Novak Djokovic survives five-set match to reach final vs. Rafael Nadal./
Sets up showdown with Nadal after 5-set win in semis
Paris Novak Djokovic seemed well on his way to yet another ho-hum victory, yet another French Open final, yet another matchup against rival Rafael Nadal. And then, suddenly, what had been a gallop became a grind.
Slightly more than two hours into his semifinal against Stefanos Tsitsipas on Friday night, Djokovic was serving for the match, one point from ending things in straight sets. But a down-the-line backhand veered a tad wide, and, eventually, he was stuck in a serious situation, somehow pushed to five sets.
As is usually the case, though, he was up to the task when it mattered the most. Djokovic got back in gear down the stretch to hold off the much younger Tsitsipas 6-3, 6-2, 5-7, 4-6, 6-1 to reach his fifth title match in Paris.
“Yes, I stayed calm on the surface, but deep down, it was a totally different matter,” Djokovic said. “But I think that when I lost the third set, I stayed mentally strong.”
Standing in the way of No. 1 Djokovic on Sunday — he is pursuing a second trophy there and 18th from all Grand Slams — will be No. 2 Nadal.
It will be their 56th meeting, a record between two men in the professional era (Djokovic leads 29-26), 16th at a major (Nadal leads 9-6) and eighth at Roland Garros (Nadal leads 6-1).
“It’s his house, with all the titles he’s won here,” Djokovic said.
In addition to closing in on an unfathomable 13th French Open championship with a 6-3, 6-3, 7-6 (0) win over 12th-seeded Diego Schwartzman, Nadal now gets a chance to tie Roger Federer for the men’s record of 20 Slam titles.
As has been the case for quite some time, Nadal didn’t want to address the idea of pulling even with Federer, saying it’s fine for others to talk about such matters, but his focus remains squarely on the task at hand.
“I’m playing the most important tournament of the year — that’s what motivates me,” Nadal insisted.
In the women’s final Saturday, Sofia Kenin of the U.S. faces 19-year-old Iga Swiatek of Poland.
While Nadal only dealt with the slightest tension late in his third set, that’s when everything became more interesting for Djokovic against Tsitsipas, a 22-year-old from Greece in his second Slam semi.
Djokovic broke to lead 5-4 in the third and served for the win, holding that match point at 40-30. He would require another 1 hour, 45 minutes to finish the job.
Nadal improved to 99-2 at the French Open including a combined 25-0 in semifinals and finals, as he seeks a fourth consecutive title in Paris.
He has won all 15 sets he’s played over the past two weeks.