“He would have beaten Nadal” Barbara Rittner believes Alexander Zverev had a real chance at winning the 2022 French Open
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Barbara Rittner and Alexander Zverev
World No. 3 Alexander Zverev was unfortunate to have his tendon ruptured during the semi-finals of the 2022 French Open against Rafael Nadal who eventually went on to win the title. Sascha and Rafa were playing a thrilling match on the Philippe-Chatrier with the two players headed to a second set tiebreaker with the clock having gone past the 3-hour mark.
However, on the game point that forced the tiebreaker, Zverev slipped and picked up the injury and it was the end of the match for him as he screamed in pain as the medical team rushed to his help. Zverev did come out from the locker room on crutches to thank the fans but was in no position to continue playing as he informed the chair umpire of his forfeit.
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“Alexander Zverev was the dominant player”: Barbara Rittner
It required a monumental effort from Nadal to win the first set that lasted for more than 90 minutes and Zverev had the upper hand in the second set as well but could not capitalise on it as Nadal found his way back into the set to force the tiebreaker that couldn’t be played. Former German pro and current captain of the German national team in the BJK Cup, Barbara Rittner was however confident that Sascha could have won the match had he not been injured.
“I had the feeling that if Sascha had won that second set, he would have beaten Nadal in four sets. He was just incredibly physically and mentally stable, and he determined certain rallies again and again. He was the dominant player. In this situation, he was closer to winning a Grand Slam than ever before, because you saw how clear it was in the final,” said Rittner speaking on Eurosport’s German Podcast Das Gelbe vom Ball.
The injury has now forced Zverev to undergo surgery that will see the German player miss the 2022 Wimbledon Championships and has put massive doubts on his chances to play in the 2022 US Open as well as he is set to remain on the sidelines for at least a 2-month spell with no specific date confirmed by the German’s camp.
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Sarthak Shitole
(3462 Articles Published)