Rafael Nadal's ice-cold stare after winning first set vs Zverev thanks to ridiculous winner

The penultimate round of the French Open on Friday was about as eventful as it gets.

The semi-final between Casper Ruud and Marin Cilic was headlined by a win for the eighth seed Norwegian, but the action was disturbed by a climate protestor, who chained herself to the net before being forcibly removed.

The alternate fixture was no different, and although short-lived, a competitive matchup kept the game tight all the way until its untimely end.

Rafael Nadal was, as usual, on fire in the semi-final, but his stare after taking the first set over Alexander Zverev was absolutely cold blooded.

His shot narrowly escaped the swing of his German counterpart, handing Nadal the first set 7-6.

He followed up his shot in the only acceptable way – with a piercing stare towards the camera, his eyes glaring from beneath his bandana, and no doubt putting fear into the hearts of any fans watching the broadcast.

That said, however, Zverev’s game was not affected, as he fought hard in the second set to keep Nadal on his toes.

Unfortunately for viewers, the action was brought to an end far ahead of schedule after Zverev suffered a gut-wrenching injury with the second set headed for a tiebreak.

An occurrence for which Nadal exchanged his icy gaze for that of a concerned frown, as he came to his opponent’s aide.

The brutal injury sees Nadal through to the final – his 14th at Roland Garros, and a match in which he is unbeaten through his career.

Although no doubt the favourite to win it all, his opponent Ruud secured a promising victory, by a scoreline of 3-6, 6-4, 6-2, 6-2.

Not to mention he will have plenty enough motivation himself entering Sunday, as the 23-year-old becomes the first Norwegian to reach a Grand Slam final and will be keen