Rafael Nadal

No. 2 Rafael Nadal clinched a spot in the Wimbledon 2022 quarterfinals after a 6-4, 6-3, 7-6 (6) win over No. 21 Botic van de Zandschulp.

Rafa rolls into the quarter-finals 💪

The Spaniard secures a straight sets victory over Botic van de Zandschulp 6-4, 6-2, 7-6(6)#Wimbledon | #CentreCourt100 | @RafaelNadal pic.twitter.com/Sq0SovkdoB

— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 4, 2022

With the win, Nadal improves to 18-0 in Grand Slams this year after already winning the Australian Open and French Open. It's also his third straight time reaching at least the quarterfinal of Wimbledon after falling short in his previous five appearances.

The latest win was another dominant performance for the Spanish star with 70 percent of service points in the match, including nine aces.

The 36-year-old finished with 29 winners and just 17 unforced errors across the three sets.

Van de Zandschulp was seeking his second career appearance in a Grand Slam quarterfinal, but his impressive run at the All England Club came to an end on Monday.

Despite Nadal's talent and momentum heading into the round, there was concern Van de Zandschulp's style of play would cause him problems:

https://twitter.com/hbryant42/status/1544014627683663874

After all, the Dutch player earned relatively easy wins over Feliciano Lopez and Richard Gasquet earlier in the tournament.

The first set showed why as Van de Zandschulp matched the superstar with no breaks through the first nine games. It took until the 10th game for Nadal to finally gain an advantage, breaking his opponent to win the set 6-4.

Vamos! 💥 @RafaelNadal snags the first set over van de Zandschulp, 6-4. #Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/zKZ1cOXQeM

— Tennis Channel (@TennisChannel) July 4, 2022

The second set was much easier for the favorite.

Nadal earned two breaks and finished 17-of-23 on service points on the way to a 6-2 romp. The No. 2 seed was cruising at this point.

Nadal is one Set away from the Quarter-Finals! 🔥

📺 Wimbledon | LIVE on 9Gem and Stan Sport.#9WWOS #Tennis #Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/kcLADUKEJK

— Wide World of Sports (@wwos) July 4, 2022

Nadal is playing... very well.

— José Morgado (@josemorgado) July 4, 2022

He’s hardly out of third gear here, but Rafael Nadal is a set away from the Wimbledon quarter-finals.

He takes the second set 6-2.

LIVE: https://t.co/EPlg4DEN85

— Standard Sport (@standardsport) July 4, 2022

Nadal is so great ... treat to watch him running after ball all over the court ... and keeping the opponent on toes 👍🏽

— Zubair Faisal Abbasi (@zubairabbasi) July 4, 2022

There were some bright spots for Van de Zandschulp in the third set, including his first break of the match:

Zandschulp goes from 40-love down to break Nadal’s serve in the first game of Set 3. Huge chance. He’s held serve well at times in this match, so he can fancy his chances in this set.

— Deji Faremi (@deejayfaremi) July 4, 2022

Nadal earned a break back in the next game, but he couldn't serve it out after going up 5-2. Van de Zandschulp won three straight games and eventually forced a tiebreak.

After Nadal got to triple match point in the tiebreak, Van de Zandschulp again fought back to even the tiebreak at 6-6.

It still wasn't enough to win a set, with Nadal getting the key points down the stretch to finish things off.

One incredible point. One @RafaelNadal. #Wimbledon | #CentreCourt100 pic.twitter.com/YpQxGtEB0v

— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 4, 2022

The aggressiveness paid off for the veteran, who finished 17-of-26 on net points while keeping his errors low. Even with some mistakes in third set, Nadal did enough to win in two hours and 21 minutes.

Nadal is now just three wins away from his third Wimbledon title and third Grand Slam of the year. Fans are also likely looking ahead to a dream final between him and No. 1 Novak Djokovic.

No. 11 seed Taylor Fritz stands in the way with a quarterfinal matchup against Nadal on Wednesday. The American has won four matches without dropping a single set, although he is yet to face a seeded player.

Rafael Nadal and Iga Swiatek continued their dominance in the second round of Wimbledon 2022 on Thursday.

