Djokovic stuns Nadal at Roland Garros to set up final against Stefanos Tsitsipas

Djokovic stuns Nadal at Roland Garros to set up final against Stefanos Tsitsipas

The 5000 fans at Court Philippe Chatrier at Roland Garros were treated to an all-time classic as Novak Djokovic usurped the king of clay and defeated Rafael Nadal in the semi-finals of the 2021 French Open. It was a match for the ages that added another epic chapter to the rivalry of these modern greats. Every point produced some moment of magic from either player and the two legends traded blows as if it was a boxing match. This marathon of a semi-final lasted for more than four hours and as the clay settled, Djokovic deservedly emerged victorious 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7-4), 6-2.

Looking to enter his 14th French Open final, Nadal started the match in fine form, racing to a 5-0 lead in the first set as Djokovic struggled with his touch and rhythm on his drop shots in the opening exchanges. Nadal was able to close out the 1st set 6-3 but crucially, Djokovic was able to build some momentum heading into the 2nd set, winning 3 games in a row.

The world number one raced to an early 2-0 lead in the second set and was let off the hook after the Spaniard failed to capitalise on numerous break point opportunities to level the scores at 1-set all.

Then came the third set, lasting almost 100 minutes and would later be described as one of the best displays of tennis of all time, with neither player giving up an inch. Djokovic took the early break to go 3- 2 up but the King of Clay instantly hit back to restore parity at 3-3. Nadal eventually raced to a 6-5 lead but failed to capitalise on a set point which forced a tie-breaker.

 Nadal uncharacteristically started the tie-breaker with a double fault, before mistiming a relatively easy volley at 4-4 to hand the initiative to Djokovic who closed out the set on his service.

Such was the intensity of the match and the atmosphere in the arena, that the fans were allowed to stay inside the stadium past the 11 pm curfew in Paris due to Covid-19 restrictions. The world number one eventually wrapped up the victory in the fourth set to become the first man to ever defeat Rafael Nadal in the semi-final at Roland Garros.

The grandeur of Djokovic’s achievement is evident when you consider that this was only Nadal’s third defeat at Roland Garros in his career and the first time he has lost in Paris since 2015. The 13-time champion has won the last four French Open’s on the bounce and without question, conquering Nadal on clay is one of the toughest assignments in the history of sport.

 “It was one of these matches you can remember forever. It was one of the top three matches in my life,” said Djokovic after his victory. The Serbian will face Stefanos Tsitsipas in the final after the Greek number 5 defeated Alexander Zverev in a thrilling 5-set encounter 6-3, 6-3, 4-6, 4-6, 6-3 to reach the first grand slam final of his career.