French Open 2022 LIVE: Protestor ties themselves to net as Casper Ruud sets up Rafael Nadal final

The French Open semi-final between Casper Ruud and Marin Cilic was interrupted by an environmental activist who tied themselves to the net on Court Philippe-Chatrier. Midway through the third set of the match, the protestor, who was wearing a white t-shirt displaying the message, ‘We have 1028 days left’ jumped onto the court and attached themselves to the net.

Security were slow to react to the situation and the players were taken off the court as the match was suspended. The individual was eventally removed from the net and after a delay of around 10 minutes, the players returned to the court. The organisation Dernière Rénovation claimed responsibility for the protest. In a post on Twitter, the group said a 22-year-old protestor called Alizée had entered the court “to draw attention to the climate emergency”.

Earlier, Alexander Zverev was forced to retire from his semi-final against Rafael Nadal after the German rolled his ankle and had to leave the court on a wheelchair. With the second set of the match heading for a tie-break after three pulsating hours on Court Philippe-Chatrier, Zverev went over his right ankle and was left screaming in agony after what looked to be a horrendous injury.

The 25-year-old, who was aiming to win his first grand slam final in Paris and was close to levelling the match against Nadal, returned to the court on crutches to shake hands with his opponent and the umpire as he retired from the semi-final.

It means Nadal is through to his 14th French Open final, but his thoughts were with his opponent after the match. “Very tough, very sad for him,” Nadal said. “He was playing an unbelievable tournament. He’s a very good colleague on the tour. I know how much he wants to win a grand slam. But he’s not just going to win one, he’s going to win more than one. I wish him all the best in his recovery.”

Nadal will play Ruud in the final after the 23-year-old become the first Norwegian player to reach a men’s grand slam final by dispatching Cilic in four sets.

Follow for live scores and updates from Roland Garros, below:

French Open: Latest scores and updates

• Brilliant Ruud sets up Nadal final after match resumes

• Protestor halts Ruud vs Cilic semi-final after attaching themselves to net

• Zverev retires from match after rolling ankle; Nadal through to final

• Zverev leaves court on wheelchair after fall at 5-6 in second set

• Nadal saves four set points to take opening tiebreak 10-8

• Coco Gauff through to French Open doubles final

• Hewett and Reid through to wheelchair doubles final

Ruud: 'Nadal has been my idol for all of my life’

21:27 , Jamie Braidwood

Ruud: “It was a great match from my side. I didn’t start the greatest but Marin played very well in the first set. I was playing too defensive but was able to break him in the second set and that got me going a little bit. After that I played some of my tennis this year, serving well, playing aggressive. So I’m super happy with the performance today.

“Marin is usually the one who is playing hard and fast. He was serving big, playing well and coming into the net so I figured I had to step it up and counter attack. It helped and worked out. I changed a little bit was also just raised my level.

“When I was younger I was too negative but I’ve also grown up a little bit. I’ve been looking up to Rafa, the player I’m going to play in the final. He never complains, he’s a perfect example of how I think you should behave on court: Never give up, never complain. He’s been my idol for all of my life.

“It’s an amazing final. He’s the last player of the big three that I haven’t played against. I guess it’s perfect timing and it was worth the wait. To play him in a grand slam final will be a special moment for me, and hopefully for him as well because he has played so many finals! At least he is playing a student of his academy this time so hopefully it’s going to be a fun one.”

French Open: Ruud 3-6 6-4 6-2 Cilic - Game, set and match!

21:17 , Jamie Braidwood

What a performance from Casper Ruud! The 23-year-old has just served it out on Philippe-Chatrier as if he has been playing grand slam semi-finals all his life.

He will play Rafael Nadal in Sunday’s final. It’s about as hard as it gets but the Norwegian, the first player from his country to reach a men’s grand slam final, will feel as if he has nothing to lose.

French Open: Ruud 3-6 6-4 5-1 Cilic

21:10 , Jamie Braidwood

Casper Ruud has certainly not been distracted by the protest. The 23-year-old is now steaming towards the French Open final after claiming a double break against Marin Cilic, who now looks as if he’d rather had stayed inside following the delay to play on Philippe-Chatrier.

Ruud is now just one game away from a place against Rafael Nadal in Sunday’s final.

