He had already won the Rome title and the Barcelona title, to demonstrate that he was fully prepared for his traditional Parisian parade.īut his nemesis was ready for him. Nadal arrived at Friday’s semi-final on a sequence of 33 straight wins at this event. In 2015, he was in the middle of a two-and-a-half-year spell when he completely misplaced his mojo. In 2009, Nadal was suffering from sore knees and personal turbulence caused by his parents’ separation. Technically, this was the third match that Nadal had lost at the French Open, after previous reverses against Robin Soderling in 2009 and Djokovic himself in 2015. He defeated a full-power Rafael Nadal at Roland Garros. On Friday night, Novak Djokovic did something that had never been achieved before. After all, Federer never quite managed anything more than taking an odd set or two, even when Nadal was a 19-year-old kid.The record is broken.

Of course, easier said than done, unless Nadal is not fully fit, as in his two losses here. Someone like Wawrinka could have done it maybe. Someone like Thiem who at least managed to take a set off him. That is, someone who can hit through him and paint the lines.

You need someone who plays really aggressively, someone who can hit really aggressively, strong, and fast. I suggest that you cannot outslug Nadal at the French Open so, Djokovic’s usual style arguably works against him. one that doesn’t exist? “I know Djokovic defeated Nadal once, but something was obviously wrong there since Nadal didn’t win even win a set and lost the last one 1-6. It’s to love too.Īrun Narayanan writes in: “An interesting question to ponder is what type of a player can defeat Nadal at the French Open?” um. Second set: *Djokovic 1-0, 3-6 Nadal (* denotes server)Ī welcome, early hold for Djokovic to start the second. He finally sees it out - an epic hold from Rafa just as his opponent was threatening to fundamentally shift the balance of this match. He saves that one after he batters Novak into submission with a battery of forehands. There’s another chance for Novak though after Rafa tries maybe too hard to stay on his forehand and sends a shot into the net. Then Djokovic’s 10th break point of the match comes up - it’s saved by Rafa, who kicks a serve out wide before finishing it off with a winner past an out of position Novak. A whizzing crosscourt forehand - almost as devastating as Logan Paul’s left hook – gets us to 30-30. And what a fine thought that Floyd Mayweather will earn about $40m more for beating his opponent than whoever wins this one.Īnyway, back to the tennis. Third set: Djokovic 1-2, 6-3, 3-6 Nadal* (* denotes server): The last live sporting event I covered was Logan Paul v Floyd Mayweather, so I’m used to two incredible athletes battling at the highest possible level.

Live score french open 2021