Rafael Nadal will play for his 14th French Open title on Monday after his semi-final opponent, Germany's Alexander Zverev, twisted his ankle so violently that he was unable to continue their match.
When the accident happened, Nadal was leading by a 7-6, 6-6 scoreline, and the contest was on trackto break numerous records with its duration. The clock had just moved past three hours when Zverev fell, and we were still only in the second set.
That was the moment when Zverev sprinted to his right to attempt a desperate forehand pass, only for his foot to become stuck in the clay, causing his body to crash awkwardly to the ground. It was immediately obvious, as he arched his back in pain, that this wasn't one of those minor ankle tweaks which you can recover from.
Alexander Zverev screams in pain after suffering his injury. Photo / AP
Zverev fell close to the gate through which the players enter the court, and it felt as if the doctors were out to help him within just a few seconds.
They dragged him to his feet, with his dark grey kit now stained red with clay granules, but as he tested his weight on the injured joint he couldn't help but rest his head in despair on the medic's shoulder.
He was then taken off the court in a wheelchair, only to return five minutes later on crutches and shake hands with Nadal. The crowd, which had not been enormously supportive of Zverev during the match, now gave him a gigantic ovation.
Rafael Nadal offers consolation to an injured Alexander Zverev. Photo / AP
"Very tough and very sad for him honestly," said Nadal in his on-court interview. "He was playing an unbelievable tournament. I know how much he is fighting to win a grand slam, he was so unlucky, but the only thing I am sure is that he is going to win one and maybe more than one.
"Super tough match," added Nadal. "Over three hours and we even didn't finish the second set. It's one of the biggest challenges on the tour when he is playing at this super high level.
"For me, a big final of Roland Garros one more time – it's a dream without a doubt. But at the same time, I have been there in the small room with Sascha before we came on court and to see him crying in there is a very tough moment."
Rafael Nadal looks on as Alexander Zverev breaks down after suffering a match-ending injury. Photo / Getty
This was a strange match while it lasted, because the player who looked to have physical issues at that stage was Nadal.
He wasn't injured, exactly – even if we know that he is battling the rapid degeneration of the scaphoid bone in his right foot. It was more that he looked exhausted after successive four-hour matches against Felix Auger Aliassime and Novak Djokovic.
It was only Zverev's own anxieties that saved Nadal, who fought back from 4-2 down in games, and then 6-2 down in the ensuing tie-break to somehow burgle the first set against the run of play.
The second set then found Nadal losing four straight service games before he eventually managed a couple of holds to set up a second tie-break. Unfortunately, this tie-break was never contested because of Zverev's ill fortune.
One side-effect of Zverev's injury is that Daniil Medvedev is now guaranteed to become world No1 after Wimbledon, assuming that there is no movement on the ATP Tour's decision to strip the world's biggest tournament of rankings points. Given that Medvedev is Russian, this is a nasty example of the law of unintended consequences.
Ruud tops Cilic; into 1st Slam final
Casper Ruud has become the first Norwegian man to reach a Grand Slam singles final by eliminating 2014 US Open champion Marin Cilic 3-6, 6-4, 6-2, 6-2 at Roland Garros.
The eighth-seeded Ruud is 23 and never had been past the fourth round at any major tournament until now.
His father, Christian, was a professional tennis player from 1991 to 2001.
Ruud has shown that he can play well on clay, with tour highs of seven titles and 66 match wins on the surface since the start of 2020.
He now faces the toughest test there ever has been on clay, going up against 13-time champion Nadal in the final. Ruud has trained at Nadal's tennis academy in Spain and refers to the 36-year-old Spaniard as his idol.
Ruud returned Cilic's big serve well enough to break him five times and even hit more aces, 16-10. Cilic had 33 aces in the quarterfinals Thursday.
