Rafael Nadal is through to the French Open final after Alexander Zverev suffered an ankle injury and was forced to withdraw from their semi-final match.
The contest was poised at 7-6 (10-8) 6-6 when Zverev went over on his ankle and immediately screamed out in pain.
The world No 3 then left the court using a wheelchair to receive a medical timeout, but was not able to continue and returned to shake hands with Nadal and inform the chair umpire of his retirement from the match.
“It’s very tough and I’m very sad for him,” Nadal said about Zverev on court. “He was having an unbelievable tournament and he’s a very good colleague on the Tour.
“I know how much he’s fighting to win a Grand Slam; in this moment he was very unlucky, and the only thing I’m sure of, is that he’s not just going to win one [Grand Slam] but more than one
“I wish him all the very best and very quick recovery.”
Alexander Zverev was matching the 13-time French Open champion on court
The first set alone between Zverev and Nadal took an hour and 38 minutes to complete and it was decided by a tie-break.
“It had been a super tough match, being over three hours and we hadn’t even finished the second set,” Nadal noted on court.
“It’s one of the biggest challenges on the Tour today, beating him [Zverev], when he’s playing at this level.
“It’s difficult to say a lot in this situation. Of course, for me, everybody knows being in the final of Roland Garros again is a dream, without a doubt.
“But, at the same time, for it to finish that way and to see him like that, is very tough.”
Nadal’s opponent in the final will be either Casper Ruud or Marin Cilic, with the two men taking to Court Philippe-Chatrier for their semi-final at 6pm BST.