PARIS | Despite his injured foot, despite the Parisian night he likes less than the day, despite the immensity of the opponent who stood before him, Rafael Nadal did not flinch. His quest for a 14th title at Roland-Garros remains very much alive.
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Tuesday, the 59th confrontation between Nadal and the Serbian Novak Djokovic will have given rise to another great spectacle.
And at the end of the 4h 12min that it will have lasted, it is the Spaniard who received the trophy for the best actor, winning 6-2, 4-6, 6-2 and 7-6 (4) on the world number 1. All to the cheers of a jubilant crowd.
“The crowd was amazing,” Nadal said. I think people know that I’m not going to be around for very long. Playing at the most important place in my career, and feeling the support of the crowd, it’s hard to describe as a feeling. »
Despite his phenomenal record at the Porte d’Auteuil – 13 titles, 105 victories against only three defeats – “Rafa” was not the favorite in this duel.
“Djoko” had won his last nine games. He had eliminated him in the semi-finals in Paris, a year ago. And above all, there was the foot of Nadal, which threatens to give in at any moment, by the admission of the fifth favorite.
But it was the “Bull of Manacor” who started the game strong. First of all by breaking his great entry rival, after a game of 10 minutes, which foreshadowed a long duel.
Because this confrontation which began in the middle of the evening in Paris ended at the beginning of the night.
To everyone’s surprise, Nadal granted himself a second break in this round. And in the second set, he widened the gap 3-0.
Novak’s Awakening
But then Djokovic woke up. He limited unforced errors, his main enemies since the start of the match. The Serb came from behind to finally take the sleeve off.
We were one inning everywhere. The favorite seemed to have regained the upper hand. But…
“When I managed to win the second set, I was like, ‘That’s it, I’m back in the game,'” Djokovic explained after the match.
“Except then,” he continued, “he played two or three fantastic games at the start of the third set. He managed to raise his level of tennis at that time. »
As a matter of fact, we saw the Nadal of the first round. A Nadal who no longer looked 35, reminiscent of his years before the injuries. The Nadal who had beaten “Nole” seven times in nine games at Roland-Garros.
“The doctor is there with me here, which means you can do things that help,” Nadal said of his physical condition. I am gathering everything I have to try to play this tournament, with the best possible conditions. »
He flew over the third inning, but got bogged down again at the start of the fourth, sunk by an unforced error that fell very close to the line.
Almost a fifth set
On the Philippe-Chatrier, it was euphoria despite the ambient cold. Even though the crowd was overwhelmingly in favor of their king, the spectators wanted a fifth set to crown this battle.
And it came close. Djokovic got a set point at 5-4, but Nadal erased it, before breaking. There was a tiebreaker. The Spaniard gave himself five match points. The Serb erased the first three.
But the fourth was the good one, the one that brought the record between the two monuments to 30-29. And which assured Nadal of a confrontation with the German Alexander Zverev (3rd), Friday, in the semi-finals.
“This evening was full of emotions, “Rafa” agreed. I give myself the opportunity in two days [Thursday] to play a semi-final at Roland-Garros. It means a lot to me. »
