadal would be seeking a record-extending 22nd Grand Slam title in the final on Sunday.
⚔️ A thrilling battle came to a tough end with an injury to @AlexZverev but he and @RafaelNadal played some amazing points!
Check out the Highlights by @emirates 🎥#RolandGarros | #EmiratesFlyBetterMoment pic.twitter.com/E9vn2iRF1v
— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) June 3, 2022
Chidi Nwoke/Reuters/Roland Garros.
