Novak Djokovic

Novak Djokovic takes a selfie with fans after defeating Diego Schwartzman in straight sets on Sunday in Paris. © AFP/Getty Images. ATP Staff May 29, 2022.

“I like the way I have been feeling, the way I have been hitting the ball. For now, Djokovic will only be focussed on the match in front of him. “In the years to come, I was still continuing to play consistently well here. That was always the highest goal beginning of every season, particularly, you know, being in the era with Federer, Nadal, the guys that are greats of the game. “Of course it was very special, very emotional to clinch that title in '16. It was a huge relief more than anything, really.” “It took me years and years to win the title here.

The next few days in Paris are a nice French kiss for tennis fans. An aging, stubborn, driven, clay-court dynamo named Rafael Nadal will be playing a ...

The French Open is where you usually need to hit a dozen shots just to win one point and run twice as far, maybe three times, as you would in any other major. The French is where you run a 26-mile marathon in the early rounds to get ready for an Ironman Triathlon. He once used an entire news conference at the U.S. Open to introduce a young girl he had befriended through her parents and who had stunning singing talents for her age. If Nadal versus Djokovic was a gunfight at the O.K. Corral, Djokovic would win the draw and Nadal would take a bullet. He too is a decent guy who says and does the right thing most of the time — except maybe on the vaccine issue — and deeply respects the greatness of Federer and Nadal, while striving for his own legacy alongside those two. His other two losses at the French have been to Djokovic, who is currently No. 1 in the world and No. 5,000 in the eyes of people who think getting the COVID-19 vaccine is a good idea. At the trophy presentation, Nadal, his wound patched but still leaking blood, would take the microphone and tell the crowd, in his delightful Spanglish, what a great competitor Djokovic is and how many more major titles will be his. Djokovic, who just turned 35, is fast and flexible, a fighter who loves to win. Nadal thinks he has to win, and he usually does. Djokovic has won 30 of those matches, but the red clay at Roland Garros is a home court for Nadal. The red clay of Paris is Nadal’s house, and only Djokovic has been able to sneak in through a back window a couple of times to win the tournament. It is clear that great tennis, even at the quarterfinal level of this match, will be ours to behold.

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.

Argentinian Schwartzman was clearly being backed by a large South American and Spanish contingent on Court Suzanne Lenglen.

“I have a lot of respect for him. “He’s a great player without a doubt, one of the best in the world,” said Nadal after his 3-6 6-3 6-2 3-6 6-3 win. But Djokovic gave the perfect response with a 6-1 6-3 6-3 demolition of the 15th seed to book his place in the quarter-finals.

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.

Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal have had contrasting French Open journeys to reach a highly anticipated quarter-final at Roland Garros.

“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.