Athletistic will broadcast a live online text broadcast: Tennis. Roland Garros. Semi final. Nadal-Zverev. Direct
Friday at Roland Garros will host the semi-finals of the men’s tournament. Rafael Nadal and Alexander Zverev will open the game on Philippe Chatrier’s pitch before the fight between Kasper Ruud and Marin Cilic.
Playing on his 36th birthday, Nadal is aiming to take the next step to a record 14th Roland Garros title and a 22nd Grand Slam trophy. He claims to win the Australian Open and Roland Garros in the same year for the first time in history. If he succeeds, he will become the longest-serving clay-court Grand Slam champion in history.
For the other semi-finalists, the stakes are also high. Zverev could climb to second place in the ATP rankings if he beats the Spaniard, and if he wins the title on Sunday he will be world No. 1 for the first time.
Ruud, playing in his first Grand Slam semi-final, could move up to sixth in the standings if he beats Cilic, who is aiming to become the 19th player in history to reach all four major finals.
Nadal secured his 10th ATP encounter with Zverev by winning the game many predicted at the start of Roland Garros. He was emotional after the quarter-final win over Novak Djokovic, but began eyeing the semi-finals immediately after Tuesday night’s triumph.
The second meeting between Zverev and Nadal at the Grand Slam tournaments takes place after the spectacular victories in four sets of the two tennis players. Zverev held off Carlos Alcaraz to reach the semi-finals for the second straight time in Paris, while 13-time champion Nadal improved his record to 8-2 in a Grand Slam on clay against world No. 1 Djokovic.
The pair’s previous encounter in a major tournament was a five-set thriller at the 2017 Australian Open, where Nadal won the final two sets to win in the third round. The win gave the Spaniard a 6-3 lead over Zverev in head-to-head matches, with Nadal leading 4-1 on clay. However, the fifth seed, 110-3 at Roland Garros, will take nothing for granted when he takes to the court on Friday.
“If I play badly or if I lose in the semi-finals, it won’t be because I’m not focused,” Nadal said after beating Djokovic. “I have experience. I’m not the kind of guy and player that goes up and down emotionally. I’m very stable emotionally.”
Although Nadal arrived in Paris with lingering doubts over a chronic foot injury that kept him out of the ATP Masters 1000 tournament in Rome, he appeared to be in fine form in the French capital. The Spaniard easily passed Jordan Thompson, Corentin Moutet and Botik van de Zandschulp, then in a five-set duel with Felix Auger-Aliassim and a victory over Djokovic secured him a place in the top four.
For third seed Zverev, the quarter-final win over Carlos Alcaraz was something of a breakthrough. The German served confidently and hit the ball cleanly, earning his first victory against a Top 10 opponent at a Grand Slam tournament. The 19-time tournament winner hopes the experience will help him overcome the line in Friday’s clash with Nadal.
The German’s campaign at Roland Garros was all but over in the second round when he saved a match point and went on to defeat Sebastian Baes in five sets. Zverev has dealt with Sebastian Ofner, Brandon Nakashima and Bernabé Miralles more casually, but it’s unlikely he can afford any slip-ups if he wants to be the fourth player to beat Nadal at Roland Garros.
Australian Open champion Nadal is targeting a second Grand Slam and a fourth title in 2022, and Zverev is yet to lift a trophy this year. However, the world No. 3 has enjoyed a successful season on European grass. After reaching the semi-finals in Monte Carlo and Rome, as well as a championship match in Madrid, the five-time ATP Masters 1000 champion thinks he’s ready to go all the way to the Grand Slam.
“After all, I’m not 20 or 21 anymore,” Zverev said after winning the quarter-finals. “I’m 25. I’m at the stage where I want to win, I’m at the stage where I have to win.”
Tennis. Roland Garros. Semi final. Nadal-Zverev. Direct
Source: Sport
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