Tennis: Djokovic overthrows Nadal and will face Tsitsipas in the final
Serbian Novak Djokovic beat Spaniard Rafael Nadal in the semi-finals of Roland-Garros 2021. AP - Michel Euler
Text by: RFI Follow
3 min
Novak Djokovic beat Rafael Nadal three sets to one (3-6, 6-3, 7-6, 6-2) in the semi-final of Roland-Garros, this June 11, 2021 in Paris.
The Serbian created a sensation against the Spaniard, 13 times winner of this tennis tournament.
In the final, he will face the Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas, striker of the German Alexander Zverev (6-3, 6-3, 4-6, 4-6, 6-3).
Publicity
Read more
“
It was surely the greatest game I have played here in Paris.
"Novak Djokovic, tennis legend, winner of 18 Grand Slam tournaments, including once at Roland Garros in 2016, struggled to hide his emotion on June 11, 2021, after beating Rafael Nadal in the semi-finals.
He may well be one of the best players of all time and the current world number one in the standings, the Serbian knows it, he achieved a phenomenal feat: defeating the man with thirteen coronations at Roland Garros.
Even if the Spaniard is now 35 years old, he was still a big favorite, from his 105 victories in 107 matches at Roland Garros.
Rafael Nadal has also started this 58th confrontation well against one of his favorite rivals (Djokovic now leads 30 wins to 28).
He thus won the first set 6-3 after an hour of play.
But "Djoko" has gradually reversed the trend.
First with the second set (6-3 in 56 minutes).
And especially at the end of a third marathon set, won in the tie-break after 97 minutes of play (7-6 [7/4]).
The defending champion then cracked, yielding the fourth set in 37 minutes (6-2).
In the final against the neophyte Stefanos Tistsipas
This is only the third setback of his career on Parisian clay, after a defeat against the Swede Robin Soderling in 2009 and another against the same Djokovic in 2015.
It was therefore an anthology match and a final before its time.
Because, to lift the trophy, Novak Djokovic will still have to win a meeting.
He will face Sunday June 13, 2021 from 1
p.m.
UT
Stefanos Tistsipas
, 22 years old and 5th in the world rankings, for which it will be the first final at Roland Garros.
The Greek overcame in the other semi-final the German Alexander Zverev, 24 and 6th in the world, 6-3, 6-3, 4-6, 4-6, 6-3.
Newsletter
Receive all international news directly in your mailbox
I subscribe
Follow all the international news by downloading the RFI application
google-play-badge_FR
Tennis
Sports