Nadal

Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic will meet in the Roland Garros quarterfinals on Tuesday. Here's a breakdown of their rivalry by the numbers.

21: After capturing the Australian Open in January, Nadal is the all-time men’s leader with 21 Grand Slam singles titles. He is seeking to extend his record with a 22nd major title, while Djokovic is looking to tie him at 21. Nadal broke in the eighth game of the fifth set and then served it out with a forehand winner into the open court after a short rally. I am glad because I didn’t spend too much time on the court, because it will be physical. The only thing I can guarantee is I’m going to fight until the end, so many thanks.” And the only thing that I can tell you is I’m going to be focused since [Monday], going to try my best as always.

Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic will play in the French Open quarterfinals after each won his fourth round match at Roland Garros.

I’m glad that I didn’t spend too much time on the court myself up to quarterfinals, knowing that playing him in Roland Garros is always a physical battle, along with everything else,” said Djokovic, who beat 15th-seeded Diego Schwartzman 6-1, 6-3, 6-3 earlier Sunday and has won all 12 sets he’s played in the tournament. Looking at the larger picture, Nadal’s record 13 championships at Roland Garros are part of his haul of 21 Grand Slam trophies, a record for men. Djokovic leads 30-28, although Nadal has a 7-2 advantage at the French Open.

Rafael Nadal won in five sets while his quarter-final opponent Novak Djokovic will be the fresher having beaten Diego Schwartzman in straight sets.

He peppered Nadal with well-timed drop shots, he continued to look for forehands to dominate with and he was supreme at the net. From the player who would run out of ideas in his early exchanges against the big players, here he continually searched for solutions and often found them. Just as it seemed that Nadal was in control, however, he inexplicably started the fourth set with a flurry of unforced errors. Nadal then rode all of his momentum to a two sets to one lead. He watched on as, after the elation of Real Madrid’s Champions League win that Nadal attended, on an extremely cold afternoon Nadal started the match out of sorts. Rafael Nadal has played 112 tennis matches at Roland Garros over the course of his career and he has somehow lost just three times on these courts.

PARIS (AP) — By the end of only the third five-setter Rafael Nadal has played in 112 career French Open matches, as the sun and temperature descended and ...

I’m glad that I didn’t spend too much time on the court myself up to quarterfinals, knowing that playing him in Roland Garros is always a physical battle, along with everything else,” said Djokovic, who beat 15th-seeded Diego Schwartzman 6-1, 6-3, 6-3 earlier Sunday and has won all 12 sets he's played in the tournament. Looking at the larger picture, Nadal's record 13 championships at Roland Garros are part of his haul of 21 Grand Slam trophies, a record for men. Djokovic leads 30-28, although Nadal has a 7-2 advantage at the French Open.

Djokovic, the world No. 1, and Nadal, the 13-time French Open champion, will continue their epic rivalry on Tuesday in the quarterfinal at Roland Garros.

As Auger-Aliassime, pumped his fist after clinching the first set, 6-3, Nadal spent an extra few seconds working the line with his foot, taking an extra moment seemingly to prepare for the challenging places this match was going. Djokovic managed the challenge, making Schwartzman seem like a sparring partner who forced Djokovic to run and stay on the court long enough — a little more than two hours — but not too long. Nadal had no such concerns, though he struggled from the start of the chilly and breezy evening. Too cold and too damp, which makes the clay stick to balls, giving them the feel of heavy rocks on his racket. He was detained at the border and deported after government officials deemed his stance against vaccinations a threat to public health. Djokovic has tried to spearhead an independent players organization, the Professional Tennis Players Association, which he launched with a handful of other players in 2020. Nadal, who largely ended his 2021 season after the French Open because of a chronic foot injury, said finishing his career with the most major championships mattered little to him. Even more, it is a clash of two men whose personalities and trajectories, especially over the past year, have pushed them into different realms of the sport and public consciousness. On the court, they have captured each other’s most treasured possessions. Djokovic has refused to get vaccinated and questioned established science. Just a number. They have played each other 58 times, with Djokovic holding a 30-28 edge.

Felix Auger-Aliassime reflects on his five-set loss against Rafael Nadal at Roland Garros and looks ahead to Nadal's blockbuster showdown against Novak ...

