Rafael Nadal Novak Djokovic. Chapter 59. Two of the world’s three most outstanding tennis legends meet again. Although “only” in the quarter-finals of Roland Garros, there will be a lot in Paris. The Serb could equal the Spaniard’s record-breaking 21 grand slam titles, but first he has to get rid of the clay king.
In his second living room, Philipp Chatrier pitch, Rafael Nadal lifted the Musketeers Cup thirteen times. But even the balance on the edge of human possibility will not stop time and cure health ailments.
And so Nadal finds himself in a situation he has hardly experienced in his career: three days before his 36th birthday, he is an outsider in Paris.
Even though the Spanish bullfighter won the Australian Open in January and with 21 grand slam titles, he leapt ahead of Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer to the absolute pedestal of tennis super fame.
He also rolled in February and March, but then complications came. Injuries to the ribs are replaced by chronic foot problems.
“I’m not injured. I live with injuries. There are days when I can’t train well, no day is easy for me. Pain robs me of my luck not only in tennis but also in life,” Nadal said of just two. weeks before the start of Roland Garros.
He did his best to kick off his beloved grand slam. He managed the first three rounds amazingly, without dropping a set. However, in the last 16, just before the fight with Djokovic, young Canadian Félix Auger-Aliassime, who had to battle the Spaniard for four and a half hours, gathered a lot of strength for him.
Moreover, the day after, Nadal lost a very important behind-the-scenes battle.
He asked for the afternoon date of the match, but the organizers entered a hit not only that day, but also the entire tournament in the evening. Duel starts at 20:45, can be played until the evening.
“I don’t want to talk about a lack of respect. Rafa has credit here at Roland Garros, he’s won the tournament thirteen times, and if he has a request they should listen,” Nadal coach Carlos Moya suggested disappointment, while admitting no players above economic interests.
“Although Rafa is an important part of history, we know that nothing is bigger than Roland Garros, nothing is bigger than a grand slam tournament. Finals are business and we understand that,” he added.
Powerful streaming service Amazon Prime has exclusive rights to the evening session, which was first introduced at last year’s tournament. And for obvious reasons, he didn’t miss the battle of the giants.
“I don’t like night matches on clay, I’m pretty clear about that. Playing on clay day or night makes a big difference,” Nadal said before the start of the tournament. At night, it suffers from higher humidity on the orange crumbs, and thus the ball is slower.
Djokovic, on the other hand, was content with the evening’s deadline. “I can only say that Rafa and I would have made different deadline requests. As top players, we have our demands, but they are not always acceptable,” said the world number one.
He used the evening match at last year’s French Open. In the semifinals, Nadala lost after sets of 3:6, 6:3, 7:6, 6:2 and went on to chase the title in Paris. He is also a big favorite this year. He hasn’t dropped a set in four games, and in the eighth final he swept away dangerous Argentina’s Diego Schwartzman.
At Roland Garros, the two greats will meet for the tenth time in their careers. Nadal leads the match 7:2. Djokovic is slightly better on balance. Nadala lost thirty times from a total of 58 duels.
“This will be the most important match in the men’s category in the last ten years,” said Eurosport expert Tim Britman, a former British tennis player.
His partner Mats Wilander went one step further. He called the duel one of the most important matches in tennis history.
“Right now, we have to have a lot of respect for this match. We don’t know how many more matches will be played with these top men. It’s a great opportunity to enjoy it once again,” said the former world number one.
Nadal himself supports the fate of the match. “To be honest, for every game I’ve played here, I don’t know if this will be my last match at Roland Garros in my career. This is my situation now,” he said.
Wilander, like most experts, loves Djokovic running.
“Rafa is up against a very motivated opponent. Novak looks very strong. He moves with incredible and aggressiveness like I have never seen before,” said the Swedish Eurosport expert.
Nadala, on the other hand, directed the crowd to Philipp Chatrier’s pitch. However, Djokovic’s coach, Goran Ivanishevich, is not afraid of the hostile atmosphere.
“I’m happy that 80 percent of the crowd supports Novak. At least they have reason to be angry and fight harder,” said the Croatian coach.
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