Protestor interrupts semi-final after tying themselves to tennis net

21:05 , Jamie Braidwood

Statement from French campaign group Dernière Rénovation: “1028 days is what we have left to determine the future of humanity. Less than three years. The countdown began on March 28, 2022, the end of the ultimatum sent by Last Renovation to the government, and the date on which citizens entered into civil resistance. France has been condemned by its own courts for climate inaction. The future of this country is literally destroyed. To waste time is to perish.”

‘1028 days’ appears to be reference to the UN’s latest climate report, which gave a deadline of 2025 for the world’s emissions to peak in order to prevent disastrous climate change effects.

Protestor interrupts semi-final after tying themselves to tennis net

20:59 , Jamie Braidwood

Statement from the protestor, Alizée, 22:

“We are in 2022 and it is time to face reality, the world to which politicians are sending us is a world to which Roland Garros will no longer be able to exist.

“Today, I entered the field because I can no longer take the risk of doing nothing in the face of the climate emergency.”

French Open: Match resumes after climate emergency protest

20:35 , Jamie Braidwood

We’re back underway on Philippe-Chatrier. The protestor has been removed from the court.

Protestor interrupts semi-final after tying themselves to tennis net

20:34 , Jamie Braidwood

The French Open semi-final between Casper Ruud and Marin Cilic was interrupted by a protestor who tied themselves to the net on Court Philippe-Chatrier.

Midway through the third set of the match, the protestor, who was wearing a white t-shirt with a message written on the back in black pen, jumped onto the court and attached herself to the net.

Security were slow to react to the situation and the players were taken off the court as the match was suspended.

The individual was eventally removed from the net and after a delay of around 10 minutes, the players returned to the court.

The organisation Dernière Rénovation claimed responsibility for the protest.

Protestor interrupts French Open semi-final after tying themselves to tennis net

French Open - Protestor stops match

20:17 , Jamie Braidwood

Wow - another unexpected event on men’s semi-final day.

The match has been interrupted by a protestor at Philippe-Chatrier, who has appeared to have tied themselves to the net.

She was wearing a white t-shirt which seemed to have a message written on the back of it with black pen.

The match was been halted, and the TV cameras have cut away from the action.

French Open: Ruud 3-6 6-4 3-0 Cilic

20:05 , Jamie Braidwood

And there’s the double break from Rudd, who is pressing Cilic and making the Croatian’s life a misery. It comes as Ruud pulls a sensational backhand crosscourt pass out of the back of his pocket to wrap up the game, and surely the third set too.

French Open: Ruud 3-6 6-4 2-0 Cilic

19:55 , Jamie Braidwood

The momentum has turned out on Philippe Chatrier, as Ruud immediately breaks Cilic to start the third set. The Norwegian then cruises through his hold of serve and is playing some great tennis now on his first semi-final appearance at a grand slam.

French Open

19:43 , Jamie Braidwood

We have a match! Casper Ruud takes the second set 6-4 against Marin Cilic, and what a remarkable way to seal it.

Ruud was serving for the set at 5-4 but soon found himself 0-40 down. From there, however, he played five faultless points and sealed the set with a backhand winner down the line.

Game on!

French Open

19:05 , Jamie Braidwood

Marin Cilic has taken the opening set of the other semi-final 6-3 against Casper Ruud, who is playing in his first semi-final at a major.

The Croatian and former US Open champion is looking comfortable on Philippe-Chatrier, with Ruud perhaps experiencing some stage fright on the biggest match of his career so far.

Recap: Zverev retires from French Open semi-final with Nadal after shocking injury

19:01 , Jamie Braidwood

Alexander Zverev was forced to retire from his French Open semi-final against Rafael Nadal after the German rolled his ankle and had to leave the court on a wheelchair.

With the match heading for a tie-break after three pulsating hours on Court Philippe-Chatrier, Zverev went over his right ankle and was left screaming in agony after what looked to be a horrendous injury. Zverev returned to the court to shake hands with Nadal and the umpire as he retired from the match.

The German was trailing by a set at the time, with his ankle giving way as he attempted to return a forehand shot.

Nadal crossed the court quickly to offer any possible aid or comfort, though the medical team was also on hand within moments.

Zverev retires from French Open semi with Nadal after shocking injury

French Open

18:40 , Jamie Braidwood

Here’s more from Nadal’s on-court interview: “It was a super tough match, over three hours and we didn’t even finish the second set. It’s one of the biggest challenges on the tour today, to play against him when he is at this level. It’s difficult to say a lot of things in this situation. For me, to be in the final at Roland Garros is a dream, without a doubt.

