Modern tennis greats Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal will add another chapter to their rich history when they meet in the French Open quarter-finals. Djokovic has been in dominant form but can he overcome the king of clay?
Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal have 41 grand slam titles between themWith 41 grand slams between them, Serbia's Novak Djokovic and Spain's Rafael Nadal will meet in the quarter-finals of the French Open. The contest between two of the sports modern greats will be one to savour and in their twilight years, there's no guarantee of an encore.
World number one Djokovic and the fifth seed Nadal have played 58 times, with the Serb winning 30 of those encounters.Fittingly, their first meeting was in the French Open quarter-finals in 2006. The Spaniard was leading 6-4, 6-4 when Djokovic retired. "It's a huge challenge, probably the biggest one you can have at Roland Garros," the 35-year-old Djokovic said after his fourth-round win over Argentina's Diego Schwartzman.Nadal is the undisputed king of clay with a record 13 French Open titles, but years of brutal shot-making have taken a toll.Since losing to Djokovic at last year's French Open, the Spanish bull has battled foot and rib injuries.
"I'm glad that I didn't spend too much time on the court up to the quarter-finals; playing him at Roland Garros is always a physical battle along with everything else that happens," Djokovic said.The "everything else" Djokovic refers to includes the crowd support that Nadal will have during their match, as the French fans embrace the Spaniard like one of their own.
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