French Open semifinals
Dramatic scenes: Zverev has to give up injured against Nadal
With a pained face, Alexander Zverev holds his ankle, then he gives up
© Clive Brunskill / Getty Images
Alexander Zverev had to give up the semi-final game at the French Open against Rafael Nadal injured. The German tennis pro twisted his ankle and was pushed off the court in a wheelchair.
Germany tennis ace Alexander Zverev was dramatically eliminated in the semifinals of the French Open. Zverev buckled towards the end of the second set after a return and shortly afterwards had to give up the match against Rafael Nadal. In a high-class game, the Spaniard had won the first set in a tie-break, and the second set would have gone into a tie-break again.
Zverez lay screaming on the floor
The 25-year-old from Hamburg lay screaming on the floor after a rally, and there was immediate silence on the Philippe-Chatrier court. Zverev’s brother Mischa experienced the moment as co-moderator at Eurosport and immediately feared the worst. “Sasha never screams, something must have happened.” Zverev was wheeled into the dressing room in a wheelchair, shortly after returning to the field on crutches with Rafael Nadal at his side and retiring the match.
For the Spaniard Nadal it is the 14th entry into the final at the French Open – and perhaps the triumph he is least happy about. “I can’t say much in this situation. Being in the Rolland Garros final for the 14th time is a dream, but ending the match like this and seeing Sasha crying in the locker room was very hard,” Nadal explained after the match.
Zverev had previously offered Nadal a mega fight and kept putting the clay court king in Paris under serious pressure. However, the German number one was unable to take advantage of many opportunities.
Electrifying atmosphere at Stade Roland Garros
There was an electrifying atmosphere at the Stade Roland Garros right from the start. 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 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. There was a party atmosphere when Nadal opened the game at 3:05 p.m.
But Zverev wasn’t impressed by any 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.
At times, Alexander Zverez offered the best tennis of his career
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, who had been playing with chronic foot problems for weeks, was still far from his top form, but Zverev suddenly made many minor mistakes. So he let Nadal back into the game, and the Spaniard made the break to make it 4: 4 to equalize.
After that, the game went back and forth. When the score was 4: 5, Zverev fended off three set balls from Nadal and then did not use two break balls in the Spaniard’s subsequent service game. In the tie-break, Zverev suddenly had four set balls. Zverev missed one with a slight volley error, Nadal fended off the rest in a manner known from him on the Center Court in Paris – simply world class. But Zverev resisted, fended off two more set balls from Nadal, only to lose the first round after 1:31 hours – because Nadal used his sixth set ball with an incredible passing ball to the deafening cheers of the spectators.
The back and forth continued in the second set. Zverev immediately lost serve but fought back and continued to make life incredibly difficult for Nadal. When the score was 5:3, he served to win the set, but made three double mistakes. The decision seemed to be made again in the tie-break, but then the drama happened and Zverev gave up.