“I’m proud about the effort I produced, the game I played, and like most of my matches I try to leave the match without any regrets,” Auger-Aliassime said. “It makes me very happy to have won a few matches here this year.” Instead, Auger-Aliassime will try to move forward taking lessons he learned from the match and his entire stay at the clay-court major. “So as I said, I really wish him the very best, but it will be a monumental effort for him, I think, to win. At one point even though he raised the level of his game, there were a few dips, physically, mentally, and I kind of lost the order of the game. He's somebody who I really like, and so I wish him the very best for the next match,” Auger-Aliassime said.

Rafael Nadal set up a blockbuster French Open quarter-final against world number one Novak Djokovic on Sunday when he defeated Felix Auger-Aliassime in a ...

I am in the quarter-finals of Roland Garros. Two weeks and a half ago, I didn’t know if I would be able to be here,” Nadal said. “So just enjoying the fact that I am here for one more year. “That’s my situation now. “We know each other well, we have a lot of history. I can’t complain much. Nadal and Djokovic will meet for the 10th time at Roland Garros and 59th overall in a rivalry stretching back to 2006.

Paris, May 29 (EFE).- Spanish tennis icon Rafael Nadal took five sets to vanquish Canada's Felix Auger-Aliassime 3-6, 6-3, 6-2, 3-6 and 6-3 at the French ...

In other action, the pair made up of Spain’s Marcel Granollers and Argentina’s Horacio Zeballos moved to the doubles quarterfinals by defeating Great Britain’s Jonny O’Mara and Jackson Withrow, from the US, 6-1, 6-1. In women’s doubles play, Italy’s Martina Trevisan (No. 59) and Canada’s Leylah Fernandez (No. 17) will face off in the quarterfinals against Americans Coco Gauff (No. 18) and Sloane Stephens (No. 64). Zapata, No. 131 in the world, made it to the Round of 16 in a big tourney for the first time and had a chance to take the first two sets – getting out in front by 4-1 in the first and 4-2 in the second – but couldn’t bring it home at the crucial moments. Zverev will now play in the quarterfinals in Paris for the fourth time, facing off against Carlos Alcaraz (No. 6) after the 19-year-old Spaniard defeated Russia’s Karen Khachanov 6-1, 6-4 and 6-4 in 2 hours and 15 minutes. The upcoming contest will be their 59th encounter, the 10th at Roland Garros, where Djokovic has beaten Nadal only twice but is now seeking his third French Open trophy and his 21st Grand Slam, which would tie him with the Spaniard Meanwhile, in other Paris tennis action, Spain’s Bernabe Zapata gave a great account of himself but went down to defeat at the hands of Germany’s Alexander Zverev 7-6 (11), 7-5 and 6-3 in 2 hours and 45 minutes. On the hunt for his 14th title in Paris, Nadal had trouble moving ahead to the next round, with his 21-year-old rival forcing him to up his play, but backing him up to the abyss of defeat, which would have been the fourth such result in the French capital.

After Djokovic cruised, Nadal labored to a five-set win, setting up a clash in the quarterfinals.

At that point, he later explained to a French broadcaster, he could take no more and had to leave to watch the conclusion on television. He produced huge serves time and again to fend off 16 of the 22 break points he faced. The victor’s next challenge could prove equally daunting: a potential semifinal against Carlos Alcaraz, the Spanish teen who beat Nadal and Djokovic in succession to win the recent Madrid Open on clay. After leveling at one set apiece, Nadal rounded into form in the third set, pummeling Auger-Aliassime with forehand blasts again and again. He has yet to concede a set in the first four rounds. Nadal didn’t cite the rib he cracked during a tournament in March and made only passing reference to “a tough process” with his foot, alluding to chronic pain in his surgically repaired left one.

Rafael Nadal got through his first serious test of this French Open by edging No. 9 seed Felix Auger-Alias...

