Rafael Nadal says every match at Roland Garros could be his last. Now the Spanish king of clay has a big quarterfinal ahead against rival and world number one Novak Djokovic.
By the end of only the third five-setter Rafael Nadal had played in 112 career matches at Roland Garros, as the Sun and temperature descended and the chants of "Ra-fa! Ra-fa!" filled the evening air, the man known as the king of clay showed precisely what this meant to him.Carlos Alcaraz def Karen Khachanov 6-1, 6-4, 6-4Alexander Zverev def Bernabe Zapata Miralles 7-6 , 7-5, 6-3
"Being honest, every match that I play here, I don't know if it's going to be my last match here in Roland Garros … That's my situation now," said Nadal, who turns 36 on Friday.And the reward for coming through this one? A tantalising match-up against rival Novak Djokovic in Tuesday's quarter-finals.
"We have a lot of history together," said Nadal — who attended Saturday night's Champions League final, which was won by his favourite club, Real Madrid — and did not get back to his room until after midnight. "It's a huge challenge," Djokovic said about playing Nadal, "and probably the biggest one that you can have here in Roland Garros. I'm ready for it."
Two women's quarterfinals were set, too: 18-year-old Coco Gauff against 2017 US Open champion Sloane Stephens in an all-American match-up, and 2021 US Open runner-up Leylah Fernandez of Canada against 59th-ranked Martina Trevisan of Italy.Wrapped in souvenir orange French Open towels and blankets of various hues, spectators appreciated every last drop of drama, singing both players' first names and rising to their feet to applaud the many spectacular exchanges.
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