Djokovic finally solves Nadal at Roland Garros
Spaniard entered 70-1 on French clay
PARIS • It has been a chase like no other for Novak Djokovic. For nearly a decade, he has had to deal with Rafael Nadal’s red dust at Roland Garros; had to absorb lopsided defeats and agonizingly close losses; had to push his limits away from Paris in order to have a chance to solve the Nadal riddle in Paris.
But on a cool, sunlit afternoon in the historic stadium where Nadal became a global star and the greatest clay-court master in history, Djokovic finally reeled him in.
His 7-5, 6-3, 6-1 victory Wednesday was a tennis lesson and a geometry master class, and that it came in the quarter-finals instead of a more decisive round should not diminish the achievement.
“It’s a special thing, a special match,” Djokovic said. “You prepare for the match in the best possible way to get out there and execute your plan. Obviously it’s easier said than done. When you are on the court with him and on the court he has lost only once in his entire career, it’s not always easy to execute the plan you prepared before the match. But I managed to do that.
“I had a very strong start. Except for the second part of the first set and the first part of the second, the entire match went really well for me. It’s definitely a big win, a match I will remember for a long time.”
Djokovic, the No. 1 seed, is now the favourite to win the only Grand Slam singles title he lacks. In the semifinals Friday, he will face third-seeded Andy Murray, who defeated David Ferrer, 7-6 (4), 6-2, 5-7, 6-1.
Nadal, the nine-time French Open champion, arrived at this hugely anticipated match with a 70-1 record at Roland Garros and a 6-0 record against Djokovic here. His only previous defeat at the French Open was in the fourth round in 2009, when he was stunned by Robin Soderling in four sets.
That defeat was only an interregnum, though, as he reeled off five more titles in a row in Paris.
But he is down to No. 7 in the rankings, and this lopsided defeat, which ended with a double fault and his losing his serve at love, will knock him out of the top 10 for the first time since April 2005.
The score line on Wednesday was unexpected, but not the outcome. Djokovic, the 28-year-old Serbian, is the clear No. 1, who has swept all the important tournaments so far this season and has now won 27 matches in a row. Nadal has lost five times on clay this season, more than he once lost in an entire five-year period.
In their only other clay-court meeting this year, Djokovic defeated Nadal, 6-3, 6-3, in the semifinals in Monte Carlo.
But it was still hard to imagine such a result in Paris, still strange to witness a clear changing of the guard on the patch of crushed red brick where Nadal has crushed the hope out of so many opponents and won more singles titles than any man in a Grand Slam event.
“When you lose in the way I lost today, all you can do is accept it,” Nadal said. “He played better than I did. And when that is the case, you have to first, accept it; second, congratulate the opponent; and third, analyze the reasons behind the defeat and then work really hard. That’s what I think I’ll have to do now.”
Though the suspense was gone by the final stages of the match, Nadal was not a shadow of his dominant self Wednesday.
It appeared he might be when Djokovic rolled to a 4-0 lead in the opening set. It was sword against cannon, typewriter against touch screen.
But Nadal, even in a down year and perhaps a downward spiral, still possesses extraordinary will and skill, and he managed to pull himself together. He erased Djokovic’s two-break advantage and evened the set at 4-4.
He then saved five set points, often in the gutsiest fashion (including a pair of drop shots), before Djokovic closed out the set when Nadal’s low backhand volley landed just wide.
The 67-minute set was worthy of their many close duels through the years. This was their 44th match. They have played more than any other men in the Open era, and Nadal still leads, 23-21. But instead of that first set becoming the prologue to another epic, it was the peak of the action.
Nadal, defending with familiar gusto, stayed in touch until 3-3 in the second set. But Djokovic took control from there, reeling off nine of the last 10 games, stepping inside the baseline and dictating the terms.
The margins, at times, were thin. Nadal missed several critical whipping forehands by centimetres; Djokovic won two games with net-cord winners.
But he also won big points with brilliance, including a phenomenal angled backhand half-volley off a fine Nadal passing shot to give himself a set point in the second set.
He converted it, and there was ultimately no arguing with the score line or with Djokovic’s progress.
“He’s probably in the best moment of his career,” Nadal said.
Djokovic, recently married and the father of a young son, did not disagree. He has been an irresistible force for most of the season, winning the Australian Open and then Masters 1000 tournaments in California, Miami, Monte Carlo and Rome.
“My plan was to focus on things I can influence, that I can do well: my game plan, my mindset, my approach,” Djokovic said. “I didn’t want to give him too much comfort and opportunities where he can dictate the play, so that was more or less about it. I tried to mix up the pace, get into the net, drop shots, high balls, fast balls, always something different.”
It was a well-plotted, wellexecuted, well-deserved triumph, even though it was not much of a birthday present. Nadal turned 29 Wednesday and looked understandably rather older as he trudged to the net, bandana in his hand, to shake Djokovic’s hand.
“I lost in 2009 and it was not the end,” Nadal said. “I lost in 2015, and it’s not the end. I hope to be back here the next year with another chance.”
When you lose in the way I lost today, all you can do is accept it