One member of the audience, however, did not stick around for the fifth set: Toni Nadal, who is Rafael's uncle and coached him to 16 of his Grand Slam titles but now is helping coach Auger-Aliassime. Uncle Toni, as he's known to many, stayed away from both players' guest boxes — how could he choose a side? He has said repeatedly in Paris that he had no idea how well he'd be able to play. “These are special matches,” Nadal said. Looking at the larger picture, the formerly No. 1-ranked Nadal's record 13 championships at Roland Garros are part of his haul of 21 Grand Slam trophies, a record for men. Djokovic leads 30-28, although Nadal has a 7-2 advantage at the French Open. Nadal used increasingly aggressive tactics, moving forward when possible and pouncing on any short ball from his foe. His movement was unhindered, his relentlessness intact. Overall he is 109-3 here, and two of those defeats came against Djokovic, including in last year's semifinals in their most recent showdown. Wrapped in souvenir orange French Open towels and blankets of various hues, spectators appreciated every last drop of drama, singing both players' first names and rising to their feet to applaud the many spectacular exchanges. Since starting the season with a 20-0 record, including an Australian Open title in January when Djokovic was not allowed to participate because he is not vaccinated against COVID-19, Nadal has dealt with a rib injury and a recurrence of the chronic pain in his left foot that has troubled him for years. Returning while up 4-3, Nadal snapped his left wrist for a forehand passing winner that left him yelling and punching the air — and left Auger-Aliassime, a semifinalist at the 2021 U.S. Open but 0-2 for his career at the French Open until this year, hanging his head. By the end of only the third five-setter Rafael Nadal has played in 112 career matches at Roland Garros, as the sun and temperature descended and the chants of “Ra-fa! Ra-fa!” filled the evening air, the man known as the King of Clay showed precisely what this meant to him.

Rafael Nadal has survived a five-set epic against ninth-seeded Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime to progress to the French Open quarter-finals.

“I still have that mindset I’m the underdog. “I know that some of the higher seeds on my side definitely dropped out of the draw. “I have a lot of respect for him. I’m still young, I still have a lot to show to the people, to the public so that they can just enjoy the tennis match.” “I feel like it gave me a lot to learn from, and I think I’m taking those tough matches that I lost this season and really learning from them and I guess showing that I’m doing better.” “I found the good serves at the right moments.”

Nadal beat Felix Auger-Aliassime in five sets after Djokovic blew away Diego Schwartzmann.

When I played not that well, I had a lot of troubles. “All respect and credit to Felix, he’s playing better and better. “But the most important thing is that I played a good fifth set, and especially the last three or four games I played with the right dimensions, so I’m very happy for that. But when Auger-Aliassime took Nadal into a fifth set – for only the third time at Roland Garros – it was all too much for Nadal senior to bear and he left. Nadal’s uncle Toni, who will have had mixed feelings as he coaches the Canadian ninth seed, was watching on from a position of neutrality in the presidential box as his nephew hauled himself into a 2-1 lead. The Serbian has yet to drop a set in the tournament as he bids for a record-equalling 21st grand slam title.

Rafael Nadal was pushed hard by Canada's Felix Auger-Aliassime but survived to set up a mouthwatering quarter-final with...

"I have a lot of respect for him. Djokovic has now reached the last eight in Paris for the 13th year in a row and has yet to drop a set. "I am going to be focused, I will try my best.

Rafael Nadal reacts to his thrilling win against Felix Auger-Aliassime at Roland Garros and looks ahead to his quarter-final blockbuster against Novak ...

I hope to be able to give myself a chance to play at the highest level possible.” Nadal is now a jaw-dropping 109-3 at Roland Garros, where he will face Djokovic for the 10th time and 59th time overall. “That's why I am just trying to enjoy as much as possible and fight as much as I can to keep living the dream that is [to] keep playing tennis and be back in a very advanced round of Roland Garros, playing against the World No. 1,” Nadal said. “I am in [the] quarter-finals of Roland Garros. Two weeks and a half ago, even if I had good hopes, positive hopes after Rome, I [didn’t even] know if I would be able to be here,” Nadal said. And being honest, every match that I play here, I don't know if [it is] going to be my last match here in Roland Garros in my tennis career. It is easy to forget that Nadal missed a month-and-a-half after the BNP Paribas Open due to a stress fracture in one of his ribs.

Rafael Nadal says every match at Roland Garros could be his last. Now the Spanish king of clay has a big quarterfinal ahead against rival and world number ...

And, more to the point, impossible to tell. Looking at the larger picture, the former world number one Nadal's record 13 championships at Roland Garros are part of his haul of 21 grand slam trophies, a record for men. Uncle Toni, as he is known to many, stayed away from both players' guest boxes — how could he choose a side? Djokovic leads 30-28, although Nadal has a 7-2 advantage at the French Open. Overall, he is 109-3 here, and two of those defeats came against Djokovic, including in last year's semifinals in their most recent showdown. Since starting the season with a 20-0 record, including an Australian Open title in January when Djokovic was not allowed to participate because he is not vaccinated against COVID-19, Nadal has dealt with a rib injury and a recurrence of the chronic pain in his left foot that has troubled him for years.

