WATCH: Nadal’s Opponent Wheeled Off the Court After Brutal Ankle Injury During Epic Semi-Final Match

The French Open ended in tragedy for Alex Zverev, who rolled his ankle while sliding on the clay court to hit a wide forehand during Friday’s semi-final against Rafael Nadal. 

Zverev was down a set after losing 8-10 in an epic first set tie-breaker and was about to play another tiebreaker for the second set before the horrific ankle roll.

The injury was caught on film and a slow-motion replay of the ankle roll shows just how severe the injury is. Tennis Channel’s Chandra Rubin noted when watching the replay viewers could see Zverev’s ankle going “all the way over.”

Zverev cried out in pain after it happened and was eventually wheeled off the court in a wheelchair. The 25-year-old German tennis star, currently ranked 3rd in the world, returned to the court on crutches to officially retire from the match.

The injury dashed Zverev’s hopes of reaching the French Open final for the first time, having reached the semi-finals both this year and in 2021.

Nadal received a walk-over and will return to the court on Sunday to play either Casper Ruud or Marin Cilic, who are playing the other semi later on Friday.

Nadal, currently ranked 5 in the world, is chasing history as he looks to add to his record 21 grand slam trophies and add another Roland Garros title to his record 13 titles at the event.