“Sasha never cry, something terrible must have happened!” : Zverev, shocked

Whatever happens between now and Sunday, it will remain like the image of Roland Garros. picture and sound. drop. Howl. tears. In a second, the fate of the first men’s semi-final and, above all, the fate of Alexander Zverev changed. With a forehand kick at the end of the race, the German’s ankle rotated violently, like the agonizing echo of the terrible injury to compatriot Michael Stich, in 1995, in Vienna.

This unlikely match, with over three hours of play even before the end of the second set (7-6, 6-6 Nadal), was clearly over, even if it took a few extra minutes to formalize the match. The world number 3 gave up, and returned to the court on crutches to say goodbye.

Misha Zverev immediately understood. He does not see his brother as often as he listens to him. “Sasha never cried, something terrible must have happenedThat’s what he said on the spot at Eurosport Germany, while commenting. “It is not possible!”, cursed Big Brother. “His ankle is gone. In this position, at this angle, she could not hold (as she turned). He couldn’t even get up. And he was really screaming‘ he added shortly after.

Renaud Liechtenstein, the match referee, was also in the front row and will not forget this moment, sneaking up to our colleague Benoit Maelin after the match: “Zverev’s first cry is terrible. And as we approached Nadal, he shook with convulsions, his groans sounding like the groans of a wounded animal. It was terrifying. “

Wellander: ‘One of the worst things I’ve seen’

He was invited in the wake of the MatchBall show, which was still at Eurosport Germany, and Misha Zverev was still in shock, even if he tried to set the record straight. “It can’t be compared to anythingRule. When you get hurt like that, a part of your life disappears for a while. If he can’t walk, he can’t be on a tennis court. But there are worse things in the world today. Losing a Grand Slam semi-final is not the problem. ”

“I was in a small room with Sasha before I went back to court. Seeing him cry like that, it was a very difficult momentFor his part, Rafael Nadal admitted immediately after the meeting. An hour later at a press conference he didn’t say anything else: “It is not easy to win after what happened. I hope he is in good health. I hope nothing is broken. It’s a dream to be in the final, but if you’re human, you feel sorry for your teammate.” His words were appreciated by the Zverev clan, although he did not say anything about them. “I don’t have to talk about it. It’s up to him, if he wants. “Rafa is a special person Souffle Misha Zverev. He can understand how Sasha feels. Yes, it helps if Rafa talks to him. “

Mats Wellander, who did a post-match interview on the field, which we imagine is complicated to manage, also took that finding in a big way. “I feel bad, it’s one of the worst things I’ve seenEurosport consultant said. Lying on the field, Sasha’s immediate reaction was heartbreakingAnd he also understood:Even before I came to court for the interview, I was told that my ankle was already starting to swell. There was nothing for me to do. “

It is too early to know how long the German player will be out, but the question will arise very quickly, especially for Wimbledon. Not only did his championship end in the wildest of ways, but the rest of his season, at least in the short term, could be called into question. “I quickly thought about the rest of this summer, at Wimbledon, the US Open, and if he would be able to participate in it, Former French Open Queen Chris Evert admits. The hard thing is that he was going to prove himself. This victory over Alcaraz was significant. There he had a chance against Rafa. In his mind, he felt ready to win one of the Grand Slams. “