The French Open is fast approaching its final stretch with big names starring and young guns ready to step up.

In the men's draw Andrey Rublev vs. After coming back in the next two, I finished the third much better. That made a difference without a doubt."

In a match worthy of the French Open final, tennis legends Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal will square off in a blockbuster Roland-Garros quarter-final on ...

6-2 6-3 7-6(4) Alex Molcan (Slovakia) 6-2 6-2 6-2

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Rafael Nadal was pushed hard by Canada's Felix Auger-Aliassime but survived to set up a mouthwatering quarter-final with...

"I have a lot of respect for him. Djokovic has now reached the last eight in Paris for the 13th year in a row and has yet to drop a set. "I am going to be focused, I will try my best.

Rafael Nadal's French Open quarter-final against long-time rival Novak Djokovic will take place in Tuesday's night session at Roland Garros despite the ...

Nadal and Djokovic have played one match each so far after dark. "I think that makes a big difference between the way tennis is played on clay during the night and during the day." "I don't like to play on clay during the night, because the humidity is higher, the ball is slower, and there can be very heavy conditions especially when it's cold," said Nadal last week.

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But Djokovic has not dropped a set on his way to the quarterfinals of this French Open, while Nadal had to play for four and a half hours to subdue Felix Auger-Aliassime in the fourth round. His retrieving skills are like no other's, and the space behind and alongside the court gives him the chance to hit seemingly impossible shots. If Nadal starts well and gets the crowd behind him, he knows what he's capable of. There's also the 2020 Roland-Garros final to compare this one to. "Being honest, every match that I play here, I don't know if it's going to be my last match here in Roland Garros in my tennis career, no?" I guess I expect the same thing against Rafa because no one is against Rafa in Paris." "I don't like night sessions on clay," he said on several occasions this week. Djokovic, including the 2020 final, when he played incredible tennis to win in straight sets. "They're not against him but the crowd is definitely for the underdog in this tournament. The Spaniard went on to win five of their first six battles. This will be their 10th meeting at Roland-Garros, with Nadal winning eight of them. He's turning it into: 'Well you know what, I'm going to show you I'm No. 1 in the world' with his body language, and it helps him with the crowd.

During Rafael Nadal's long illustrious career, he has played 112 matches at Roland Garros and won 109 of them.

"Here we are in Roland Garros. It is my favorite place, without a doubt. But, in that fifth set, he showcased his brilliance on clay. "[It's] a huge challenge and probably the biggest one that you can have here in Roland Garros. I'm ready for it." It continued his perfect start to the tournament in which he has yet to drop a set. On clay, the rivalry is more lopsided in favor of Nadal who has won seven matches compared to Djokovic's two. The two players, who have won 15 of the last 17 French Open titles, will meet again on Tuesday in the quarterfinals in what is one of the most anticipated matches of the tournament.

Carlos Moya, who has coached Rafael Nadal since 2017, looks ahead to his charge's Roland Garros quarter-final match against Novak Djokovic.

I think he is saying that more in that sense, but I’m confident and I hope it’s not his last match in Paris. I have complete confidence in Rafa. I’m optimistic and positive in life in general, but in his case, I’m realistic. The most important thing is that he is aware that he has to play a good match and that he strikes the ball well. It was a close atmosphere and he played an amazing game. It’s the way I am, the way I approach life. A couple of years ago it was more tactical, but now it is all better established in his mind. We always expect the best of Nadal and I think he’ll be at his best tomorrow so that he can win. Last year we came here having won the final in Rome, and ended up losing. It’s clear that he’s playing a match where there’s a risk of losing. In 2020 we arrived in a different situation and he came through. Not too much, because it dilutes the message, but now it’s more reminders of aspects that have been forgotten. You have to play a high level of tennis, more than just tactics.

The duo is set to do battle in the most anticipated match of the event.

The match will begin on Tuesday at 2:45 p.m. ET as two of the all-time tennis greats prepare for the most anticipated match of the 2022 French Open thus far. Djokovic has cruised through his matches leading up to this point in the French Open, as the world No. 1 has yet to drop a set in his four matches in Paris. Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic will meet Tuesday in a headliner French Open quarterfinal match that will captivate the tennis world once again.

Tuesday's highly-anticipated French Open quarter-final between world number one Novak Djokovic and 13-time champion Rafa Nadal has been scheduled to be ...

