Nadal advances to Roland Garros final and Zverev withdraws after spraining his ankle

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The cry of pain was heard throughout the Philippe Chatrier. The echo, with the roof closed by the rain, increased it even more. It was an unexpected theatrical blow. alexander zverev he fell on his right foot, doubled over.

The German tennis player could not get up and Rafael Nadalfrightened, he crossed the track to approach him. Zverev left the track in a wheelchair only to return a few minutes later on crutches and say goodbye to the public that, for the first time, applauded him.

Nadal he hugged him excited and overwhelmed by an unexpected situation. The victory was his, without having won the match, with a favorable score of 7-6 (10-8) and 6-6. For the 14th time in his professional career, the 13-time Roland Garros champion will be in the final on Sunday, June 5. Nadal who has been suffering from his left foot for months, saw how it was Zverev who had to retire due to a spectacular sprain of his right ankle that will leave him out of action for several months.

“I’m so sorry for Sascha. He has played a great tournament. It’s not nice to win a game like that. We have played an incredible match for more than 3 hours. Seeing Sascha cry like that at the end has been a very hard moment », he said on center court to Mats Wilanderas surprised as he.

Nadal celebrated 36 years with a new qualification for the Roland Garros final. A gift that he has had on eight more occasions in Paris in his 18 participations in the tournament. The first time, when he celebrated his 19th birthday, in the semifinals he beat Roger Federer, that opened the doors to his first title in 2005 and this, the last one, of which he will surely not keep the best memories. Only on one occasion did he spoil the party Novak Djokovicwhen he celebrated his 29th birthday, on the same day that the Serbian tennis player eliminated him in the 2015 quarterfinals.

unfavorable conditions

It could also make the party bitter Zverev in a game that suffered a lot. The track conditions did not favor him, with the closed roof of the Philippe Chatrier closed by the rain, with a humidity that made the track slow, about 21 degrees of temperature that made him sweat more than necessary, and some heavy balls, which favored Zverev’s flat shots. His profile is similar to Robin Soderlingwho was the first to beat Nadal at Roland-Garros in 2009.

From his 1.98 height, his long arms that covered half the court and a ball that Nadal could not treat as he likes, the German tennis player clearly dominated, the German tennis player broke Nadal’s serve and placed with a 4-2 lead.

But the powerful serve of Zverev he cringed and rushed to close the stitches. Nadal took advantage of it. He took out his magic wand to equalize 4-4, with spectacular blows, especially with a hand that drove the German crazy, and raised the 14,800 fans who cheered with cries of “Rafa, Rafa” and who, before the match began, They had received him singing the “happy birthday & rdquor ;. They were all on his side. Everyone wanted to participate in another victory for the invincible champion. The 111 at Roland Garros.

Zverev endured that pressure cooker, undaunted, as it was Sergio Bruguera, in the box of the German. He forced the ‘tie break’ and was placed 6-2. He had four chances to win it, but Nadal avoided it and in the fourth ‘set ball’ that he had, he made it his own.

Zverev took the hit. Nadal he was physically touched, he didn’t move as fast. The two tennis players broke serve six times and when Zverev had 5-3 and served in the power of him, he again shook his hand and gave away serve with three double faults. Nadal came back again to force a ‘tie break’, which would no longer be played after the fateful fall of the German.

Ruud, last rival

Nadal will face in the final a friend and acquaintance as the Norwegian Casper Ruud that was imposed on the Croatian Marin Cilic 3-6, 6-4, 6-2, 6-2 in 2 hours and 55 minutes, almost as long as Nadal and Zverev played a couple of sets. The match was interrupted for a few minutes by the appearance of a girl who jumped onto the court and chained herself to the net with a shirt that read “we have 1028 days let”.

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Ruud (world number 8), son of former tennis player Christian Ruudwho also trains him, is a regular at the academy of Nadal in Manacor. “He is a great boy, a good person and a good ground player”, she valued before knowing that she would face him.

Ruud he is not a stranger. Since 2020 he has won 82 clay matches and 7 titles, the last of them two weeks ago at the Geneva tournament, before being a finalist at the Miami Masters where he lost the final with Carlos Alcaraz.



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