Picture Credit: Twitter
Rafael Nadal reaches his 14th French Open Final in a lengthy and grueling semi-final that was concluded with Alexander Zverev forced to retire in the second set. Zverev suffered a twisted ankle while going behind a ball and was escorted off the court in a wheelchair.
After three hours of tennis, the game ended with an incomplete second set where Nadal won 7-6 (8), 6-6 ret. to reach the final. The Spanish superstar will now face Norwegian Casper Rudd to win his 14th French Open title.
Zverev started off the rain-affected semi-final with a bang but later Nadal made a comeback as he won the first set in a hard-fought 10-8 tie-breaker. Then in the second set, both contenders were going neck and neck until the German suffered his injury and had to give a walkover win.
Looks like I have a very serious injury: Zverev
After the match, Alexander Zverev gave an update on his injury through a video posted on French Open’s Twitter account. He said, “Very difficult moment for me today on the court, obviously a fantastic match until what happened. Looks like I have a very serious injury, but the medical team and the doctors are still checking on it and we’ll keep you updated, we’ll let you know as soon as we know more.”
He also congratulated Nadal for win and wished that he wins the tournament. “I want to congratulate Rafa,” said Zverev. “It’s incredible to see him in a 14th final and hopefully he can go all the way and make some more history.”
If you are human, you feel sorry for a colleague: Nadal
Nadal in his post-game interview talked about the high intensity of the game and wished Zverev a speedy recovery. He said, “Very tough and very sad for him, honestly, he was playing unbelievable tournament. I know how much he’s fighting to win a Grand Slam but for the moment he was very unlucky.”
“The only thing is I’m sure he’s going to win not one, much more than one and I wish him all the best and a very fast recovery. Had been a super tough match, three hours, and we didn’t even finish the second set. It’s one of the biggest challenges on the tour when he’s playing at this super high level.” he continued.
“Difficult to say a lot of things today in this situation. Of course, for me, being in the final of Roland-Garros one more time is a dream, without a doubt. But at the same time, to finish that way, I’ve been there in a small room with Sascha before we came back on court and to see him crying there is a very tough moment so all the best to him.”
"If you are human, you feel sorry for a colleague. It's not easy to talk about. I hope that he's not too badly injured, I hope it's not broken," said Nadal. "I was with him when he was having the ultrasound. It was an accident, it was just an unlucky moment."