“It’s very emotional for me”Nadal said after the 4:12 hour struggle: “Novak is one of the best players in history and you have to play him at the best level from the first point to the last.” Djokovic emphasized that Nadal is a great champion: “I gave it my all and lost to a better player today.”
Nadal with a chance of his 14th French Open title
Nadal initially set the tone in the eagerly awaited match and repeatedly shone with spectacular passing balls. Djokovic then came up, but defended himself in vain and the Spaniard Nadal shortened the 59th game of the two permanent rivals to 29:30 wins. He got revenge for last year’s semi-final defeat and made it to the last four at Roland Garros for the 15th time.
The 35-year-old Mallorquin thus has the opportunity to extend his lead in the number of major wins. Since triumphing at the Australian Open, he has 21 Grand Slam titles, Djokovic and Swiss Roger Federer have 20 to show for themselves.
Djokovic’s big goal is to make history as a professional with the most major wins. The defeat on the Court Philippe Chatrier in front of an atmospheric audience is correspondingly heavy for the 35-year-old from Belgrade.
Source: dpa