French Open 2022 Score, Winner and Recap: Rafael Nadal advances to 14th Roland Garros final as Alexander Zverev retires with ankle injury

Rafael Nadal advanced to his 14th French Open final on Friday after a tight battle with Alexander Zverev ended with the German suffering a freak ankle injury towards the end of the second set.

In the process, Nadal, who turned 36 on Friday, became the second-oldest men’s singles finalist in the history of the tournament.

Rafael Nadal vs Alexander Zverev Score

Nadal remained on course for a record-extending 14th French Open title and 22nd Grand Slam trophy as World No. 3 Zverev retired while trailing 7-6(8), 6-6.

The thrilling encounter had gone on for three hours and 13 minutes before the German hurt his right ankle in a rally.

Rafael Nadal vs Alexander Zverev Winner

With the win, Nadal improved to 7-3 against Zverev (5-1 on clay). The World No. 5 also advanced to his 14th final in Paris and 30th at Grand Slams. He also improved to 7-1 in matches played on his birthday.

He is also one step closer to completing the Australian Open-French Open double for the first time in his career.

Rafael Nadal vs Alexander Zverev Recap

Nadal was the first to blink as he committed back-to-back backhand errors to surrender an early break in the opener. The 13-time champion played catch-up until he broke back to draw level at 4-4.

Double faults started to hamper Zverev's game as the match progressed, but he managed to erase three set points at 5-4. The two traded holds to force a tie-break.

The German raced to a 6-2 lead, but the Spaniard reeled off five straight points capped off by a blistering forehand down-the-line winner to seize the initiative once again. Zverev held his nerve though, saving two more set points, but he couldn't take control of the tie-break.

Nadal produced a deft drop shot against the lanky German to earn a sixth set point which he converted with a forehand winner.

Rattled after losing the 98-minute opener, Zverev got broken to love at the start of the second set. Both players exchanged breaks from there until Zverev was finally able to hold in the fifth game and take a 3-2 lead. Three breaks followed in the next three games as the German built a 5-3 lead and served for the set.

However, he blinked at the wrong moment, coughing up three double faults in a game where he was also slapped with a warning for audible obscenity. Nadal followed up the break with a solid hold for 5-5.

Zverev managed to stay in the lead as he held serve in the 11th game, before disaster struck. With Nadal serving at 40-30, the German raced to his right to return the Spaniard's forehand, but crumpled in pain as he twisted his ankle and collapsed to the floor.

Nadal immediately crossed the net and approached Zverev with a concerned look on his face, before the German went off the court in a wheelchair, all but ending his French Open hopes. Zverev returned a few minutes later on crutches and shared a warm hug with Nadal before waving to the crowd, who gave him a standing ovation.

Zverev outdid Nadal in terms of winners (40-21), but also coughed up 47 errors to the Spaniard's 26.

Nadal will face either Marin Cilic or Casper Ruud in the final on Sunday.