Spain’s Rafael Nadal has advanced to his 14th final at the French Open at Roland Garros in Paris. The 21 time Grand Slam champion was a set up and about to start the second set tie-break when his opponent Alexander Zverev sustained a serious injury to his right leg, bringing a premature end to proceedings in dramatic fashion.
Zverev the third seed and Nadal the fifth seed certainly did not disappoint in the first semi-final in Paris. Little separated the pair in the opening set, as was to be expected in this mouth-watering encounter at the business end of a Grand Slam.
They traded blows for an epic 91 minutes in the opening set as the momentum changed hands on numerous occasions. Zverev broke the Nadal serve in his opening service game and then raced to a 3-1 lead before the Spaniard battled back.
Nadal earned some set points at 5-4 up but the German fended them off to eventually force a tie-breaker. Zverev charged to a 6-2 lead in the breaker before the 13 time champion found some magic to raise his level and clinch the set.
The German — into the last four for the second straight year — drew first blood in the second set opening up a 4-2 lead but similar to the first set, Nadal broke back, taking his opponent to yet another tie-breaker and extending the match into its fourth hour.
Zverev wheeled out of the court
But sadly for tennis fans Zverev took a shocking tumble, severely injuring his right leg in the first point of the tie-breaker…screaming out in agony and then leaving the court in a wheelchair.
The cards were stacked against Zverev as he was forced to bow out of the contest, gifting Nadal his spot in his 14th final at Roland Garros on his 36th birthday.
“I am very sad for him…it’s a dream without a doubt,” says the 13 time French Open champion.
Nadal will meet the winner of the second semi-final between Croatia’s Marin Cilic and Casper Ruud of Norway in Sunday’s final.
“It’s a very tough moment”#RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/KpCQJqigEI
— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) June 3, 2022
