'Miracle Man': Rafael Nadal Drives Fans Crazy by Nailing Victory in French Open Quarters
07:07 GMT 01.06.2022 (Updated: 11:44 GMT 10.12.2022)
© AFP 2023 / ANNE-CHRISTINE POUJOULAT
Subscribe
Rafael Nadal has made a habit of exceeding expectations every time he has been written off. On Tuesday, the Spaniard once again stunned fans around the world with his imperious display on the tennis court, defeating top-ranked Novak Djokovic 6-2, 4-6, 6-2, 7-6(4) in an epic French Open showdown which lasted four hours and 12-minutes.
Rafael Nadal has been trending on Twitter after he defeated Novak Djokovic in the Roland Garros quarterfinals.
🇪🇸 𝐑𝐀𝐅𝐀 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐄𝐌𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐎𝐑 🇪🇸
— Eurosport (@eurosport) May 31, 2022
Rafael Nadal is through to the French Open semi-finals after winning a four-set 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐫 against Novak Djokovic 👊
Look at what it means to the 13-time champion! 🙌#RolandGarros | @RafaelNadal pic.twitter.com/piW8X3hMvY
Like most of their 58 previous encounters, the 59th installment of the Nadal-Djokovic rivalry turned out to be an absolute thriller as the match started on Tuesday night and concluded well past 1 a.m. on Wednesday at the Court Philippe Chatrier in Paris.
Ahead of the match, the pundits had picked Djokovic as the overwhelming favourite as he had won his previous nine matches and was yet to drop a set in his four matches at the French Open.
Meanwhile, Nadal's fitness was called into question as he has struggled with a chronic foot injury. The left-hander had himself claimed that the contest against the Serbian could be the last of his career.
However, Nadal was quick off the blocks in the battle, having steamrolled the Belgrade-born superstar in the opening set.
But Djokovic made a stunning comeback in the second, securing a double break to put the match back on an even keel at a set apiece.
Nadal, however, is called a red dirt bulldozer for a reason, and he proved it in the third, as he captured the third set with a minimum of fuss.
The fourth turned out to be one for the ages, as both players matched each other shot for shot. Heading into the business end, Djokovic looked to have the edge as he had a couple of set points to take the match to a decider.
Nadal, however, had other ideas as the Australian Open holder came roaring back, first to level the set at 6 all, before powering to win in a lopsided tiebreaker.
Immediately after his triumph, Nadal was praised on social media, with some declaring him the "greatest sportsman of all time", and others called him the "miracle man".
Ahead of the match, the pundits had picked Djokovic as the overwhelming favourite as he had won his previous nine matches and was yet to drop a set in his four matches at the French Open.
Meanwhile, Nadal's fitness was called into question as he has struggled with a chronic foot injury. The left-hander had himself claimed that the contest against the Serbian could be the last of his career.
However, Nadal was quick off the blocks in the battle, having steamrolled the Belgrade-born superstar in the opening set.
But Djokovic made a stunning comeback in the second, securing a double break to put the match back on an even keel at a set apiece.
Nadal, however, is called a red dirt bulldozer for a reason, and he proved it in the third, as he captured the third set with a minimum of fuss.
The fourth turned out to be one for the ages, as both players matched each other shot for shot. Heading into the business end, Djokovic looked to have the edge as he had a couple of set points to take the match to a decider.
Nadal, however, had other ideas as the Australian Open holder came roaring back, first to level the set at 6 all, before powering to win in a lopsided tiebreaker.
Immediately after his triumph, Nadal was praised on social media, with some declaring him the "greatest sportsman of all time", and others called him the "miracle man".
Twitter screenshot of a Rafa Nadal fan after French Open quarterfinal win over Novak Djokovic
© Photo
Twitter screenshot of a Rafael Nadal supporter after French Open quarterfinal win over Novak Djokovic
An admirer, meanwhile, took a dig at Nadal's doubters who believed that the 35-year-old would not be able to beat Djokovic at night because his trademark top-spin forehand would not work so late in the day.
"Rafael Nadal d. conventional wisdom, oddsmakers, schedulers, time, tides, toes. Oh, and Novak Djokovic, 6-2, 4-6, 6-2, 7-6(4). Rounding nicely into form for the semifinals, wouldn't you say?" a social media user wrote on Twitter.
"Rafael Nadal beating Djokovic in the Roland Garros quarter-finals tonight was one of the greatest wins of his career," New York Times journalist Ben Rothenberg, one of most influential voices in tennis, posted on the micro-blogging platform.
The win over Djokovic was significant for Nadal because he's now just two wins away from securing his 22nd Grand Slam and a 14th French Open crown, leaving the World No. 1 stranded at 20.
"Rafael Nadal d. conventional wisdom, oddsmakers, schedulers, time, tides, toes. Oh, and Novak Djokovic, 6-2, 4-6, 6-2, 7-6(4). Rounding nicely into form for the semifinals, wouldn't you say?" a social media user wrote on Twitter.
"Rafael Nadal beating Djokovic in the Roland Garros quarter-finals tonight was one of the greatest wins of his career," New York Times journalist Ben Rothenberg, one of most influential voices in tennis, posted on the micro-blogging platform.
The win over Djokovic was significant for Nadal because he's now just two wins away from securing his 22nd Grand Slam and a 14th French Open crown, leaving the World No. 1 stranded at 20.