“But at the same time, for it to finish that way... I was with Sascha in the small room before we came back out on court. To see him crying there is a very tough moment. All the best to him and his team.”

French Open

17:43 , Jamie Braidwood

The second set was not a classic, but that was a tense semi-final and Zverev showed during the first set that he had the game to damage Nadal and perhaps pull off the shock on Philippe-Chatrier. Had Zverev made it through to the second-set tiebreak and taken it, to level the match after more than three hours, he may even had been favoured to go on to win, perhaps in five sets.

But that was such a cruel way for it end amid emotional scenes at Roland Garros.

French Open

17:32 , Jamie Braidwood

In the middle of that, Nadal is through to the French Open final and has kept his hopes of winning a 14th title alive at Roland Garros.

But of course, all his thoughts are with Zverev after that shocking injury: “Very tough, very sad for him. He was playing an unbelievable tournament. He’s a very good colleague on the tour. I know how much he wants to win a grand slam. But he’s not just going to win one, he’s going to win more than one. I wish him all the best in his recovery.”

BREAKING: Zverev retires

17:20 , Jamie Braidwood

The match is over. Zverev returns to the court on crutches and shakes hands with Nadal.

What an awful way for the match to end.

*Nadal 7-6, 5-6 Zverev

17:10 , Jamie Braidwood

We’ve reached three hours of play, as Nadal finds himself with two game points to take this into a tiebreak...

Oh no! Zverev has taken a really bad fall here. He’s crying out in pain and is holding his right ankle.

They’ve called for a wheelchair - this match looks over.

Zverev has rolled his right ankle as he slid to return a forehand. I imagine there might have been a loud pop.

*Nadal 7-6, 5-6 Zverev

17:03 , Jamie Braidwood

Now, some quality. Nadal, fresh off his hold of serve, pings a winner into the corner to move 0-30 on the Zverev serve. But the German hits back, with a backhand down the line taking him to 30-30. A big serve up the middle is followed by a smash, and a roar, as he puts the pressure on Nadal to hold serve and force a second tiebreak.

Nadal 7-6, 5-5 Zverev* - Nadal holds

16:56 , Jamie Braidwood

Nadal picks an awful time to throw in his double fault of the match, as Zverev moves 0-30 and two points away from the set.

Nadal, remember, has still not held serve in this set and puts away a simple smash at the net to get back to 15-30. Zverev then hands Nadal a gift with a loose backhand that goes long.

Zverev blinks again with the overhead after Nadal scrambled to keep the point alive, hanging it up into the sky

A chance now for the elusive hold - and as he rushes into the net and puts away the backhand volley he takes it! We are level at 5-5!

As he raises his arms, has Nadal ever celebrated a hold of serve like that before?

*Nadal 7-6, 4-5 Zverev - Nadal breaks!

16:49 , Jamie Braidwood

Zverev yells out after double faulting on the first point of a crucial service game. The umpire gives him a warning, which sparks Zverev to approach him in anger. “I don’t not say that,” he insists. I think the umpire thought he swore in English.

He reacts put winning the next couple of points, but another double fault from Zverev brings up a nervy point at 30-30. The next second serve trundles over the net and Nadal attacks, as Zverev drifts a shot long.

Break point Nadal - and would you believe it, another double fault from the World No 1 chucks the service game away. You can’t really afford three double faults in any match at any level, let alone as you are serving for the second set of a grand slam semi-final.

Nadal 7-6, 3-5 Zverev* - Zverev breaks!

16:44 , Jamie Braidwood

Unbelievable. At 30-30 and with Nadal scampering around the court as if he’s rediscovered his energy, the Spaniard misses on a simple overhead and then nets on a forehand. A remarkable series of errors from Nadal.

Another break from Zverev and he is now a hold of serve away from the second set.

*Nadal 7-6, 3-4 Zverev - Nadal breaks!

16:37 , Jamie Braidwood

Ok, nope, don’t ever get ahead of yourself. From a position of relative comfort in this second set and Nadal on the ropes, Zverev wobbles and throws in a double fault on break point. It brings Nadal back into it, just, but this is turning out to be a proper slog.

Now, can Nadal hold serve for the first time since 6-5 in the opener? That was about one hour and 10 minutes ago.

Nadal 7-6, 2-4 Zverev* - Zverev breaks!

