Rafael Nadal is now in position to win his 14th French Open title and record-extending 22nd Grand Slam crown, but this is not the way he wanted to get there.
The Spanish legend advanced to Sunday’s Roland Garros final after Alexander Zverev suffered a horrific right ankle injury and had to be taken off the court in a wheelchair towards the end of the second set. He later came out on crutches and embraced Nadal, as the Spaniard patted his face in encouragement. Nadal then moved to help pack up Zverev’s tennis bag.
With Nadal serving at 7-6(8), 5-6, 40-30 he slapped a forehand up the line that Zverev raced to retrieve but has he hit it he crashed hard with a right ankle injury and screamed in pain. Zverev was later seen leaving the facility on crutches and with his right foot in a boot.
“Well, very tough, no? And very said for him,” Nadal told Mats Wilander on court. “Honestly, he was playing unbelievable tournament. Yeah, he’s a very good colleague on the tour.
“I know how much he’s fighting to win a Grand Slam. But for the moment he was very unlucky, no? And the only thing that I am sure is that he gonna win not one, much more than one, so I wish him all the best and very fast recovery.”
The physio attended to him, Nadal crossed over to see how Zverev was doing and the doctor came out and Zverev was helped to his feet. Soon a wheelchair was brought out and Zverev was taken off the court.
The match lasted 3 hours, 3 minutes before the injury and looked like it could have been headed for 5 or 6 hours.
“Have been a super tough match,” said Nadal, now an otherworldly 111-3 at Roland Garros. “Over three hours and we even didn’t finish the second set, no? So it’s one of the biggest challenges on the tour today when he’s playing at this super high level, to play against him.
“Of course, for me, as everybody knows, be in the final of Roland Garros one more time, it’s a dream without a doubt. But at the same time that finish that way, I have been there in the small room with Sascha before we came back out on court. To see him crying there, it’s a very tough moment. So all the best to him and all the team.”
With the win, Nadal, who improved to 7-1 on his birthday, will play in his 14th French Open final Sunday against 23-year-old Casper Ruud of Norway, who beat Marin Cilic, 3-6, 6-4, 6-2, 6-2, in the second semifinal. Ruud, the first Norwegian man to reach a major final, and Nadal have never played.
Nadal, now 36, is 13-0 in French Open finals and is one win from his 14th crown.
To put that in perspective, Pete Sampras won 14 total majors during his Hall of Famer career and he is considered one of the greatest to ever play the game. Still, his 14 have long been eclipsed by Nadal, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic, who own a combined 61 major singles titles.
After winning the Australian Open in January for his record-setting 21st major title, the King of Clay can now push his lead over Federer and Djokovic to 22-20 if he wins in Sunday’s final.
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Rafael Nadal Now One Win From 22nd Grand Slam Title After Alexander Zverev Suffers Horrific Ankle Injury - Forbes
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