The tennis world is rallying around Alex Zverev after the German suffered a brutal ankle injury at the French Open on Thursday that forced him to retire in his semifinal match against Rafael Nadal.
Late in the second set at Roland Garros, Zverev rolled his ankle while reaching for a forehand and collapsed to the ground, clutching his right ankle. Zverev rolled around on the clay in pain before being taken off of the court in a wheelchair.
Following the emotional scene, the Australian Open Twitter account tweeted, “Get well soon,” and wished Zverev, the No. 3 player in the world, a “speedy recovery.” Fans on social media described the injury as a “heartbreaking” moment at the French Open that “was awful to watch.”
“I’m very sad for him honestly now. He was playing an unbelievable tournament,” Nadal said after the match. “I know how much he is fighting to win a Grand Slam. … The only thing that I am sure of is he is going to win not one, but much more than one. I wish him all the very best and a very fast recovery.”
Former tennis player Àlex Corretja, who was commentating the match for Spain, said Zverev’s ankle “twisted completely” when he tried to slide across the court.
Nadal, meanwhile, said his opponent was in tears in the training room while his injury was evaluated. Zverev eventually returned to the court on crutches to officially retire from the match.
Nadal won the first set, 7-6 (10-8), and the two were at 6-6 in the second set when Zverev went down with the injury.
It was the eighth instance of a retirement in the semifinals or later of a men’s major in the Open Era since 1968. Nadal will now face the winner of the Casper Ruud-Marin Cilic semifinal as he seeks a 14th title at the French Open and a 22nd career Grand Slam title.
The Spaniard, who turned 36 on Friday, is also the oldest player to make the final at Roland Garros, per ESPN Stats & Info.