16:34 , Jamie Braidwood

More tension, more anxiety, but you can say with a little more assurance now that Nadal’s level has slipped quite a bit in this second set. Zverev breaks his serve for the third time in this set and crucially, after his hold of serve, it moves him 4-2 ahead.

We’ve played a set and a half in two and a half hours.

*Nadal 7-6, 2-3 Zverev - Zverev holds!

16:18 , Jamie Braidwood

It seems we’re back in the Nadal-Djokovic twilight pendulum zone where you can’t allow yourself to get even two points ahead of yourself. Zverev marched into a 30-0 and it looked as if Nadal was struggling. Then Zverev chucks a couple of forehands long and Nadal finds himself with break point at 30-40.

Zverev saves it, crushing a backhand pass onto the line. He steps it up on the first serve but then clips the net with a forehand as the game swings back to deuce. Nadal brings his opponent in with a drop shot but a sliding Zverev connects with the passing winner. But then Zverev nets and anxiety goes on.

An ace and then backhand winner Zverev seals the hold in a blink of an eye, breaking the streak of four games without one. But don’t get too ahead of yourself.

Nadal 7-6, 2-2 Zverev* - Zverev breaks back!

16:11 , Jamie Braidwood

What is going on in this set! After a scrappy first few points Nadal misses with the forehand crosscourt and Zverev finds himself with two more break points. He can’t switch it back on, and another forehand miss sees Zverev break straight back.

*Nadal 7-6, 2-1 Zverev - Nadal breaks!

16:04 , Jamie Braidwood

Nadal wins his fifth and then sixth points in a row on Zverev’s serve to quickly move to 0-30, before Zverev responds and then lands a stunning forehand winner onto the corner to get level at 30-30.

Zverev then plays a loose one on his backhand side, but saves the break point after Nadal sets up the forehand smash cross court.

Deuce, but Nadal quickly gets another break point as Zverev goes for the serve and volley but chucks it into the net after Nadal went for his feet.

And what an incredible rally that was! Both players hanging on, slugging it into the corners, keeping it in play. 44 shots later Zverev goes for the crosscourt with his backhand, but it drops an inch wide!

Amazing. Nadal breaks again.

Nadal 7-6, 1-1 Zverev* - Zverev breaks back!

15:57 , Jamie Braidwood

Super touch at the net from Nadal moves him to 40-15 and seemingly sailing towards the hold, but an error at the net and then an errant forehand down the line gets Zverev back into it.

Out of nowhere, Zverev finds himself with a break point as Nadal clips the net and sees his forehand drop wide. And Zverev gets it! A frantic exchange at the net ends with Zverev putting the forehand smash into Nadal’s feet!

Wow, that turned so quickly.

*Nadal 7-6, 1-0 Zverev - Nadal breaks!

15:48 , Jamie Braidwood

Nadal produces a couple of brilliant angles to take the opening two points with a drop shot and then volley, almost catching Zverev by surprise with the change up.

Zverev’s head must have dropped and after he goes long on the next point, he suddenly finds himself 0-40 on his opening service game.

And there it is, just like that Zverev goes long again and Nadal strikes early in the second.

Nadal 7-6 Zverev

15:45 , Jamie Braidwood

What an extraordinary set of tennis. Zverev was a break up, playing superbly well, then had four set points in the tiebreak, but Nadal has pulled off an incredible robbery and leads after 91 gruelling minutes.

Both players have taken a break after that. Zverev will be struggling to understand how he is not a set up but his level slipped at some crucial points, while Nadal found his best stuff from 2-6 down.

This could be a long one, we’re back underway.

Nadal 7-6 Zverev - Nadal wins the opening set!

15:39 , Jamie Braidwood

Magic from Nadal! Another flying forehand winner from the Spaniard, whipping a brilliant pass down the line!

It’s his set point now, but Zverev hangs on after catching the baseline with a deep backhand. The crowd thought it was out as Nadal’s pick-up drifts out.

7-7 now, as both players keep it cautious, only for Zverev to drop a backhand into the net!

Set point Nadal, and on serve. But no! He had a chance after stepping into the court but tried to do too much with the backhand across court, as he pushes it wide!

8-8, as we reach 1 hour 30 minutes for this opening set! Nadal brings Zverev in with the drop shot but the pass from the German is tame and Nadal wins the point as Zverev can’t return on the volley.

Set point, again, and there it is! Zverev leaves Nadal the narrowest of corridors after stepping into the net, and Nadal plays a sublime winner down the line to take the opening set.