Swiatek dropped a set, but she still came through with her 37th straight victory. Nadal overcame a rain delay to win his match and keep his hopes of a third straight Grand Slam alive.

Day 4 in London also saw Coco Gauff, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Paula Badosa cruise to victory while Karolina Pliskova and Diego Schwartzman were among the seeded players eliminated in Round 2.

Here is the latest from the All England Club.

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Notable Results

Men's Singles

No. 2 Rafael Nadal d. Ricardas Berankis 6-4, 6-4, 4-6, 6-3

No. 4 Stefanos Tsitsipas d. Jordan Thompson 6-2, 6-3, 7-5

No. 11 Taylor Fritz d. Alastair Gray 6-3, 7-6 (3), 6-3

Liam Broady d. No. 12 Diego Schwartzman 6-2, 4-6, 0-6, 7-6 (6), 6-1

Brandon Nakashima d. No. 13 Denis Shapovalov 6-2, 4-6, 6-1, 7-6 (6)

Daniel Elahi Galan d. No. 17 Robert Bautista Agut (walkover)

Nick Kyrgios d. No. 26 Filip Krajinovic 6-2, 6-3, 6-1

No. 29 Jenson Brooksby d. Benjamin Bonzi 7-6 (3), 7-6, 6-3

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Women's Singles

No. 1 Iga Swiatek d. Lesley Pattinama Kerkhove 6-4, 4-6, 6-3

No. 4 Paula Badosa d. Irina Bara 6-3, 6-2

Katie Boulter d. No. 6 Karolina Pliskova 3-6, 7-6 (4), 6-4

No. 8 Jessica Pegula d. Harriet Dart 4-6, 6-3, 6-1

No. 11 Coco Gauff d. Mihaela Buzarnescu 6-2, 6-3

No. 16 Simona Halep d. Kirsten Flipkens 7-6, 6-4

No. 13 Barbora Krejcikova d. Viktorija Golubic 6-3, 6-4

No. 17 Elana Rybakina d. Bianca Andreescu 6-4, 7-6 (5)

No. 20 Amanda Anisomova d. Lauren Davis 2-6, 6-3, 6-4

No. 25 Petra Kvitova d. Ana Bogdan 6-1, 7-6 (5)

Harmony Tan d. No. 32 Sara Sorribes Tormo 6-3, 6-4

Full results available at Wimbledon.com.

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The incredible run continues for Iga Swiatek after defeating Lesley Pattinama Kerkhove in a three-set battle on Thursday. The No. 1 seed has now won 37 consecutive matches, putting her in rare territory in women's tennis:

1997 | Hingis ✅
2022 | Swiatek ✅ @iga_swiatek becomes the first female in 2️⃣5️⃣ years to win 3️⃣7️⃣ successive matches. 🇵🇱

The 🔝 seed beat Lesley Pattinama Kerkhove 6-4 4-6 6-3. 👏 #Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/cPBoTBNdl8

— Live Tennis (@livetennis) June 30, 2022

Players to have won at least 37 singles matches in a row on the WTA Tour:

Navratilova (74, 58, 54, 41, 37)
Graf (66, 46, 45)
Court (57)
Evert (55, 41)
Hingis (37)
Swiatek (37)

— Gaspar Ribeiro Lança (@gasparlanca) June 30, 2022

The draw gets more difficult with Alize Cornet waiting in Round 3, but it will clearly be difficult for anyone to knock out Swiatek.

Rafael Nadal is also looking to make history after winning both the Australian Open and French Open to start the year. His hopes for a calendar Grand Slam took a step forward with a four-set win over Ricardas Berankis.

The 36-year-old showed impressive court coverage in Round 2, getting to seemingly every shot:

Vintage @RafaelNadal 🍷

Just when you think you've got him on the ropes...#Wimbledon | #CentreCourt100 pic.twitter.com/eMX2W2eYox

— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) June 30, 2022

He won 39 percent of receiving points and earned four breaks on the way to a strong performance.

Other top seeds still showed they will be threats in their respective draws.

No. 4 Stefanos Tsitsipas won 76 percent of his service points, including 84 percent on his first serve, on the way to a straight-set victory over Jordan Thompson. In the women's bracket, No. 4 Paula Badosa won in straight sets for the second round in a row while winning 73 percent of service points.

