June 04, (THEWILL) – Rafael Nadal advanced to the final of the French Open after opponent Alexander Zverev was forced to withdraw hurt near the end of the second set due to a serious ankle injury with the score at 7-6(2) 6-6.
After collapsing on his ankle, Zverev yelled out in pain, and the severity of his injury was quickly apparent. The German was consoled by Nadal, and left the court in a wheelchair.
Zverev made a brief return to the court on crutches, but only to announced his withdrawal from the match, thereby ending his chances of reaching the final as Nadal progressed instead.
It took Nadal a draining four-set triumph over world number one Novak Djokovic to advance to the semi-final. He benefited from a couple of days of recovery as he fought with a foot problem that he had hinted could limit his participation in further tournaments this season.
In similar fashion, Zverev required four sets to advance from his quarter-final, defeating rising sensation Carlos Alcaraz, in his own quarter-final. The unexpected conclusion leaves Nadal waiting for the winner of the Casper Ruud-Marin Cilic match on Sunday.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.