What a remarkable opener - how has Nadal won that??

Nadal 6-6 Zverev

15:32 , Jamie Braidwood

Huge hitting from Zverev as he surges into a 5-2 lead, putting Nadal under massive pressure on his serve. But Zverev steps it up again, back to the levels he was setting earlier in the match, as he crushes the groundstrokes deep to pin Nadal back, before unloading into the corner.

The first of four set points is saved by Nadal with an ace out wide, before Zverev goes long as he tried to close it out with a serve and volley! The serve was perfect but not for the first time, the volley let him down!

And that is why you can’t count Nadal out! It’s the shot of the match so far! Zverev must have thought he’d won the set after playing a brilliant point and forcing Nadal running, but he picked up the forehand on the stretch to unleash the passing winner across court! Sensational.

Back on Nadal’s serve now. And how did Nadal win that point! The drop shot was good but Zverev reached it, before putting a ball into the corner. Nadal scrambled back to find the lob, as Zverev goes wide on the backhand smash!

Nadal has saved four set points and it’s 6-6 in the tiebreak!

Nadal 6-6 Zverev

15:22 , Jamie Braidwood

Nadal has Zverev chasing on the opening point and the German goes long as he digs out a backhand from behind the baseline, only for Zverev to respond immediately with a unreturnable serve out wide. 1-1

Zverev then goes long under little pressure with his forehand, but Nadal can’t take advantage as he clips a forehand into the net. 2-2

Zverev gets away with one after Nadal rushes into the net. There was space either side of Nadal but his passing shot was straight at Nadal, who puts the forehad wide.

And Zverev heads into the change of ends 4-2 up after stepping up the power and forcing Nadal wide!

Nadal 6-6 Zverev

15:19 , Jamie Braidwood

Excellent from Zverev to go from being on the back foot to attacking Nadal with a deep ball at his feet, followed by a forehand which Nadal can’t return. A strong first serve results in a ace down the middle as he inches away from another out wide.

It looks like we’re heading for a simple hold but a backhand from Zverev into the net is followed by a double fault - his fourth of the set. Zverev then gets away with it as he clips the net, leaving Nadal unable to reach the ball as it drops on his side of the court.

Tiebreak time!

Nadal 6-5 Zverev*

15:15 , Jamie Braidwood

Nadal faces a pressure point on a second serve but Zverev shovels the return into the net. He would want that back. The German then blinks again on a forehand and Nadal is able to escape with his hold after saving two break points.

Nadal 5-5 Zverev*

15:13 , Jamie Braidwood

Zverev finds his level from the first seven games as he goes on the attack, first stepping into a short ball from Nadal to put away a winner and then outlasting him from the baseline with a brutal display of power.

Nadal reponds with a delicate drop shot that Zverev is unable to reach before the double bounce. Nadal then repeats the trick and although Zverev can reach it this time, he steers the volley wide.

It gets tense between both players, who exchange short balls through the middle of the court, before Zverev changes it up with a backhand winner that catches the line! Brilliant angle.

It sets up break point, but Nadal survives with an excellent serve out wide as Zverev sees the return drift long. Zverev keeps the pressure up, as he again wins the long point and gets the winner with an unstoppable inside out forehand winner.

Nadal returns to the serve and volley and is able to drop it beyond Zverev at the net! Another long game, and we go on.

Nadal 5-5 Zverev*

15:12 , Jamie Braidwood

Zverev finds his level from the first seven games as he goes on the attack, first stepping into a short ball from Nadal to put away a winner and then outlasting him from the baseline with a brutal display of power.

Nadal reponds with a delicate drop shot that Zverev is unable to reach before the double bounce. Nadal then repeats the trick and although Zverev can reach it this time, he steers the volley wide.

It gets tense between both players, who exchange short balls through the middle of the court, before Zverev changes it up with a backhand winner that catches the line! Brilliant angle.

It sets up break point, but Nadal survives with an excellent serve out wide as Zverev sees the return drift long. Zverev keeps the pressure up, as he again wins the long point and gets the winner with an unstoppable inside out forehand winner.

Nadal returns to the serve and volley and is able to drop it beyond Zverev at the net! Another long game, and we go on.

*Nadal 5-5 Zverev - Zverev holds

15:05 , Jamie Braidwood

Another error from Zverev brings up a third set point! Nadal was racing around the court as Zverev again tried to play on the front foot but the groundstrokes are not landing with the same accuracy as he pushes one wide.