Coco Gauff had 10 aces and didn't face a single break point during her one-sided win over Mihaela Buzarnescu.

It was also a good day for American men, who have struggled in big events in recent years. There will be eight players from the United States in the Round of 32, with seeded players Taylor Fritz and Jenson Brooksby among those to watch.

Fritz came through with one of the best points of the day during his win over Alastair Gray:

Everyone thought the point was finished... apart from @Taylor_Fritz97!

Absolutely OUTSTANDING 😮 pic.twitter.com/2cxvbx53uW

— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) June 30, 2022

American Brandon Nakashima also turned heads with his upset win over No. 13 Denis Shapovalov.

No. 12 Diego Schwartzman was another upset victim, losing in five sets to Liam Broady. The Argentine won the third set with a bagel, but he couldn't keep it going as 61 unforced errors doomed him down the stretch.

Nick Kyrgios defeated No. 26 Filip Krajinovic, although it wasn't much of an upset based on his dominant showing. The former top-15 player had 24 aces to only one double fault in the straight-set victory.

"I just wanted to remind everyone that I'm pretty good," Kyrgios said after the match.

The biggest surprise of the day came in the women's bracket as Katie Boulter knocked out No. 6 Karolina Pliskova.

Centre Court rises for @katiecboulter ​🇬🇧​

The Brit has beaten last year's finalist, Karolina Pliskova, 3-6, 7-6(4), 6-4#Wimbledon | #CentreCourt100 pic.twitter.com/ihGLhsZQ5l

— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) June 30, 2022

Pliskova could have won the match in a second-set tiebreak, but she fell short and couldn't regain her momentum in the third set. It's the second-straight second-round exit at a Grand Slam for the 30-year-old after reaching the finals at Wimbledon last year.

For Boulter, the third round is already her best showing at a Grand Slam.

Friday represents the start of the third round at Wimbledon, with Novak Djokovic looking to continue his run against Miomir Kecmanovic.

Rafael Nadal told reporters in the lead-up to Wimbledon that treatment on a chronic foot injury has been effective of late (h/t ESPN's Tom Hamilton).

"The feeling and overall feelings are positive ... because I am in a positive way in terms of pain, and that's the main thing,"

Nadal, 36, has won a men's record 22 Grand Slam singles titles. He's won the first two majors this year in the Australian Open and French Open.

He's excelled this year despite suffering from Mueller-Weiss syndrome, a degenerative disease that causes foot pain, which forced him off the ATP Tour for five months in 2021.

Days have been better for Nadal of late as he manages the injury, although he said he can't be "super happy" right now with it being unknown how the ailment may affect him down the road.

Well, is obvious that if I am here, it's because things are going better. If not, I would not be here. So quite happy about the things, how evolved. I can't be super happy because I don't know what can happen.

First of all, I can walk normal most of the days, almost every single day. That's for me the main issue. When I wake up, I don't have this pain that I was having for the last year and a half, so quite happy about that. And second thing, practicing. I have been in overall better, honestly, no? Since the last two weeks, I didn't have not one day of these terrible days that I can't move at all. Of course, days better; days a little bit worse.

Nadal previously revealed that he needed pain-killing injections in his foot just to play in the French Open.

"That's why I was able to play." 💬💉

In a Eurosport exclusive, Rafa Nadal has revealed that medical injections meant he played the French Open final with no feeling in his foot!#RolandGarros | @RafaelNadal

— Cycling on TNT Sports (@cyclingontnt) June 5, 2022

Ultimately, the injury is something Nadal will have to deal with for the foreseeable future. At this point, it's a matter of whether the treatment can enable him to play tennis.

"I can't tell you if I going to be in that positive moment for one week, for two days, or for three months," Nadal said. "Of course, the treatment that I did, didn't fix my injury. Not improving my injury at all but can take out a little bit the pain. That's the main goal."

Nadal is halfway to a calendar-year Grand Slam right now. He'd be the first professional tennis player to do so since Steffi Graf accomplished the feat in 1988.

