Muristek
PARIS, June 1
Talks of an end to Rafael Nadal's reign proved premature once again as the claycourt king stayed on course for a record-extending men's 22nd Grand Slam title by beating arch-rival Novak Djokovic 6-2 4-6 6-2 7-6(4) in a vintage French Open quarterfinals clash on Tuesday.
The 13-time Roland Garros champion, beaten by the world No. 1 in the semifinals here last year, arrived in Paris on the back of two injuries that had hampered his preparations.
Having already survived a five-set thriller against Felix Auger Aliassime in the previous round, the Spaniard, who has only lost three times at the French Open since his first campaign in 2005, knows every inch of the immense court Philippe Chatrier and Djokovic paid for the reminder.
The Serbian is still stuck at 20 Grand Slam titles after being barred from taking part in the Australian Open by the local authorities over his refusal to get vaccinated against Covid ndash; a Major that Nadal won.
Nadal threw the punches and had defending champion Djokovic on the ropes in a high-octane start under the spotlights.
Djokovic fought back in an 88-minute second set but the 35-year-old Nadal found the resources to end it in four sets despite being a break down in the fourth and set up a semifinals meeting with German third seed Alexander Zverev. Zverev beat Carlos Alcaraz in four sets earlier.
"It's a very emotional moment for me. Thank you everyone. It's incredible, the support I get from you. Everyone knows how important it is for me to play here. It's the most important tournament of my career," Nadal said on court after the four-hour-12-minute tug of war.
"Very tough match. Djokovic is one of the best players in history. Playing against him is always a big challenge. Against him there's only one way to play ndash; at your best level from the first point to the last. And today was a magic night for me. Unexpected level from me," he added. — Reuters
Djokovic gulps down loss
Paris: World No. 1 Novak Djokovic said he was proud of the fight he put up in another vintage contest against his great rival Rafa Nadal, admitting he lost to a better player. Djokovic, the 35-year-old winner of 20 Grand Slam titles, conceded an early break to Nadal in each of the first three sets and had two set points in the fourth. But the Spaniard clinched the four-hour, 12-minute contest in the tie-breaker. "I gave my best," Djokovic said. "I know I could have played better. I'm proud of fighting and staying till the last shot. I lost to a better player today. Had my chances. Didn't use them. You know, over four hours' battle, and I have to accept this defeat." Reuters
9 Djokovic entered the quarterfinal on a nine-match win streak, winning 22 straight sets dating back to his ATP Masters 1000 triumph in Rome.
11 The Serb was also on an 11-match win streak at Roland Garros, matching his longest run in Paris (2016-17).
1 The quarterfinal was the first time in the Open era that a men's match has featured two men with at least 20 Grand Slam wins, 1,000 match wins or 300 Grand Slam match wins.
1 The Serbian's four-set comeback was the first time since 2014 in this rivalry that the player losing the first set came back to win.