Zverev gets out of it again with his biggest serve of the match so far, using the one-two punch to put away the forehand winner across court.

Another bomb, this time down the middle, is flicked into the net by a stretching Nadal. It would be quite the hold to get out of this. And we go on! Zverev had the chance to step into the net but he looked awkward trying to adjust to the volleu and nets again!

Back to deuce, and another volley error from Zverev! He clips the net cord with a simple smash but he gets away with it as Nadal goes long! And there’s the hold! My goodness that was tense game of errors, but Zverev produces a brilliant serve out wide and then finishes it with a deft volley at the net.

That was tough but Zverev gets through it, after I think 13 or 14 minutes.

Nadal 5-4 Zverev*

14:55 , Jamie Braidwood

Zverev’s first-serve percentage has dropped and Nadal is now able to step into the court more frequently. He moves around a backhand to send a forehand down the line that Zverev can’t return, to put the German under pressure at 30-30. Zverev responds with a winner out wide, but his second double fault brings up another deuce!

Zverev comes into the net and brings in Nadal with a dropped volley, before putting away the smash. He then rather frames a forehand as Nadal upped the pressure with a deep shot into the corner. Zverev then can’t put Nadal away with a forehand, with the Spaniard stranded on the edge of the court, before he nets!

Set point Nadal! But Zverev finds the first serve out wide and Nada; nets. It’s such a big weapon, and Nadal nets again on the opposite side after Zverev pushed him deep.

Oh, tension. Zverev wheels away in frustration after his second double fault of the game. Zverev then has Nadal right where he wanted him as he came into the net, but put the volley long!

Second set point! But again, Zverev lands a big one out wide and this time makes no mistake with the volley as he smacks it away.

Nadal 5-4 Zverev*

14:50 , Jamie Braidwood

A penny for Zverev’s thoughts right now. After a near faultless first seven games his first errors of the match are punished as Nadal breaks back. Two strong serves from Nadal gets him out of a tense moment at 30-30 as Zverev fails to return on both occasions.

Now, can Zverev get his aggression back?

*Nadal 4-4 Zverev - Nadal breaks!

14:41 , Jamie Braidwood

Zverev hasn’t put a foot wrong so far but after taking the first point of his next service game a floated drop shot is ill-advised. Nadal puts away the backhand pass and then Zverev falters with a error on his backhand side. That raises the noise inside Philippe-Chatrier as the crowd recognise a chance, but Zverev steadies with two first serves- the first finishes with a planted volley and the second an ace down the middle. But Nadal keeps the pressure on, as Zverev swings at a forehand that drifts long.

Our first deuce of the match! Oh my. Zverev has barely had a second serve to make so far but he double faults to bring up break point! Oh and this was a chance. Zverev went short after a tense rally but Nadal nets on the forehand after stepping inside the court!

Drama! Zverev found his first serve but then makes a horrible error as he put a smash volley a good 10 feet wide! His racquet flew out of his hand. On the next break point, Nadal picks up a clever angle and Zverev blinks on the backhand crosscourt! Out of nowhere, Nadal breaks!

Nadal 3-4 Zverev*

14:36 , Jamie Braidwood

Nadal plays his shot of the match so far with a wonderful backhand pass to move 30-0 up on his serve. The slice worked for him there and had more of an angle to it to disrupt the Zverev power. He then comes into the net and drops the volley with a lovely touch of backspin. Zverev sends a forehand down the line a inch or two wide as Nadal replies with a hold of love of his own.

*Nadal 2-4 Zverev

14:33 , Jamie Braidwood

Zverev generates a mighty bounce on an opening ace down the middle, before he switches for a wide serve followed by backhand winner down the line. Nadal is again forced wide but hangs on, only for Zverev to run across and unleash a brilliant backhand winner down the line - that was even better than the last.

And that is a perfect hold of serve, as Zverev connects with a forehand winner across court. That took just 82 seconds. Two more of them and he will be a set up.

Nadal 2-3 Zverev*

14:29 , Jamie Braidwood

“Come on,” Nadal mutters as he sends an ace down the T, after playing his first drop shot of the match on the opening point. Zverev is winning the longer rallies, though, as he forces Nadal to chase from side to side and then sees him net. Nadal goes back to the wide serve which is working on Zverev. The German nets and then goes long as Nadal moves on with a quick hold.