Serena Williams will be at the All England Club for the 2022 Wimbledon tournament, but she'll look to make her mark as an unseeded wild card.

The seedings for the men's and women's bracket were released Tuesday, and Williams expectedly failed to draw a seed after her yearlong absence from the sport. She has not played competitive tennis since withdrawing in the first round of last year's Wimbledon, causing her to fall to No. 1,223 in the world.

Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal sit as the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds, respectively, on the men's side of the bracket. Daniil Medvedev, the world's top-ranked player, is not eligible to compete at Wimbledon after the All England Club banned Russian and Belarusian players following Russia's military invasion of Ukraine. World No. 2 Alexander Zverev is dealing with an ankle injury and will not participate.

Wimbledon seedings are determined by official rankings.

Draws for the tournament will be held Friday, a day that could prove critical for Williams as she looks to get back into major championship form. Likewise, her wild-card status will likely cast fear into seeded opponents who will hope to avoid the 23-time Grand Slam winner in the early rounds.

By virtue of landing the top two seeds, Nadal and Djokovic would not meet until a potential matchup in the finals.

Nadal defeated Djokovic in the quarterfinals of the 2022 French Open on his way to winning a record-extending 14th title at Roland Garros. Djokovic was barred from the Australian Open over his COVID-19 vaccination status and lost in France, leaving him halfway through the Grand Slam schedule without a title.

With Nadal having won the first two majors of the season, he has a two-championship lead over Djokovic for the all-time record.

Rafael Nadal won his 14th French Open title and 22nd Grand slam title Sunday, but his status for Wimbledon will be determined by a chronic left foot injury that was so bad at Roland Garros that he played in the tournament with "no feeling" in the foot.

"I’m going to be at Wimbledon if my body is ready to be at Wimbledon," he told reporters Sunday. "Nobody wants to miss Wimbledon."

Nadal added that he played the French Open with an "injection on the nerve, so the foot was asleep" during his run to the title, which culminated with Sunday's 6-3, 6-3, 6-0 win over Casper Ruud in the final.

https://twitter.com/TennisPodcast/status/1533504760338436096

"As everyone knows in the world of tennis, my preparation was not ideal," he told reporters "Outside of the practice courts I was off the [ATP] Tour for one month and a half with a stress fracture in the rib, and then I have the foot that is something that stays there all the time."

Nadal has Mueller-Weiss syndrome, a degenerative condition that affects the bones in his feet. Last season, the condition cost him appearances at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open, and while he said Sunday that he plans to "keep fighting to try to keep going" in his career, it will come down to his health.

"We need to find a solution," he added. "I can't keep going the way that I am doing."

Through the pain, Nadal moved two Grand Slam titles clear of Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic on the all-time list, with the two men holding 20 apiece. The golden age of men's tennis has seen that trio win 62 of the last 75 Grand Slam titles, a remarkable run of dominance.

Nadal, meanwhile, has won 14 of the past 18 titles at Roland Garros. He's also won both Grand Slams this season, at the age of 36.

Given his injuries, nobody would blame Nadal if he rode into the sunset as arguably the greatest men's player in history. But body permitting, Nadal seems to have more fight in him.

Rafael Nadal overcame quite the disadvantage en route to his 14th French Open title.

Following his straight-set victory over Casper Ruud in Sunday's final, Nadal told Eurosport he "played with no feeling on the foot" after he got an injection to address his lingering foot injury.

"That's why I was able to play." 💬💉

In a Eurosport exclusive, Rafa Nadal has revealed that medical injections meant he played the French Open final with no feeling in his foot!#RolandGarros | @RafaelNadal

— Cycling on TNT Sports (@cyclingontnt) June 5, 2022

In May with the French Open on the horizon, the Spaniard acknowledged he was suffering from "a chronic injury which has no treatment." That raised obvious questions over his quest for yet another triumph at Roland Garros.

Then came the reveal of the draw, which laid out Nadal's arduous road to the final. He was drawn in the same quarter as Novak Djokovic and had a likely semifinal matchup with Alexander Zverev.

The 2022 French Open might go down as Nadal's most impressive win at the tournament. He survived a five-setter against Felix Auger-Aliassime before taking Djokovic down in four sets. He was up a set on Zverev when the German had to retire because of a foot injury.

