Nadal, Djokovic take on newcomers in semifinals

Rafael Nadal will be playing in his 34th Grand Slam semifinal on Friday as he pursues a record-tying 20th major championship, 13th at the French Open.

His opponent in the final four at Roland Garros? Diego Schwartzman has never been this far at a Slam.

Novak Djokovic will be participating in his 38th Grand Slam semifinal as he eyes his 18th major championship.

His foe Friday? Stefanos Tsitsipas only once before has been in a major semifinal, and he lost it.

What’ s happened in the past will not necessarily matter in the present. Still, the contrasting resumes really stand out for the two matches in Court Philippe Chatrier.

No. 2 Nadal vs. No. 12 Schwartzman is firston the schedule, and there is a bit of a twist: Even though Nadal owns a 9-1 lead in their head-to-head record, it was the 28-year-old Argentine who won their most recent encounter, on clay at the Italian Open last month.

“Iknow… that I can beat him. That’s important,” said Schwartzman, who got past U.S. Open champion Dominic Thiem in five sets that lasted more than five hours in the quarterfinals.

More daunting to consider is how Nadal thrives on the red clay of Paris: He is 98-2 overall, including 24-0 in semifinals or finals.

“Rafa is the legend here, is the owner of this place, almost,” Schwartzman acknowledged.

No. 1 Djokovic has a narrower history of success against No. 5Tsitsipas, a 22-year-old from Greece, leading their matchup only 3-2.

One thing to watch from the outset will be how Djokovic fares physically. He wore a patch on his neck and had trouble with his left arm and shoulder in the quarterfinals, when he dropped the opening set before straightening himself out.