Zverev cried out loud after twisting his ankle and lay on the ground. The 25-year-old was pushed off the pitch in a wheelchair. “He’s not coming back,” said his brother Mischa as a TV expert at Eurosport, already shocked. A little later, Zverev came back on crutches, accompanied by Nadal, took off his shoe and socks on his right foot and gave up with a hug from Nadal.
“It’s very hard for him”
Zverev had previously offered Nadal a mega fight and repeatedly put the clay court king in trouble. However, the German number one was unable to take advantage of many opportunities. This is how Nadal made it to the final of the French Open once again.
“It’s very hard for him. I’m very sorry. He played incredible tennis,” Nadal said in an interview on the court. “I know how much he is fighting to win a Grand Slam tournament. I am sure that he will win not just one but several,” said the Spaniard about Zverev. “To be back in the Paris final is a dream. But at the moment it’s hard to find words when I just saw him crying in the dressing room.”
As soon as he entered the Philippe Chatrier court, Nadal received an ovation. The spectators rose from their seats and applauded – as if they could admire the exceptional Spanish talent live for the last time. In honor of his birthday, the audience even serenaded. The obligatory presentation of the Spaniard by the cult stadium announcer Marc Maury lasted exactly 1:22 minutes. That’s how long it takes to list all of Nadal’s successes at Stade Roland Garros. Everything was set for the next Rafael Nadal show on the red sands of Paris.
Because of the rain in the French capital, the roof over the largest stadium in the complex was closed. The mood was electrifying as Nadal opened the game at 3:05 p.m.
But Zverev wasn’t impressed by all of this at first. The German number one played aggressively from the start and surprised Nadal with numerous unattainable shots. Right at the start he took the serve from the Spaniard. A murmur went through the arena. There had probably never been encouraging “Rafa, Rafa” calls at such an early stage in Paris.
For seven games, Zverev then played the best tennis he had ever played in a Grand Slam tournament. But then suddenly there was a break in the game of the German. Nadal was still far from his top form, but Zverev suddenly made many slight mistakes. So he let Nadal back into the game, and the Spaniard made the break to make it 4: 4 to equalize.