Gravel king Nadal knocks out Djokovic at Roland Garros | Tennis

In the draw, the two icons ended up in the same quarter. The dreamed final battle of many tennis enthusiasts was therefore already on the program in Paris in the quarterfinals. The last meeting between the two was a year earlier. They also met at Roland Garros then. In the semifinals, Nadal was then defeated by Djokovic, who went on to win the tournament.

Dream start Nadal

The 35-year-old Nadal shot from the starting blocks, the equally old Djokovic broke immediately and ran out to a 2-0 lead. The Serb then came on the scoreboard, but had to hand in his service game again not much later. The Spaniard continued on and won the first set convincingly: 6-2. So Nadal had a dream start at the iconic Court Philippe-Chatrier.

Novak Djokovic is disappointed after the lost first set.

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Djokovic on steam

The thirteen-time tournament winner immediately tried to push through in the second set and got no fewer than seven break chances in the opening game. The Serb, to his own relief, served six more, but capitulated at number seven. With unparalleled tennis, Nadal Djokovic showed all corners of the field. He broke the number one in the world again and took a 3-0 lead.

Djokovic then got much more control over Nadal’s game and found the connection. The sixth game of the second company lasted more than fifteen minutes and in the end it was Djokovic who tied the score on his fifth break chance: 3-3. The two icons turned it into a wonderful battle. In the end, it was the Serb who tied the score in sets after a third break. A great performance by the number one in the world who was 3-0 behind.

Immersive Party

Nadal was clearly not fooled and started the third set strong. He prevented a double break and served himself to a comfortable 5-1 lead. Djokovic struggled for a while, but the set was no longer in danger for the Spaniard: 6-2.

At the start of the fourth set, it was Djokovic who placed a break and took a 3-0 lead. At a score of 5-3, the Serb was allowed to serve out the set. He got two set points, but it was Nadal who broke back at the moment and made it 5-5 on his own service. A tiebreak had to bring the decision in the fourth set and the Spaniard pulled the longest end. And so he can still hope for his fourteenth overall victory in Paris.

In the semifinals, Nadal will face the Dark Alexander Zverev.