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An unfinished fight and a heartbreaking epilogue.
At 6-6 in the second set, while Nadal and Zverev have been fighting for three hours and thirteen an arm wrestle of crazy intensity, Zverev collapses and writhes in pain after making a forehand at the end of the race.
The world number three's right ankle has spun.
The picture is terrible.
Chilling.
The tearful Hamburg native screams in pain and leaves the court in a wheelchair for medical treatment.
But the outcome is no longer in doubt.
And a few minutes later, back on the court on crutches, his abandonment is formalized.
Nadal tries to console the unfortunate Zverev.
Cruel epilogue...
" It
's bad luck's fault,
" Nadal then blew to the press.
I hope Sascha isn't too bad and it's just a twist of the ankle, and he didn't break anything.
Before returning to the court, I was in the room with Sascha and seeing him cry there is a very difficult moment.
Really, I wish him the best and a good recovery
”.
One certainty, the king of clay would have preferred to win his fight fairly.
"
Of course to be in the final of Roland-Garros once again is a dream, but at the same time, that it ends like this, to see him cry in the locker room, it's a very difficult moment
".
Nadal had bent but not broken for more than three hours.
With a fabulous forehand passing along the line, the host had snatched the first act from the decisive game (10-8) after… 1h31 of incredibly intense play.
Led 6-2 in the tie-break, the indestructible Nadal did not give in, erasing four consecutive set points by picking up at 6-6, with in particular a passing forehand cross of anthology.
Enough to capsize a Chatrier with happiness, more than ever committed to his cause.
In the ropes, Zverev however broke twice in an equally suffocating and confusing second set.
A second act where Nadal still wavered, but where Zverev, when serving to pick up a set everywhere, still trembled.
Evidenced by his two double faults at 5-3 in his favor.
It's hard to say how the match would have turned out if the German hadn't been struck down in the middle of the fight... “
The match was hotly contested.
There were many ups and downs, although the level of tennis was very high.
He started playing incredibly well.
I know how much this game meant to him.
He wanted to win his first Grand Slam.
That's what he was fighting for
."
Sheltered from the sun, the land of Paris is less welcoming for Nadal.
The roof, deployed on Friday due to the rain, reduced his devastating topspin and the violence of his forehand slaps hurt less than usual, as did his end-of-stroke strikes.
Late, on certain starts, he was often overtaken by Zverev.
"
The conditions, indeed, are the slowest I have seen in a very long time here at Roland-Garros, because there was a lot of humidity this afternoon.
And when there is a lot of humidity, the balls are very heavy, it is very difficult to put spin on the balls, and to topspin them too.
So the conditions weren't ideal for me, that's why I couldn't create the game I wanted, to dominate it.
Besides, he started the match in a dazzling way.
And it's a miracle for me, this first set.
With these conditions, I couldn't push him back, and he was hitting clean balls every time, and what I was doing was mostly in survival mode.
»
And yet… Still alive, still standing.
In Rome, May 14 Nadal limped in the 3rd set of his 8th final lost against Denis Shapovalov.
His left foot being bruised by Muller-Weiss syndrome.
A disease from which he has suffered for years but which has worsened in recent months.
“
I wasn't very positive, it's true, at the time, about my foot.
Anyway, I knew I could play here, and I did.
I played, I fought.
I did everything I could to give myself at least this opportunity to get to where I am now, and I'm happy about it.
".
Because in Paris, the magic always works.
The pain, which he treats with anti-inflammatories, has still not got the better of the tireless warrior.
After his victory in five sets against Auger-Aliassime in the round of 16, the Mallorcan had blown: “
To be frank, each match I play here may be my last.
The last dance will wait a little longer.
Day and night, without a roof or with a roof, the Philippe Chatrier court is the scene of its exceptional longevity.
After a battle of mutants lasting 4 hours 12 against his best enemy Djokovic, the Spaniard had unraveled the predictions.
And for his 36th birthday, which he celebrated on Friday, "
Rafa
becomes the second oldest Roland-Garros finalist in history, after American Bill Tilden, 37 in 1930. A nice gift.
On Sunday, the king will aim for a fourteenth Porte d'Auteuil crown in fourteen finals against Marin Cilic or Casper Ruud and a record 22nd Grand Slam.
Unique.
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