Rafael Nadal is a French Open finalist for the 14th time in his career as a gripping, lengthy and messy semi-final ended with Alexander Zverev being forced to retire in the second set. After competing for over three hours without completing the second set, Nadal won 7-6 (8), 6-6 ret. Nadal, who was celebrating his 36th birthday, will play for a record-extending 14th French Open title and 22nd major title, with his French Open win-loss record now 111-3 (97%). As the stakes rose, though, his familiar struggles with his second serve and forehand surfaced. “It has been a super-tough match, over three hours and we didn’t even finish the second set,” Nadal said.

Source: The Guardian June 04, 2022 08:00 UTC