Once Nadal got to the final, it was a fait accompli.

Rafael Nadal is 14-0 and never lost a French Open final in his 14 appearances, he's never even been pushed to a 5th set. pic.twitter.com/I1gK0MBrjX

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) June 5, 2022

Beyond just him fighting through the injury, Sunday's match felt more meaningful because the end might be on the horizon for Nadal. While the 36-year-old hasn't officially announced his retirement, he has been a bit cryptic of late:

Full answer.

"I have what I have there in the foot, so if we are not able to find an improvement or a small solution on that, then it's becoming super difficult for me, no. So that's it." pic.twitter.com/A7UTRXMQzD

— José Morgado (@josemorgado) June 1, 2022

Tennis is an unforgiving sport, one that often forces stars into retirement far earlier than Nadal—whenever he calls it quits.

By his own admission, there's nothing the southpaw can do to fully address his foot injury, and painkilling injections that leave his foot numb aren't a solution on which he can continually rely. At a certain point, he'll presumably want to walk away in order to preserve his health the best he can.

In the event Nadal doesn't make the trip to Paris in 2023, he will have had quite the coda to his legendary run at Roland Garros.

The King of Clay has done it again.

Rafael Nadal earned his 14th career French Open title with a 6-3, 6-3, 6-0 win Sunday over Casper Ruud in the men's singles final.

King of Clay x 14 👑@RafaelNadal remains undefeated in Paris finals, conquering Casper Ruud 6-3, 6-3, 6-0 for a 14th title#RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/GctcC17Ah8

— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) June 5, 2022

Nadal won the final 11 games to clinch the straight-sets victory.

No other player in men's tennis history has more than nine major titles at any single major location. The 36-year-old now has 22 career Grand Slam titles, two clear of Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer for the most all-time after winning back-to-back major tournaments.

Ruud was the first Norwegian to reach a Grand Slam final, but he couldn't keep up with Nadal during Sunday's championship at Roland Garros.

Nadal made it look easy in the first set, securing two breaks on the way to a 6-3 win. Though there were plenty of mistakes early, he kept hitting winners to shut down long rallies:

Rafa rocket ™️#RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/qSnYtiBkYk

— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) June 5, 2022

Chatrier + @RafaelNadal = 👇#RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/fmfvb0zXM2

— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) June 5, 2022

Neither player was immune to sloppy play throughout the match as each made nine unforced errors in the first set alone.

There have been some ugly shots early in this final

— Christopher Clarey 🇺🇸 🇫🇷 🇪🇸 (@christophclarey) June 5, 2022

The level here is...not their best.#RolandGarros

— Ben Rothenberg (@BenRothenberg) June 5, 2022

Nadal was broken to love during the second set, with his third double-fault putting him behind 3-1. Ruud still couldn't take advantage of the mistakes, and Nadal stormed back to win five straight games to take the set 6-3.

The return play was especially impressive as Nadal barely let anything past him:

He's everywhere 🏃‍♂️🏃‍♂️🏃‍♂️@RafaelNadal | @rolandgarros | #RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/7MtNP3p5eQ

— ATP Tour (@atptour) June 5, 2022

Nadal earned three straight breaks on the way to the second-set win.

The No. 5 seed continued the momentum with a third-set bagel to close out the victory in just two hours, 18 minutes. He won 55 percent of return points in the match, allowing zero aces while going 8-of-16 on break opportunities.

This was the first time Nadal had faced Ruud, who considers the Spanish star his childhood idol. The No. 8 seed trained at the Rafa Nadal Academy in Mallorca and was looking forward to this showdown.

"I guess this is perfect timing and it was worth the wait," he told reporters before the match. "To finally play him in a Grand Slam final will be a special moment for me."

The 23-year-old wasn't able to pull off the upset, but it will certainly be a memorable steppingstone for the up-and-comer who completed the best tournament of his career. It should make the world No. 8 a major threat in the sport.

Nadal remains nearly impossible to beat on this surface, however, and he is now halfway to a Grand Slam in 2022 after his win at the Australian Open. He has not confirmed if he will compete at Wimbledon later this month, but it might be tough to turn down after his hot start to the year.

