Tennis Player Suffers Gruesome Ankle Injury During French Open

Alexander Zverev and Rafael Nadal were amid an awesome semifinal matchup at the French Open when disaster struck. Rafa had won the first set after a tiebreak. As he attempted to force another break in the second set, Zverev’s ankle rolled horrifically. He had to be taken off the court in a wheelchair.

Slow-motion video shows the ankle giving out as Alexander Zverev attempted a forehand return. It was one of those injuries that you can feel just by watching. The entire foot rolled over under his weight.

Zverev let out a painful scream. Rafael Nadal came over to offer whatever support he could. NBA star Kevin Love, who happened to be in the stands, documented the entire scene on his Instagram account.

Always a true sportsman, Zverev eventually came back to the court. Despite being on crutches, he walked out to officially retire from the match. The crowd gave him a hearty round of applause for his bravery.

After the match, Nadal had nothing but kind words for his worthy opponent. The two shared a hug. It was a terrible way for the #3 ranked player in the world to finish a brilliant run in a Major.

Rafael Nadal will now face the winner between Casper Ruud and Marin Cilic. That match is currently ongoing. It will be a bittersweet victory either way for Nadal, who had a classic pulled out from under him by misfortune.

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