Rafael Nadal did not shine against Alexander Zverev, it seemed that he might lose only for the fourth time at Roland Garros, but the German suffered a serious injury, tore ligaments in his ankle and surrendered at the end of the 2nd set.
The king of slag won the final at "Philippe Chatrieu" for the 14th time, where he will collide with the guy who "inherited" the nickname "Prince of slag" from Dominik Tim - Kasper Rud. The Norwegian has won the most ATP titles on the slowest surface since 2020 - as many as seven. Interestingly, the 23-year-old from Oslo has been a member of Rafa's academy in Majorca since 2018.
"I have a lot of respect for him. First of all as a friend, because he's an outstanding guy from a wonderful family, and of course as a player. He's done a lot of great things in recent years and that's no surprise to me," said the 36-year-old Spaniard.
Nadal and Rud often train together, but the showdown that starts at 15 p.m. will be their first match against each other.
"He's the only one from the Big Three that I haven't played with. This is perfect timing, it was worth the wait. Playing against Rafa in the Grand Slam final will be a special moment for me," said Rud.
Nadal is the clear favourite, but the question is whether he is fit enough for the final, as he keeps complaining about foot problems.
"It will be interesting. Against Zverev, Rafa played for a class weaker than he knows, the question is how he will be in the final match," said the legendary Chris Evert, who is an expert consultant for Eurosport.
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