Rafael Nadal has won the first two men's tennis majors for the first time in the same season.

Nadal captured his 14th French Open title Sunday with a win over first-time major finalist Casper Ruud at Roland Garros.

The 36-year-old Spaniard opened the season with an unexpected Australian Open triumph in which he battled back from two sets down to beat Daniil Medvedev in the championship match.

Nadal heads to Wimbledon as a 22-time Grand Slam champion in search of completing the third leg of the season-long Slam.

The grass in London has not been as kind to Nadal as the Paris clay. He has two Wimbledon titles, with the last one coming in 2010.

The same argument could have been made about Nadal going into the Australian Open. He had not won that tournament since 2009 before he defeated Medvedev.

Wimbledon has been dominated by Novak Djokovic since 2018. The 20-time major champion won the last three iterations of the event in 2018, 2019 and 2021.

Djokovic will be Nadal's biggest rival once again at a major, but the Serb should have the advantage if the two legends were to meet at Wimbledon.

Wimbledon Prediction

Rafael Nadal reached the semifinal stage at Wimbledon in his last two appearances at the English tournament.

Nadal lost to Novak Djokovic in five sets in 2018 and to Roger Federer in four sets in 2019. He did not play in the 2021 tournament.

Djokovic will be the biggest threat to Nadal's pursuit of the calendar Slam. The top-ranked player has not lost at Wimbledon since 2017.

Djokovic finds himself in a rare scenario in which he has not qualified for a major final in the first two majors of the season. He did not play in Australia and lost to Nadal in the French Open quarterfinals.

The No. 1 player in the world is a six-time Wimbledon champion, and he should enter the event as the favorite to win his seventh crown.

Nadal should hope that he resides on the opposite end of the bracket. That was not the case at the French Open, and the two legends were forced to meet earlier than usual at a major in the quarterfinal round.

The threat from the younger crop of players will not be as heavy as it usually is. Daniil Medvedev and Andrey Rublev are not participating in the tournament because of Wimbledon's ban on Russian and Belarusian athletes.

Alexander Zverev could be viewed as the biggest threat to Nadal and Djokovic. He advanced to the semifinal round in five majors since the start of 2019, including the French Open.

Zverev has not made it past the fourth round at Wimbledon. If he can get can past the first week without an upset, the German player could make a run at his first Grand Slam title.

Casper Ruud and Carlos Alcaraz were major threats in Paris, but they may not play as well at Wimbledon since clay is their best surface.

Stefanos Tsitsipas, Felix Auger Aliassime and 2021 Wimbledon finalist Matteo Berrettini are worth watching from the second tier of contenders, but until any of them beats Djokovic or Nadal, it will come down to the two best players in the draw.

As long as Nadal and Djokovic are not drawn in the same half, the Spaniard should make a deep run in London and potentially make his way into the final for another showdown with the Serb.

Prediction: Nadal advances to championship match.

No surprise here: Rafael Nadal has reached the men's singles final at the French Open and is well-positioned to win the tournament title. On Sunday, the 36-year-old Spaniard will have an opportunity to win the French Open for the 14th time. His 13 previous victories at the event all came from 2005 to 2020.

If Nadal isn't soon celebrating another title win at Stade Roland Garros, it'll be because of a huge upset. Not only is Nadal the most decorated men's tennis player of all time, having won a record 21 Grand Slam titles, but his final opponent is Casper Ruud, an inexperienced 23-year-old from Norway.

Ruud will be making his first appearance in a Grand Slam final. In his 13 prior showings at major tournaments, he had never made it past the fourth round. And he hadn't made it past the third round in his four previous French Open appearances.

Here's everything you need to know heading into Sunday's French Open men's singles final.

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Men's Singles Final Info

Date: Sunday, June 5

Start Time: 9 a.m. ET

TV: NBC

Live Stream: Peacock

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Nadal vs. Ruud Stats

Head-to-Head: No previous meetings

Season Record: Nadal 29-3; Ruud 24-9

Grand Slam Final Record: Nadal 21-8; Ruud 0-0

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Preview, Prediction

Let's start by taking a look back at how both Nadal and Ruud have made it to this point.

