For a man who did not want to play Novak Djokovic at night, Rafael Nadal certainly made the best of the situation.
Whatever the hour and whatever the surface, Nadal remains one of the supreme fighters and problem solvers in sports. Though Nadal did not have the clout as a 13-time French Open champion to influence the scheduling, he did have the skill and the will to hold off the only man who has beaten him twice at Roland Garros.
Nadal, who will turn 36 on Friday, was irresistible at the start of his latest marathon with Djokovic and sometimes shaky in the middle, but he found a way well after midnight to save two set points down the stretch and cross the finish line in first with a 6-2, 4-6, 6-2, 7-6 (7-4) victory.
“Novak is one of the best players of the history without a doubt,” Nadal said. “Playing him is always an amazing challenge, all the history we have together. Today (Tuesday) was another one. To win against Novak there is only one way to play, at your best and first point to the last, and tonight was one of those magic nights for me.”
This four-hour-and-12-minute triumph did not secure Nadal the trophy. It was only a quarter final on a chilly Tuesday evening when scarves were definitely in order on the Philippe Chatrier Court.
But the victory — completed at 1:15 am local time Wednesday — did provide Nadal with the sort of buzz and satisfaction that validates his decision to keep pushing the limits at this late stage of his career and also protected his lead in the race to finish with the most men’s Grand Slam singles titles.
Nadal took hold of the record by winning his 21st major title at the Australian Open in January, breaking his tie with his long-time rivals Djokovic and Roger Federer, who both have won 20.
Not that Nadal is obsessing over the race. “There is always a conversation about the player who will finish with more slams or who is the best of the history, but from my perspective it doesn’t matter that much,” he said. “We achieved our dreams.”
There was a time, early in his long period of dominance in Paris, when he was no crowd favourite at Roland Garros. The fans traditionally cheer for the underdog and long cheered for Federer most loudly of all when it came to the Big Three players who have ruled the men’s game for most of the last 20 years.
But the mood has shifted in recent seasons. There is now a statue of Nadal near the entrance of the stadium complex, and throughout Tuesday evening there were chants of “Rafa” even as Djokovic prepared to serve at critical phases.
“I think probably they know that I am not going to be here a lot more times,” Nadal said. Djokovic arrived in Paris and at Tuesday’s match in more convincing form than Nadal, who is without a doubt the greatest men’s clay-court player in history but was very short on matches on the surface this year.
“Yes, I was surprised by my level tonight,” Nadal said. “But in a way it makes it simpler when you know that you either need your A game or you’re going home.”
He was downbeat after his defeat at the Itlian Open but did not rule out playing in the French Open and arrived in Paris seeded fifth and, unlike in Rome, with his longtime physician, Angel Ruiz-Cotorro. “I am putting everything that I have to try to play this tournament with the best conditions possible, no? I don’t know what can happen after, honestly, but here I think I am going to be fine.”
“I’m not surprised at all,” Djokovic said after the match. “It’s not the first time that he, you know, is able to a few days after he’s injured and barely walking to come out 100 percent physically fit. You know, he’s done it many times in his career, so I’m not surprised.”
Djokovic still leads their overall series 30-29 but Nadal has now extended his lead over Djokovic in French Open matches to 8-2 and will face Alexander Zverev on Friday for a place in the men’s singles final.
(New York Times News Service)