French Open 2022: Rafael Nadal vs Alexander Zverev preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick
Match Details
Fixture: (5) Rafael Nadal vs (3) Alexander Zverev
Tournament: French Open 2022.
Date: June 3, 2022.
Round: Semifinals.
Venue: Paris, France.
Category: Grand Slam.
Surface: Outdoor clay.
Prize money: €21,256,800.
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel, NBC Sports and Peacock TV | Canada - TSN | UK - Eurosport | India - Sony Ten and Sony LIV.
Rafael Nadal vs Alexander Zverev preview
Fifth seed Rafael Nadal will square off against third seed Alexander Zverev in the semifinals of the French Open on Friday.
Nadal made a terrific start to the year, winning the Melbourne Summer Set, the Australian Open and the Mexican Open. However, a rib injury he picked up at Indian Wells caused him to miss the Monte-Carlo Masters and the Barcelona Open.
He returned to action at the Madrid Masters, where he was knocked out in the quarterfinals by Carlos Alcaraz. Nadal's chronic foot injury flared up at the Italian Open in his loss to Denis Shapovalov in the last 16, casting doubt over his French Open prospects.
But the Spaniard has looked in fine fine form in Paris. The fifth seed started the tournament with a straight-sets win over Jordan Thompson. He then beat Corentin Moutet and Botic van de Zandschulp in similar fashion.
Nadal found himself a set down against Felix Auger-Aliassime in the fourth round. However, he won the next two sets to take control of the match. The Canadian won the fourth set to push the match to a decider. Nadal earned the decisive break in the eighth game of the fifth set before holding his serve to book his place in the quarterfinals.
Against arch-rival Novak Djokovic in the last eight, Nadal started brilliantly by taking the opening set and going up a double break in the second. But the Serb bounced back and won the set 6-4. Nadal restored his lead by taking the third set 6-2. Djokovic was 5-2 up in the fourth set but the Spaniard fought back and eventually won it in a tie-break to reach the semifinals in Paris.
GIGANTIC NADAL!!
While he was not starting as a favorite, Rafa managed to transcend himself to win a titanic match against Novak Djokovic in 4 sets and reach a 15th semi-final in @rolandgarros! https://t.co/B6IxG9ntL4
Alexander Zverev, meanwhile, did not have a great start to the season but found his form during the European clay swing, where he reached the final of the Madrid Open and the semifinals of the Monte-Carlo Masters and the Italian Open.
The German has blown hot and cold at at the French Open so far. He beat Sebastian Ofner 6-2, 6-4, 6-4 in the opening round and then fought back from two sets down to defeat Sebastian Baez and seal his place in the third round.
Zverev got the better of Brandon Nakashima in straight sets before battling past Bernabe Zapata Miralles in the fourth round to set up a quarter-final clash with Carlos Alcaraz.
Zverev produced a fine performance to beat the Spaniard 6-4, 6-4, 4-6, 7-6(7). He avenged his defeat in the Madrid Open final and reached the semifinals of the French Open for the second straight year.
Su rival saldrá del cruce entre Djokovic y Nadal. 🤩
¡ZVEREV ELIMINÓ A ALCARAZ EN #ROLANDGARROS! 🔥💥
En un verdadero espectáculo tenístico, el alemán se impuso 6-4, 6-4, 4-6 y 7-6 (7) y es el primer semifinalista del cuadro masculino. 🤯
🔜 Su rival saldrá del cruce entre Djokovic y Nadal. 🤩 https://t.co/44biHw9s9k
Rafael Nadal vs Alexander Zverev head-to-head
This will be the 10th meeting between the two players, with Nadal leading the head-to-head 6-3. They locked horns twice last season, with Zverev winning 6-4, 6-4 in Madrid and the King of Clay gaining revenge in Rome.
Rafael Nadal vs Alexander Zverev odds
(All odds sourced from Oddschecker)
Rafael Nadal vs Alexander Zverev prediction
Rafael Nadal will head into the semifinals as the overwhelming favorite, but Alexander Zverev has shown that he can beat anybody on his day.
While Nadal's record on clay is unmatched, the German is no slouch on the surface either, winning 31 out of 39 matches since the start of 2021.
Nadal produced one of his finest performances this year to vanquish defending champion Novak Djokovic in the quarterfinals and will look to put in a repeat performance on Friday. The Spaniard's serve worked well, his backhand held up for the most part and his forehand was lethal as he wore down the Serb from the baseline.
Zverev also put in a fine effort against Alcaraz. He served brilliantly, winning 73% of his first-serve points. The German will need to be similarly potent on serve to keep Nadal at bay. The third seed will also have to stay aggressive from the back of the court and prevent Nadal from dictating the points with his forehand.
After ousting his arch-nemesis on Tuesday night, Nadal would have breathed a sigh of relief. But come Friday, the Spaniard will once again focus his attention on the job at hand and should be able to send Zverev packing.
Pick: Nadal to win in four sets.