Nadal, the No. 5 seed in the tournament, faced some challenges in the top half of the bracket. However, it was clear from the start that his biggest test would be a probable quarterfinal matchup against Novak Djokovic, the defending French Open champion and No. 1 seed.

After winning each of his first three matches at Roland Garros in straight sets, Nadal pulled out a five-set victory over No. 9-seeded Felix Auger-Aliassime in the fourth round, setting the stage for a marquee matchup against Djokovic.

Although Djokovic played some competitive sets, that quarterfinal match didn't need to go the distance. Nadal won 6-2, 4-6, 6-2, 7-6 (7-4) to move on to the semis, where he would face No. 3-seeded Alexander Zverev.

It wasn't a sure thing that Nadal would beat Zverev, who continues to seek his first Grand Slam title. But an ankle injury prevented Zverev from making it past the second set, as Nadal led 7-6 (10-8), 6-6, before Zverev retired from the match.

Now, Nadal gets an opportunity to win yet another French Open title and extend his advantage on the all-time Grand Slam title leaderboard to two over Djokovic and Roger Federer.

Ruud knows he's going to face a huge challenge in going up against Nadal, especially on a clay court.

"I will need to play my best tennis ever," Ruud said, per Howard Fendrich of the Associated Press. "But I still have to believe that I can do it."

So far, Ruud has had an impressive showing at Roland Garros. Over the past four rounds, he's defeated three seeded players: No. 32 Lorenzo Sonego in the third round, No. 12 Hubert Hurkacz in the fourth and No. 20 Marin Cilic in the semifinals.

Ruud dropped the first set to Cilic before rallying back to win three straight for a 3-6, 6-4, 6-2, 6-2 victory. It was a huge win for Ruud, setting him up for the biggest match of his tennis career thus far.

Will Nadal win as expected? Or could Ruud pull off the upset in Paris?

The prediction here is that Nadal will cruise to a three-set victory. Ruud has played well, and he could be in store for a strong career. But he's not yet at a level capable of taking down Nadal, especially at the venue where Nadal has dominated for nearly two decades.

Nadal will pick up another French Open title. It could be his last, or he could be right back here again next year.

Prediction: Nadal wins in three straight sets

Alexander Zverev said initial evaluation of the injury that forced him to withdraw from Friday's French Open semifinal against Rafael Nadal revealed multiple torn ligaments in his foot.

"I am now on my way back home. Based on the first medical checks, it looks like I have torn several lateral ligaments in my right foot," Zverev wrote Saturday on Instagram. "I will be flying to Germany on Monday to make further examinations and to determine the best and quickest way for me to recover."

The tournament's No. 3 seed was giving Nadal, a 13-time French Open champion, everything he could handle through two sets. The 25-year-old German lost a first set tiebreak 10-8 and had forced another tiebreaker in the second set when the injury occurred.

Zverev dropped to the court after appearing to roll over on his ankle and immediately screamed in agony. He was taken off the court in a wheelchair and returned a short time later on crutches to confirm he needed to retire from the match:

Following an injury, Alexander Zverev returned to the court to a standing ovation and a special embrace with Rafael Nadal. #RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/3VPqOAD31x

— NBC Sports (@NBCSports) June 3, 2022

It was a disappointing end to the season's second Grand Slam for Zverev, who continues to seek his first major title. He did capture a gold medal at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics last summer for his most prominent championship to date.

Now the question is whether he will miss Wimbledon, which is scheduled to get underway June 27. He didn't provide a timetable for his return.

"I will try to keep you updated as much as possible on further developments," Zverev wrote.

While the third-ranked player in the ATP Tour rankings has reached at least the semifinals of the other three majors, he's never advanced beyond the fourth round on the grass courts of the All England Club.

He's appeared at every Grand Slam event since making his debut in 2014 US Open qualifying.

If further tests confirm a more extended absence, the remaining key dates on the 2022 tennis schedule are the U.S. Open on Aug. 22, Paris Masters on Oct. 28 and ATP Finals on Nov. 12.

Zverev is a two-time champion of the Tour Finals, winning the season-ending tournament in 2018 and 2021.