Obviously, depending on who you play, sometimes it's favourable to play night; sometimes day. TV, whether they want your match, day or night. "I don't like night sessions on clay.

Neither Rafa Nadal nor Carlos Alcaraz wanted to play their quarterfinal matches in the night session at Roland Garros. Both stated it at a press conference ...

“I know the tournament during the day, not so much at night, because it has been how I have played it all my life,” he added. In addition, against Novak Djokovic, a match that had not been seen since the semifinals of the last edition of the Parisian tournament. “I would not say that it is disrespectful.

Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic will play in a quarterfinal at the French Open on Tuesday night, their 59th career meeting and 10th at Roland Garros.

Nadal knows that breaking down the elastic Djokovic from the baseline is one of the toughest asks in tennis. Lose and Djokovic will have a tying 21st in his sights, though not necessarily in his grasp. “Rafa is match toughened this year with having hit the wall many times and finding ways to win,” Cahill said. Djokovic leads their overall series 30-28, but Nadal still leads 10-7 in Grand Slam matches and 19-8 on clay. Last year it was the semis and now the quarters, but it’s probably the best quarterfinal ever in the history of the French Open.” What I’m trying to do is enjoy and continue living the dream to play tennis and get to the final rounds of Roland Garros.” Enough to handle a grinding, grueling five-setter with Nadal on the Spaniard’s signature surface? “I know Roland Garros during the day and prefer to play during the day. Alcaraz and Rune are just 19 and in the quarterfinals, and though Nadal vs. There are also night sessions at other European clay-court events, including the Madrid Open and the Italian Open, which Nadal has still managed to win 10 times. Night sessions are a new development at the modern French Open, introduced last year albeit with reduced capacity because of pandemic-related restrictions. “I think we have to cherish this moment and not get ahead of ourselves.”

Modern tennis greats Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal will add another chapter to their rich history when they meet in the French Open quarter-finals.

"I'm going to try my best. That's why I'm trying to enjoy it as much as possible and fight as much as I can to keep living the dream," Nadal said after his fourth-round win over rising Canadian star Felix Auger-Aliassime. Djokovic won his round-of-16 match against Schwartzman in straight sets, while Nadal took almost four-and-a-half hours to overcome Auger-Aliassime in a five-setter. "Novak has looked unbelievably strong. The Spaniard was leading 6-4, 6-4 when Djokovic retired. The "everything else" Djokovic refers to includes the crowd support that Nadal will have during their match, as the French fans embrace the Spaniard like one of their own.

Brad Gilbert analyses the strong form Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal heading into their Roland Garros quarter-final meeting on Tuesday night.

“At the moment, Rafa has a 7-2 head-to-head against him at Roland Garros. He has the greatest history at this one event. “Rafa maybe wanted to play in the day. He looked good physically, didn’t have any of the foot problems that he’s been having, so that was a good sign. “Djoker just quietly has lifted his game,” he assessed. “The tennis fan in me, I just hope we see one of those titanic matches like we saw last year,” he said, referencing the 2021 semi-final epic won by the Serbian. “Sweaty palms, incredible tennis. He sees no reason not to expect more of the same this time around.

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Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, winners of a combined 41 Grand Slam singles titles, will meet at Roland Garros. But it won't be in the final or even the ...

This could be Nadal’s final Roland Garros ever, and he could go out in the quarterfinals? One of the greatest matches ever, in the semis. Stefan Edberg, the winner in 1988 and 1990, was given a seeding of No 12 in 1996, 10 places higher than his ranking. Being honest, every match I play here, I don't know if it gonna be my last match here in Roland-Garros in my career.” He has talked often about his chronic left foot problem that has hampered him for years and has gotten worse of late. We had Nadal and Djokovic last year in the semis. As TennisMajors.com pointed out: “Pete Sampras was elevated from a world ranking of No 6 to No 1 in 2001, in recognition of the fact that he had won the title in seven of the previous eight years. Now we could have Djokovic-Nadal in the quarterfinals. Tennis needs it in the final. They will meet for the 59th time in their careers in a highly anticipated quarterfinal on Tuesday (2:45 ET, Tennis Channel). History will once again be on the line. It features Casper Ruud, Holger Rune, Andrey Rublev and Marin Cilic. One of those four will reach Sunday’s final.

In a match worthy of the French Open final, tennis legends Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal will square off in a blockbuster Roland-Garros quarterfinal on ...

6-2 6-3 7-6(4) Alex Molcan (Slovakia) 6-2 6-2 6-2