*Nadal 1-3 Zverev

14:26 , Jamie Braidwood

Zverev comes into the net for the first time and calmly puts away the backhand volley at the second attempt. That big serve of his quickly moves him to 30-0 and Nadal, who is struggling for answers at the moment, sees a backhand drift long after intense Zverev pressure.

Nadal comes up with the angle on Zverev’s next serve to force the error into the net and the German then goes long, but he takes the hold with a well-placed serve out wide to Nadal’s backhand.

Nadal 1-2 Zverev*

14:20 , Jamie Braidwood

Nadal slices again on the opening point of his service game before Zverev wraps his arm around another forehand winner.

Nadal replies with a strong serve up the middle of the court but another short ball from the Spaniard is lapped up by Zverev, who steps up to the ball and crushes another winner, this time on the backhand side.

Nadal opens up the angle and moves Zverev around on the next point to get back to 30-30 and Zverev would want his next two returns back as he nets on the forehand and then backhand sides.

*Nadal 0-2 Zverev

14:15 , Jamie Braidwood

Such power from Zverev. Nadal nets on his first return before Zverev powers a winner down the line. The 25-year-old then smacks down his first ace to race to 40-0.

A couple of errors from Zverev get Nadal back into it, but he steps into a short ball from Nadal to unleash a forehand crosscourt winner that Nadal can’t reach.

Nadal 0-1 Zverev* - Zverev breaks!

14:12 , Jamie Braidwood

What a start for the German! Zverev immediately went on the attack on his groundstrokes, undeterred by dropping the first couple of points after clipping the net, and pulls himself back to 30-30.

Nadal, having to slice to slow Zverev down, then nets on a backhand to hand the German an early break point. Zverev had to hang on in the point after Nadal forced him wide, before the Spaniard went long. Who saw that coming?

*denotes next server

Nadal vs Zverev

14:06 , Jamie Braidwood

Here we GO! Both players are out on court as birthday boy Nadal is greeted by what is essentially his home crowd on Philippe-Chatrier.

Oh and that indoor record mentioned previously in the Nadal vs Zverev head-to-head stats? That’s relevant today because the roof is closed on Philppe-Chatier.

It’s a horrid day in Paris and with the roof shut, that could lead to different conditions for today’s match and could suit the German.

Nadal will serve first.

Nadal vs Zverev: Head to head

14:02 , Jamie Braidwood

Overall record: Nadal 6-3 Zverev

Last meeting: Rome, 2021 - Nadal 6-3 6-4 Zverev

Clay record: Nadal 4-1 Zverev

Indoor record: Zverev 2-0 Nadal

Alexander Zverev: French Open so far

14:01 , Jamie Braidwood

1st round: 6-2 6-4 6-4 vs Sebastian Ofner

2nd round: 2-6 4-6 6-1 6-2 7-5 vs Sebastian Baez

3rd round: 7-6(2) 6-3 7-6(5) vs Brandon Nakashima

4th round: 7-6(11) 7-5 6-3 vs Bernabe Zapata Miralles

Quarter-final: 6-4 6-4 4-6 7-6(7) vs Carlos Alcaraz

Rafael Nadal: French Open so far

14:00 , Jamie Braidwood

1st round: 6-2 6-2 6-2 vs Jordan Thompson

2nd round: 6-3 6-1 6-4 vs Corentin Moutet

3rd round: 6-3 6-2 6-4 vs Botic van de Zandschulp

4th round: 3-6 6-3 6-2 3-6 6-3 vs Felix Auger-Aliassime

Quarter-final: 6-2 4-6 6-2 7-6(5) vs Novak Djokovic

How to watch the French Open online and on TV

13:55 , Jamie Braidwood

You can catch live action from Roland Garros on Eurosport 1 - Sky channel 410, BT 435, Virgin 521. Coverage starts from 10.30am, with Eurosport 2 (Sky 411, BT 436, Virgin 522).

You can also live stream the action on Discovery+, a subscription is £6.99 per month or £59.99 annually on Sky, Amazon Prime Video channels, Roku and Vodafone. With the app available on the following devices: LG Smart TV, Samsung Smart TVs and Amazon Fire TV.

Hewett and Reid through to wheelchair doubles final

13:45 , Jamie Braidwood

Alfie Hewett and Gordon Reid are through to their 10th consecutive grand slam final in the wheelchair doubles after defeating the Spanish pair Daniel Caverzaschi and Martin De La Puente 6-3 3-6 1-0 (10-8) this morning.

