French Open 2021 – Novak Djokovic serves up one of his best-ever matches to oust Rafael Nadal in semis stunner. For the 58th occasion in the Open history, the Spanish bullfighter matched up against the Serbian Dream in a rematch of the 2020 French Open final, where Nadal got the best of Djokovic. This rivalry has also been challenging, with Djokovic having a slight gain over Nadal, and it all may be leveled with the match tonight.
Novak Djokovic beat King of Clay Rafael Nadal. 3-6, 6-3, 7-6, 6-2 in one of the most remarkable matchups we’ve seen in the last decade. At Roland Garros, he ended the King’s rule for the third time in his career.
As most of you are aware, Nadal’s failure in Paris is quite unusual. Rafa was 26-0 when he reached the Roland Garros quarterfinals, as per his 105-3 lifetime record on the Paris clay. To date, Djokovic is the only player to have defeated Nadal twice at this competition. That is an accomplishment in and of itself.
Before the Match Comments:
Nadal: “It’s always a big challenge. [The] best thing is you know that you need to play your best tennis. It’s a match that you know what you have to do if you really want to have chances to succeed and to keep going on [in] the tournament. That’s good because in some ways we are practicing [and] we are living the sport for these moments… The negative thing [is that] it’s difficult because you play against one of the best players in the [sport’s] history.”
Djokovic: “It’s not like any other match. Let’s face it; it’s the biggest challenge that you can have: playing on clay against Nadal, on this court on which he has had so much success in his career, in the final stages of a Grand Slam. It doesn’t get bigger than that. Of course, each time we face each other, there’s that extra tension and expectations. [The] vibes are different walking on the court with him. But that’s why our rivalry has been historical, I think, for this sport. I’ve been privileged to play him so many times.”
The third set was of particular importance as both men showed the level of Tennis never seen before in their prior meetings as they threw themselves to the extremes of each other.
Rafa became increasingly tired as the set progressed. Djokovic effortlessly held serve a little laid back after that; he was nearly untouchable on serve. Nadal had nothing left in the tank as his whole body giving out on him. Djokovic seemed in his comfort zone till the very end and maintained his game throughout the night.
References:
Sportstar. “French Open 2021, Rafael Nadal vs Novak Djokovic Highlights: Djokovic Beats Nadal to Reach Roland Garros Final.” Sportstar, 11 June 2021, sportstar.thehindu.com/tennis/french-open-2021-rafael-nadal-vs-novak-djokovic-semifinal-live-tennis-score-streaming/article34789912.ece.
Learn More About Latest News
