Nadal’s injury marred and Zverev-Rud resigned as final qualifier | Roland Garros

There is no outdoor courtyard once in the Court Philippe Chatrier. And rain in Paris forced the roof to close. Nadal and Zverev seemed to be playing another match late into the night. Nothing could be further from the truth, although fans didn’t really care. Just as in the quintet against Djokovic in the quarter-finals, the match was on the car from the start.

Zverev looked like a cannonball. The German made up for a 30-0 delay in the first game and immediately went by serving his opponent. The tone is set. The German was impressed with a strong serve and strong tennis, while Nadal had to stick it out on his 36th birthday. However, the Spaniard won his first serve match when he trailed 0-2.

Nadal made his way into the first set and that was necessary. Zverev kept his form. The German only folded for the first time in 3-4 with his hands wet. Nadal’s first break opportunity was skillfully eliminated, but the second was a prize. All that needed to be done after Zverev let his racket fly through his sweaty hands for a while. Nadal sensed his opportunity. The record holder continued in Roland Garros.

At 5-4, the first set point went out, but Zverev defended himself. The second ball set was also undone with a good serve and shot. The same for the third. Zverev kept his serve and did not withdraw. In the decisive tiebreak, the German pulled the paper to himself with four set balls, but Nadal saved them one after another with beautiful passes.

In Nadal’s sixth ball, it was finally a prize for the Spaniard. Nadal finished 9-8 in the tiebreak after another unparalleled pass. The first set lasted over an hour and a half, but it was only the beginning.

Because the same thriller is back in the second set. Nadal started with a break in Zverev’s service, but the German gave the Spaniard a taste of his dough. And it went on like this until 2-3, after which Zverev was the first to win his serve match in the second set. She gave the citizen courage, because the third place in the world rankings moved to 4-2 and a little later 5-3.

Nadal lost his magic for a moment. Zverev also made unnecessary mistakes now and then, but remained calm at the most crucial moment. Despite this, just as in Series 1, the development of plot after plot continued. Nadal fought back 5-5 and moments later looked like he was back in the tiebreak again. Zverev even sprained his ankle. The German screamed and disappeared into a wheelchair in the wings and surrendered. On crutches, above all visibly disappointed, he came to greet the audience.

Nadal, today’s birthday, will claim his 14th victory in Paris. Previously, he was the best between 2005, 2008, 2010, 2014, 2017, and 2020. Last year he was killed in the semi-final against Djokovic. The Spaniard, who suffers from a chronic foot injury, is the men’s record holder with 21 Grand Slam titles.

“It’s so sad to end this game like this. He’s been playing incredibly hard during this tournament and he’s a good companion on the tour. I know how hard he worked to win a major tournament. I’m sure he’ll make it one day. It was a very tough match – we played for three Hours and we haven’t even finished the second set. Playing against him at this level is one of the biggest challenges out there. For me personally, it’s of course a dream to be in the final again, but seeing him cry was so hard. I wish him a recovery.”

In the final, Nadal will face 23-year-old Casper Rudd. The Norwegian won four sets with Croatian Marin Cilic (3-6) (6-4) (6-2) (6-2). The match was halted briefly after a climate activist chained himself to a net. The match resumed after a fifteen minute delay. For Rudd, this would be his first Grand Slam final. His best result to date in a Grand Slam tournament was the fourth round at the 2021 Australian Open.