[3] Alexander Zverev was committed to battling to the very end for the victory and he fought hard to stay on equal footing with his opponent from the beginning. He took the lead and kept applying the pressure to [5] Rafael Nadal. The Spaniard was battling the humid conditions as well as the ferocious onslaught from his opponent. It did not look good for Nadal who had already endured two taxing matches enroute to the semifinals. We will never know what would have happened if Zverev had not gotten injured.
Embed from Getty ImagesZverev Tested The Depleted Reserves Of Nadal
Each player broke once; yet it was not that straight forward. Zverev unleashed his power on both his backhand and forehand shots. He dictated play for most of the match; and still he was trailing. He had a 6-2 lead in the tiebreaker, but the Spaniard brought out some of his best forehand shots. A sharp angled cross court winner started his comeback. That was followed up by a running forehand winner and before Zverev could regain his composure, Nadal had snatched the set out of his hands.
The Second Set Was A Topsy Turvy Affair
Both players struggled to hold serve, but once again, it was the German who finally took the lead and served to even the match. That never became a reality as the Spaniard once again upped his intensity to break back and even the match. We were heading for another tiebreak set. At 40-30 up in another extended rally, Zverev ran laterally to his right. After attempting to plant his right foot, he rolled over his ankle and fell to the ground screaming in pain. His ball went out, and Nadal held serve, but that became irrelevant.
Alexander Zverev Showed His Maturity
The match was over. There was no way the German would be able to play. Nadal was extremely concerned about Zverev and immediately crossed the net to offer his assistance. Zverev leaned heavily on the shoulder of the trainer as he waited for a wheelchair to take him off the court for an assessment. Kudos to the German, who hobbled back on court minutes later on crutches to shake the umpire’s hand and call the match. He could not go on. Nadal won 7-6(8), 6-6 (RET). This is not the way any player wants to win a match and Nadal was obviously uncomfortable winning this way. Nadal is into his fourteenth French Open final and he has thirteen Roland Garros titles.
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