An admirable

Novak Djokovic

stopped the clock of history in Paris by beating

Rafael Nadal

in the semifinals of Roland Garros by 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (5) and 6-2, in four hours and 11 minutes.

Six years after beating him in the quarterfinals, he did it again to frustrate his dream of surpassing

Roger Federer's

20 greats in this edition

.

The Spaniard suffered his third defeat in the tournament that he has won 13 times.

Robin soderling

managed to stop him in the round of 16 in 2009. Nadal, who once again looked like the main favorite for victory after winning the tenth title in Rome and performing with the authority that characterizes him throughout the tournament, saw how his usual adversary, hesitant in the previous two rounds, beaten hard at the beginning of the match, he grew to consummate the triumph. It will be the world number one who meets on Sunday in the final with

Stefanos Tsitsipas

, who beat

Alexander Zverev

in five sets.

Eight months and two days had passed, but for a few moments it seemed that we were still in the early part of last fall. Nadal dominated Djokovic 5-0, like that October 9, 2020 in which he left him blank in the first set to continue with one of the strongest scores in their long rivalry. It was difficult to suspect that the match, which was witnessed by 5,000 people, would turn into one of the most passionate fights between the two. Such was the scope of the show, such the possible disturbances that its interruption would have caused, that even the curfew was violated. After the third set, it was announced over the public address system that the public could remain at the

Philippe-Chatrier

until the end of the match.

Faster, more accurate, more aggressive, more effective in each of his strokes and movements, the Spaniard had left behind two adverse breaking balls in the first game to undermine the mood of his rival, unwilling to exchange blows, stubborn in the abuse of the left, incapable of generating winning blows.

Nadal commanded and when he did not replicate any threat.

It was amazing how much

Nole

needed to

hit a

target.

Proud reaction

The shouts of encouragement, "Idemo, idemo, idemo!" who came from a lit grandstand as in the afternoons that now seem old to us, they could not lift the winner of 18 Grand Slam titles, who took time to find a way to avoid having his face painted in such a cruel way. He pulled with pride, stopped to think, improved in the rest and created some doubts in a Nadal who needed up to seven balls to take the set by a decorous 6-3, for which he was coming to his rival of a lifetime .

He regained tennis and arrests the Balkan to rise to the height of his name, but his early lead in the second set was met with a slam from Nadal, breaking the blank again. It was already a duel more similar to some of the 26 they had previously starred on clay. The one from Belgrade returned to the charge, while the respective supporters confronted proclamations of support. Again with an advantage, 4-2 and service, and again the southpaw who dances like a dancer in the ring, as soon as he protects himself with balls of very different flight as he counterattacks with the sharp weapon, without mediating transition. It takes more than a pain for

Nole to

take distance in the second set, which will be his at the first opportunity, after saving two

break

balls

.

Each set was a match unto itself. The third, more than any other. He took Djokovic with 5-4 to take him, but it was Nadal who had the first option to make him his, with 6-5 on his side, the rest, neutralized by the Balkan with a left. A serious error by the Spanish, who volleyed long with the entire court at his disposal, signaled the

tie break.

Djokovic went 5-3 in the tiebreaker quarter and later converted the first of his two set points, hitting a

drop

from Nadal which Nadal then returned out of bounds.

It was useless for the Spanish to start with a break in the room.

Djokovic chained six games in a row to culminate a prodigious comeback, the kind that distinguish a player of the time.

He dominates the face-to-face between the two 30-28 and, despite having defeated him in the direct fight for Grand Slam titles, there will be few triumphs that he values ​​as much as this one.

According to the criteria of The Trust Project

Know more

  • sports

  • tennis

  • Novak Djokovic

  • Rafael Nadal

  • Roland Garros

TennisNadal wins his tenth title against Djokovic and is again the top seed at Roland Garros

TennisTsitsipas does not give Carreño an option and is already in the Roland Garros quarterfinals

Roland GarrosTsitsipas stops Zverev's reaction and will play his first final of a Grand Slam tournament

See links of interest

  • 2021 business calendar

  • Home THE WORLD TODAY

  • Live: Zverev - Tsitsipas

  • Semifinal, live: Djokovic - Nadal

  • Live: Turkey - Italy

  • Barça - Lenovo Tenerife