Hewett and Reid have won the past nine grand slam titles and they can continue their extraordinary run when they face Gustavo Fernandez and Shingo Kunieda in the final.

Hewett saw the defence of his French Open singles title came to an end against Fernandez 6-1 6-1 in what was a heavy defeat on Thursday.

Coco Gauff through to French Open doubles final

13:35 , Jamie Braidwood

The prospect of a French Open double remains alive for Coco Gauff.

After defeating Martina Trevisan on Thursday to set up a singles final against Iga Swiatek, the 18-year-old partnered up with Jessica Pegula to reach the doubles final with a 6-4, 7-6(4) victory over Taylor Townsend and Madison Keys in an all-American semi-final earlier today.

While Gauff will play in her first singles final tomorrow against Swiatek, she reached the US Open doubles final last season.

Barbora Krejcikova pulled off the French Open double last season after winning both titles.

Zverev confident of taking down Nadal after beating Alcaraz

13:25 , Jamie Braidwood

Zverev on the challenge of beating Nadal at the French Open: “There is a reason why they are the best in the world at Grand Slams. [Nadal] has 21. They are top of the game for the past 15, 20 years, and there is a big reason for that.

“At the end, yes, I have not beaten [one of tennis’ big three] in majors, but I feel like I was very close. I feel like I have had very difficult and tough matches against them.

“But there is a big difference between having a tough match and beating them. Still a major difference. So hopefully I can manage and take this win today and put it on the court on Friday.”

Zverev ‘at the stage where I want to win'

13:15 , Jamie Braidwood

Alexander Zverev, speaking after defeating Carlos Alcaraz to reach the French Open semi-finals: “At the end of the day, I said a lot of times, I’m not 20 or 21 years old anymore; I’m 25. I am at the stage where I want to win, I’m at the stage where I’m supposed to win, as well.

“We still have the best players in the world playing with Novak, Rafa, and Roger is coming back. I’m not sure at the age of 41 if he is going to win Grand Slams again but obviously you have to mention him. Then you have the new generation. But I think our generation is very strong as well. We have Tsitsipas, Medvedev who is a US Open champion. I mean, me, I won big events like the Olympics, as well.

“I think tennis is at quite a high level right now, men’s tennis, and I think that you have the mix of the best in the world like Rafa and Novak and Roger, if he comes back, but you have to name the mix of the newer generation as well who are a threat to them, I think.”

Nadal faces ‘mental challenge’ against Zverev

13:05 , Jamie Braidwood

Tim Henman believes Rafael Nadal’s biggest challenge against Alexander Zverev at the French Open will be mental rather than physical.

Nadal shrugged off a chronic foot injury to beat arch-rival, defending champion and world number one Novak Djokovic in four gruelling sets on Tuesday night.

The Spaniard, who turns 36 on Friday, faces another huge test of his fitness when he takes on 25-year-old world number three Zverev in the semi-final.

But Eurosport pundit and former British number one Henman said: “Rafa’s physicality is unbelievable.

“Let’s wind the clock back to when we saw him walking off the court having lost to Denis Shapovalov and he was limping in Rome. Then 10 days later he’s in this tournament playing incredible tennis, he had to really pull it out of the bag against (Felix) Auger-Aliassime to go the five sets.

“We know he’s not getting any younger, but then to recover and to go up against Djokovic – one of his greatest rivals, the number one player in the world – and put in a performance like that, not only the quality of the tennis but his attitude, the physicality for four hours and 12 minutes, it’s incredible.”

More here:

Rafael Nadal faces ‘mental challenge’ against Alexander Zverev at French Open

Nadal reiterates French Open could be his last

13:00 , Jamie Braidwood

Ahead of today’s match, Rafael Nadal suggested that this year’s French Open could be his last, with injury continuing to plague the former world No 1 despite his scintillating quarter-final victory over Novak Djokovic.

Nadal has lifted the men’s singles trophy 13 times at Roland Garros, making him the most successful player in the history of the tournament. No player has won that many titles at any of the other Grand Slams, and Nadal holds more major trophies than any men’s player (21).

The Spaniard moved a step closer to a 14th French Open trophy by seeing off rival Djokovic on Tuesday, defeating the world No 1 in four sets in a late finish on Court Philippe-Chatrier.

Each step is becoming increasingly difficult for Nadal, however, as he continues to battle a chronic foot injury.

Rafael Nadal reiterates French Open could be his last after beating Novak Djokovic