The Prelude
After their respective fourth-round wins from Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, the two all-time greats will faceoff on Tuesday afternoon in the Quarter-Finals of the French Open.
Nadal enters after his win over the young Felix Auger Aliassime, who at the age of 21 is already ranked #9 overall in all of Men’s Tennis. Djokovic beat Diego Schwartzman in straight sets to advance.
On paper, the matchup is contested to see who may have the chance to advance to the final 4. However, between the two, it stands for much more than that.
Djokovic, ranked as the world’s best in the sport is currently tied for 2nd All-Time in the most Grand Slam wins in history with 20.
Atop that mountain stands Rafael Nadal, who has 1 more title over the 35-year-old Serbian star. Roger Federer, the Swiss star who is currently out till September following knee surgery, is tied with Djokovic; leaving it, for the time being, as a two-man race.
Nadal currently holds the lead after his Australian Open win, a win that was marred by the absence of Djokovic, who was banned from competition due to his vaccination status earlier this year.
In ways, the win laid the groundwork for this much-anticipated affair. Djokovic, who was to enter the Australian tourney as the defending champion, now faces the man who took his crown; one who he leads in head-to-head matchups, (with a 30-28 record versus Nadal).
While the rest of the field are all candidates for the title win, this match may have the winner of the 2022 French Open.
If one wins? Their records stand alone. If the other? Record books will become divided. Either way, their legacies will forever be intertwined as great individual talents and great adversaries in kind.
The Aftermath
As Tuesday’s premier showdown between the two greats was all said and done, the victory went to the Spaniard, Nadal. Currently ranked as #5 in Men’s Tennis, he draws the head-to-head matchup to a one-win deficit against Djokovic All-Time, making it 30-29 in favor of the Serbian overall.
Nadal, seeking his second Grand Slam this year, will face the 3rd best in the world today, Germany’s Alexander Zverev in the Semi-Finals. The matchup will take place at Court Philippe-Chatrier tomorrow morning at 8:45
