Nadal aims to avenge loss to Schwartzman
Meets Argentine in semifinals of French Open
PARIS • Rafael Nadal gets the opportunity to avenge his only loss in 10 meetings with Diego Schwartzman, which he suffered a little more than two weeks ago, when Spain’s 12-time French Open winner faces the Argentine in the semifinals at Roland Garros on Friday.
The Rome Masters was Nadal’s first tournament in seven months following the shutdown due to the COVID - 19 pandemic and while the world No. 2 was then striving to make his way back to match fitness, he is a different beast at Roland Garros.
The second seed, who is bidding to equal Roger Federer’s 20 Grand Slam titles, has only ever lost two matches at the clay court major — to Robin Soderling and Novak Djokovic — and has yet to lose a set en route to the semifinals this year.
“He’s coming with big confidence,” Nadal said of the Schwartzman, seeded 12th at the French Open.
“Two weeks in a row ... He’s in the final in Rome, he’s in the semifinals here. He beat me there. It’s a plus of confidence for him. I know that.
“I’m going to try to go on court, play my best, try to play my game, play aggressive, try to do something a little bit different than what I did in Rome, of course. Hope to be ready to play my best. That’s what I need.”
Nadal’s coach, Carlos Moya, has said the Spaniard learned from the Rome loss and will be ready for Schwartzman.
Nadal, 34, has complained about the cold weather at the rescheduled Grand Slam, which is usually held in May and June, the new balls being used for this edition and the late finishes.
But the unusual conditions have had little impact on his performances as he has dropped just 34 games in his five wins.
Schwartzman reached his maiden Grand Slam semifinal after a five- hour victory over Austria’s U. S. Open winner Dominic Thiem, who lost the two previous Roland Garros finals to Nadal.
The Argentine was not too sure if his win in Rome would mean anything Friday on Court Philippe Chatrier.
“If I see the history, I’m 10-1 down. I’m not sure if I’m going to have a lot of confidence,” he told reporters. “But I know this week that I can beat him. That’s the important thing.”
TSITSIPAS BLOCKING DJOKOVIC’S PATH
Novak Djokovic will be favourite to reach his 27 th Grand Slam final when he faces Stefanos Tsitsipas in the French Open semis on Friday but what had been a smooth path through the draw has suddenly got a little rocky.
Af ter his humiliating disqualification in the U. S. Open fourth round when he inadvertently struck a ball in frustration into the throat of a line judge, Djokovic’s French Open campaign has been remarkably uneventful.
But after winning his opening four matches without dropping a set, he had to come from a set down in the quarter- finals to beat Pablo Carreno Busta, the player who directly benefited from his moment of madness in New York.
Djokovic, bidding for a second French Open and 18th Grand Slam title, still reached his 38 th major semifinal relatively comfortably but for a set and a half against the Spaniard he struggled physically.
Afterward he spoke of neck and shoulder problems and should he not be 100 per cent fit against 22- year- old Tsitsipas, who is in only his second Grand Slam semifinal, it could be a long night on the Philippe Chatrier Court.
“I think Novak’s injury is a big worry,” said former French Open champion Mats Wilander, a Eurosport analyst. “It’s a legitimate injury and if he doesn’t get a good start then that could be a problem.”
Tsitsipas, the fifth seed, was thrashed by Nadal in his previous Grand Slam semifinal last yearat the Australian Open, but ended 2019 by winning the prestigious ATP finals.
After a stuttering start in Paris when he trailed Spain’s Jaume Munar by two sets, Tsitsipas has been blemish-free, winning 15 consecutive sets although one was not completed after Aljaz Bedene retired injured in the third round.
Tsitsipas will need his renowned shotmaking skills to break through the Djokovic wall, however, whether the Serb is fully fit or not. He has done it twice before in Masters 1000 events but has never met Djokovic on a Grand Slam stage.
Remarkably, Djokovic’s only “loss” in 36 matches this year was his default, but he will be wary of a player hungry to make his Grand Slam breakthrough.
“He’s been playing the tennis of his life really in the last 12 months,” Djokovic said.