Novak Djokovic cane from a set down in a mouthwatering 1 hour,11 minutes French open semi final to beat defending champion Rafael Nadal moving through 3-6,6-3,7-6,6-2 on Friday.
It was a jaw-dropping effort from the Serbian as he became the only player to beat Nadal twice at the French open.It was also the third time Nadal has been beaten on the clay court Grand slam since making his debut in 2005.
The victory on Friday was in front of 5,000 fans.
Beating Nadal on clay in Paris for the second time gives Djokovic a shot at his 19th Grand Slam title, but the Serbian paid tribute to everything Nadal has achieved in Paris.
“It’s hard to find words bigger than all the superlatives you can think of for Rafa’s achievements in Roland Garros,” he said. “He has been the most dominant player of the Roland Garros history. He lost now three times in his entire career. He’s been playing here almost 20 years. That achievement speaks for itself. The number of wins that he has made on this court is incredible. Each time you step on the court with him, you know that you have to kind of climb Mount Everest to win against this guy here.
“It’s just one of these matches that I really will remember for a very long time, not just because I won the match but because of the atmosphere and just the occasion was very special.”
Nadal said Djokovic had been the better player and tried to put things into perspective when he spoke to the Spanish media.
“My opportunities to win here are not eternal,” he said. “In our sport, you must admit both victory and defeat. I do know that I can’t win the tournament 15, 18, 20 times. It’s not a disaster at all. I’m sad, I lost at the most important tournament of the year for me. But it’s just a defeat on a tennis court, you know, and tomorrow I’ll be at home with my family. That’s OK.”
Djokovic will now come up against Greek,Stefansos Tsitsipas,winner of a five-set contest with Alexander Zverev earlier on Friday.
22 year old Tsitsipas will be hoping to pull a suprise against the world number 1,Novak Djokovic at the final on Sunday at the Court Philipe-Chatrier.
Tsitsipas has his wish,but Djokovic comes his way
By: Yahaya Abdul-Wahab (Wahab)
