Spanish player Rafael Nadal, a 13-time title holder, deprived Serbian rival Novak Djokovic, the world number one, of his title at Roland Garros in the early hours of Wednesday. The matador settled the 59th encounter against his Serbian rival to reach the semi-finals of the second Grand Slam tournament for the 15th time, winning with a score of 6-2, 4-6, 6-2, 7-6 (7/4). "Rafa" avenged his loss to Djokovic in last year's semi-finals, which marked only the third defeat in his history at Roland Garros, and secured his 29th victory over the Serbian in their head-to-head encounters after 4 hours and 12 minutes, against 30 for Novak.
Nadal will face German Alexander Zverev, the world number three, who defeated promising Spanish player Carlos Alcaraz in the quarter-finals. The "matador" improved his record against Djokovic at Roland Garros to eight wins against two for the latter, including three in final matches. This match was the first between the players since last year's semi-final. Nadal broke the tie with both Djokovic and Swiss player Roger Federer in Grand Slam titles, raising his total to 21 and setting a new record, when he won the Australian Open at the beginning of the year after preventing the Serbian from defending his title due to his deportation for not being vaccinated against the coronavirus.
