Nadal beats Djokovic as the two giants clash at Roland Garros

Rafa Nadal took the glory at the French Open, Roland Garros. Regardless of how many years go by the Spaniard will always be the favorite of this tournament. His latest epic, which began in May and ended in June, was to beat his greatest current rival, Novak Djokovic, in four sets by 6-2, 4-6, 6-2, and 7-6 in four hours and 12 minutes. A quarterfinal duel that has been marked as a classic of world tennis that ended at 1:12 a.m., with temperatures in the 50s in Paris.

Now Nadal has a chance to consolidate his lead, currently 21-20, in the great race to see who can win the most Grand Slam titles. Their 59th match was a tennis masterclass in which Nadal showed a greater mentality in the deciding tiebreak. Taking advantage of Djokovic's errant groundstrokes, he raced into a 6-1 lead and then kept his cool to land a backhand winner when it was 6-4.

NADAL WINS! #RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/QYPz8NCuqI

— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) May 31, 2022

After the victory, Nadal described the battle as "magical."

"It was an incredible match, very emotional for me. Thanks to everyone who stayed. It has been very tough, always playing against Novak is an incredible challenge. To beat Novak the only way is to play your best from the first point to the last. A magical night for me. I feel the affection of everyone here in the most important place of my career."

Cutting shapes 🕺📐@RafaelNadal | #RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/gvgMh9eaCF

— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) May 31, 2022

For his part, Djokovic was gracious in his defeat. "He was the better player in the important moments, Rafa was able to take his tennis to another level." 

Nadal will now face third seed Alexander Zverev, who had earlier managed to narrowly stop the comeback of 19-year-old contender Carlos Alcaraz after completing a 6-4, 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 victory.