Djokovic's renewed challenge against Nadal on earth

• Semifinals: Nadal takes flight and will seek his thirteenth title against Djokovic, who suffered against Tsitsipas

• Opinion: Rafa Nadal's scheme, altered by circumstances

Paris will experience the 56th episode of the long series between

and

on Sunday

.

Both will appear in a duel of very high flights, in which not only is the Roland Garros title at stake, but the race to finish with the greatest number of

, which is still led by

.

"I only know that if I play against him I will have to offer my best tennis," Nadal said after beating

in three sets

.

"Here he is the big favorite. This is his house, with all the

s titles he has won, "said the Serbian after beating five sets

.

'Nole', who has 17 majors, dominates the face 29-26, but is 17-7 behind in the duels on the ground and 6-1 at Roland Garros. "I have played with him more than anyone. He is the face the most fruitful face in the history of sport. He is my great rival. I don't feel exhausted after the game, I'm fine and I think a day and a half will be enough to recover, "Djokovic said at a press conference.

It is, next to

, the only man who has beaten Nadal in Paris.

He did it in the quarterfinals of 2015, in the

left-handed.

With all the exceptional circumstances surrounding the tournament, the final appears balanced.

We are in October, the weather conditions are different from those of the first week of June and the Wilson balls introduce another element that is not to the liking of the Spaniard. However, and you have to look at all the details, the Balkan gave an added advantage to his rival getting entangled on Friday night in a game that was very expensive when he had a

to solve it in three sets.

Djokovic finished his match almost five hours later than Nadal and suffered much more on the court than his opponent, although he also had a task against Schwartzman.

Lighter, in any case. "I have a plan and the necessary motivation," announced the Belgrade player at the foot of the track, just after the duel with Tsitsipas.

The world number 1 seems to have left behind the

suffered in the round of 16 of the United States Open, when he was disqualified in the round of 16, against

, for hitting a linesman in an outburst.

Nobody doubts his immense quality, but his disconnections, like the one he suffered against Tsitsipas, sometimes compromise his immense talent.

His cry after getting the

at 5-4 of the third and serving to win the match was victory.

He saw the success in his hand with haste, without imagining that he would be doomed to very delicate moments.

It is Djokovic, he is 33 years old, and it is difficult for him to change, for better and for worse, Nadal has adapted to the circumstances and enters the final match intact.

He has not given up a single set and, when he has specified it, as in the semifinals, he has made a leap in quality.

He will need another one, according to his own assumption, to win the thirteenth cup and finally sit next to Federer, with 20 grand each.

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