Rafael Nadal doesn't know if he will play his last match at the place he loves.
If he keeps winning and performing the way he did during the quarterfinals, Nadal will have more chances to play.
With a mix of brilliant shot-making and his trademark resilience, Nadal got past the top-seeded defending French Open champion Djokovic, moving a step closer to his 14th championship at the clay-court Grand Slam tournament and what would be a 22nd major.
There is only one way to win against Novak, and that is to play your best from the first point to the last.
For anyone lucky enough to be there, too.
The match started a little after 9 p.m. After 1 a.m., Tuesday and concluded more than four hours later. Wednesday.
A game, a point, a stroke or a step came with a hint of insouciance. Both men gave their all. Nothing came easily.
The quality of play, the effort, and the anticipation that preceded it all made this a final.
There was no trophy given to the winner.
In the second set, Nadal had a big lead, but he ended up taking it.
Even though he had a three-point lead in the fourth, he was powerless to stop it, even though he was one point from forcing a fifth. After his first three match points went awry, Nadal saved those set points and broke there, then ran away with the closing tiebreaker, seizing a 6-1 edge and never losing focus.
Nadal said playing against him is an amazing challenge.
More than any other two men have played each other in the Open era, this was the 59th of their careers. While improving to 8-2 against his rival, Nadal narrowed the series lead to 30-29.
For his career at the place, Nadal is now over 100 wins. In last year's semifinals, two of those losses came against Djokovic.
This year, Nadal made sure that he remained in the lead with 20 Slams.
The third-seeded Alexander Zverev will face the second-seeded Nadal in the semifinals on Friday.
He smiled when the subject of Nadal's future was brought up.
Nadal said that he would see you in two days.
All Rights Reserved © 2024
