Rafael Nadal was caught in a tight, convincing and long semi-final of the French Open when his opponent, third seed Alexander Zverev, ran to chase a shot and sprained his right ankle. Zverev fell to the ground, crying in agony and holding on to his leg.
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With his black suit, his arms and legs covered in rust-colored clay, Zverev was helped by a coach and then taken off the track in a wheelchair. Minutes later, after Nadal saw him crying in a small room in the stadium, Zverev went back to the Philippe Chatrier track with crutches, took off his right shoe and granted the match, unable to continue.
Christmas in Spain checks Zverev while receiving medical attention. (Getty)
The sudden end of a competition that lasted 3 hours but not even for two complete sets allowed Nadal to become, on his 36th birthday, the second largest male finalist in the history of the French Open. . He will now try to become the oldest champion of a tournament that has already won a record 13 times, facing the first-time Grand Slam finalist Casper Ruud on Sunday.
“All I can say is that I hope it’s not too bad. I hope it’s normal when you turn your ankle, and hopefully nothing (breaks). That’s what everyone expects,” Nadal said. Although it is a dream for me to be in the Roland Garros final, it is clear that this is not the way we want it to be.
With the sound of audible rain against the closed retractable roof of the court Philippe Chatrier, and many of the crowd of 15,000 attendees repeatedly chanting “Ra-fa! Ra-fa!” came out to claim a tight as possible, draining the first set with a score of 7-6 (8) after 1 hour and a half. The second set also went to a tiebreaker after another 1 1/2 hours when Zverev fell behind the bottom line and missed a point that allowed Nadal to maintain service for 6-all.
Zverev moves away from a wheelchair after an injury against Rafael Nadal of Spain during the men’s singles semifinals match on the 13th of the 2022 French Open at Roland Garros on June 3, 2022 in Paris , France. (Photo by John Berry / Getty Images) (Getty)
A coach came out to take care of him and Nadal went around the net to check on Zverev as well. After Zverev returned to the court to say he should retire from the match, he shook hands with the referee and then hugged Nadal.
Nadal has suffered from chronic pain in his left foot and is approaching a pair of victories that lasted more than 4 hours each – including his quarter-finals against reigning champion Novak Djokovic which ended on Wednesday at 1:15 p.m. dawn- but showed no signs of age, injury or fatigue against Zverev, 25.
What Nadal said after that caused him problems was the way the high humidity affected things, with the mud stuck to the tennis balls and made it difficult for him to apply his thick topspin.
“The conditions weren’t ideal for me this afternoon, nor the way I like to play, normally, here,” Nadal said. “That’s why I couldn’t create the damage I wanted.”
In addition to winning a 14th trophy at the French Open, Nadal can claim his 22nd Grand Slam title to add to the men’s record he already holds after winning the Australian Open in January. Djokovic and Roger Federer are tied at 20 years old.
This is also at stake for Christmas in Sunday’s final against Ruud: it would be the first time the Spaniard has won the first two Grand Slam matches of the calendar year.
The two men embrace as Zverev is forced to withdraw. (Getty)
Ruud became Norway’s first man to reach a major final, eliminating 2014 U.S. Open champion Marin Cilic by 3-6, 6-4, 6-2, 6-2 in a match interrupted for more than 10 minutes in the third set by a weather activist who got hooked on the net and knelt on the court.
Ruud, 23, has never faced Nadal, but has trained at the King of Clay academy in Mallorca.
“It’s a perfect example of how to behave on the court: never give up and never complain. He’s been my idol all my life,” said Ruud, who was coached by his father. Christian, a professional player between 1991 and 2001. “I guess this is the perfect time and it’s worth the wait to finally play it in a Grand Slam final.”
Zverev was runner-up at the U.S. Open two years ago and won a gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics last summer, but is still looking for his first major title.
“He was very unlucky,” Nadal said. “The only thing I’m sure of is that he won’t win one, much more than one. So I wish him all the best and a very quick recovery.”
Zverev amassed nearly twice as many winners, 40-21, and had an “incredible” start, according to Nadal, who described it as a “miracle” to win the first set.
Zverev led 4-2 in each set.
But at first, his racquet flew out of his hand and landed behind him after a wild swing mistakenly sent a ball past the umpire of the chair until it fell 10 feet wide. of the track. Later, a wandering setback allowed Nadal to break for the first time, making him 4-all and sending red and yellow Spanish flags flying in the stands.
In the opening tie, Zverev led 6-2, by four points. But Nadal wiped them all out, including a sprint to his left, ending up out of the doubles alley, to somehow evoke a right-handed pass winner on the court at an incredible angle. The crowd applauded him with a standing ovation. He probably had nothing to do with Zverev’s sharp volley, let alone create that short answer.
And yet this is what Christmas does, so many times, with so many opponents. He stands there, he never scores a point, he plays every time as if he were the last.
It’s been like this since I was a teenager. Why stop now that you’re 30?
The only older male finalist in Paris was Bill Tilden, the 37-year-old runner-up in 1930. The biggest champion to date was Andres Gimeno, who in 1972 was 34 years old.
Nadal, who won his first Roland Garros championship in his 19-year-old debut, has said in recent days that he cannot be sure whether each match could be his last at the French Open. His left foot is the main reason for this pessimism.
“All the sacrifices and all the things I have to go through to try to keep playing,” Nadal said, “make a lot of sense when you enjoy moments like this tournament.”
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