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Novak Djokovic outlasts Rafael Nadal, the king of clay French Open semifinals - ESPN
Jun 12, 2021 1 min, 33 secs
Novak Djokovic calls his win in the French Open semifinals over Rafael Nadal the best match he has been a part of at Roland Garros.

PARIS -- On the sun-scorched clay courts of Roland Garros on Friday, Novak Djokovic did something only he and one other man, Robin Soderling, had ever done before: He beat Rafael Nadal.

After 3 hours, 28 minutes, and with the previously indefatigable Nadal showing the first signs of cramping at the end, Djokovic stood strong to give the Spaniard only his third loss in 108 matches at Roland Garros.

"Definitely the best match that I was part of ever in Roland Garros for me," Djokovic said.

As the match wore on, Djokovic was able to begin dictating from the baseline, taking the ball early and moving Nadal from side to side, mixing in drop shots along the way.

Using his forehand cross-court on the angle, he began to pull Nadal out of court, testing his agility and speed to the very limit.

With Nadal starting to miss, Djokovic held the advantage to level the match.

Nadal had set point at 6-5, only for Djokovic to save it with a drop shot.

By then, the standard of tennis was on another planet, but once Djokovic won the tiebreak 7-4, it was an uphill battle for Nadal.

Beating Nadal on clay in Paris for the second time gives Djokovic a shot at his 19th Grand Slam title, but the Serb 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.

Nadal said Djokovic had been the better player and tried to put things into perspective when he spoke to the Spanish media.

But it's just a defeat on a tennis court, you know, and tomorrow I'll be at home with my family.

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