PARIS (AP) – Only at the end of the third of five sets, Rafael Nadal has played 112 matches of his career at the French Open, as the sun and the temperature and the cries of “Ra-fa! Ra-fa ! ” filling the evening air, the man known as the King of Clay showed precisely what this meant to him.
With each sprint-sliding-and-stretch to reach a seemingly unattainable shot from the yellow racket of his opponent, Felix Auger-Aliassime; with each winner of the right at the corner; with each volley well hit, Nadal would jump or throw an uppercut or shout “Come on!” – and often all of the above.
Nadal passed his first serious test of this French Open beating the number 9 seed Auger-Aliassime 3-6, 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 in almost 4 and a half hours. ‘entertaining. tennis in the fourth round on Sunday at the Court Philippe Chatrier.
And the reward? An attractive match against rival Novak Djokovic, who will reach the quarterfinals on Tuesday.
“It simply came to our notice then. We have a lot of history together, ”said Nadal, who had not lost a single set in the first week of the tournament until he lost two to Auger-Aliassime, a 21-year-old Canadian. “We are at Roland Garros. It’s my favorite place, no doubt. I don’t know what will happen, but the only thing I can guarantee is that I will fight to the end. “
Nadal improved to 3-0 in five-set matches in the clay court tournament that has dominated like no other has ever dominated a Grand Slam event. He’s generally 109-3 here, and two of those losses came against Djokovic, even in last year’s semifinals.
This is how important their rivalry is: this Tuesday’s match will be their 59th, more than two other men who have faced the professional era of sport. Djokovic leads 30-28, although Nadal has a 7-2 lead at the French Open.
Looking at the big picture, the record of 13 Roland Garros Christmas championships is part of his 21 Grand Slam trophy accumulation, a record for men. Number 1 Djokovic, the two-time title winner at the French Open, is just behind Christmas in the overall Slam count, tied with Roger Federer at 20 years old.
“Obviously, a long-awaited match, I think, when the draw came out, for a lot of people. I’m glad I didn’t spend too much time on the court until the quarterfinals, knowing that playing with him at Roland Garros is always a physical battle, along with everything else, “said Djokovic, who beat the 15th series Diego Schwartzman 6-1, 6-3, 6-3 Sunday before and has won all 12 sets he has played in the tournament.
“It’s a big challenge,” Djokovic said of the prospect of facing Christmas, “and probably the biggest you can have here at Roland Garros. I’m ready for that.”
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