BarcelonaIt was June 7, 2006. Rafa Nadal was defending the Roland Garros title, when he was surprised to win the tournament at just 19 years old against the Argentine Mariano Puerta. But that summer of 2006 Christmas was no longer a surprise. He was walking steadily towards his second title on Roland Garros clay court when in the quarter-finals he had to face a 19-year-old Serbian boy: Novak Djokovic. The Manacor player won the first two sets, and in the third Djokovic retired due to a back injury. Few people could have imagined then that they had just seen the first duel of the greatest rivalry in the history of tennis. They will now play for the 59th time. Never before has a confrontation been seen so many times.
In 2006 few people paid attention to the words of Djokovic, who after being injured said: “Christmas can be defeated on clay, I already understand how it can be done.” A year later, in 2007, Nadal would win the second duel against the Serb on the Indian Wells Speedway, but a few weeks later Djokovic’s first speedway victory would arrive in Miami. Now, the Serb should wait until 2011 to defeat Nadal for the first time on clay, in the 26th clash between the two. His 2006 prophecy was finally fulfilled, as Djokovic is the player who has defeated Nadal most times on clay in history: he has done so on 8 occasions. For his part, Nadal has surpassed it 19 times on this surface, statistics that have been matched in recent years.
Djokovic has won 30 of the 58 precedents and also dominates the history when they face in finals: 15 to 13. Now, when it comes to matches in a Grand Slam tournament, he rules Christmas 10 to 7. The player from Manacor dominates over clay and at Roland Garros, of course, but he knows that the Serb is the only player who has defeated him in the big four tournaments. This year’s Roland Garros quarter-finals come with the shadow of Carlos Alcaraz, the possible rival in the semifinals if the Murcian does not fail against the German Zverev. During the early years, the great rivalry was between Nadal and Federer, with Djokovic trying to make a place for himself in the world tennis Olympus. I would get it. Now they are both veterans who have gone through difficult months and know that Alcaraz wants to challenge them. In fact, the young man from Murcia has shown his character at the press conference, where he has asked to stop playing on the night shift in order to rest better. That is, hinting that it should be Nadal and Djokovic who should play this turn. The Serb likes to play at night. Christmas no. “It could be my last game at Roland Garros and I want to play it during the day, the time I’ve always known this tournament,” said the Mallorcan, who will turn 36 this week.
Djokovic in form
Nadal has suffered injuries in recent months, which have not prevented him from winning the first Grand Slam of the season in Australia and becoming the player with the biggest titles in history, 21, after undoing the tie with Djokovic and Federer, 20. The Serb, on the other hand, put himself in the wolf’s throat on his own, not wanting to be vaccinated against covid-19, which led to him being deported from Australia, where he could not compete. Now at Roland Garros he looks fit. Despite losing to Hurricane Alcaraz in Madrid, he won the tournament in Rome, where he proved to be at a high level of play. With pride wounded after the events in Australia, he wants to vindicate himself. Former player Alex Corretja told Eurosport that Djokovic “understands the game on clay better and better, and has returned to a very high level of play”. So far he has not lost a single set. Nadal yes, after needing five in the round of 16 against the young Canadian Félix Auger-Aliassime, coached by Toni Nadal, his uncle.
The 59th duel between the two comes with the Serb in front, with 30 wins and 20 losses. They had not seen each other for a year, since the Roland Garros semi-finals in 2021, when Djokovic, one of the only two players to have defeated Manacor in the French tournament, won. The other is the Swede Robin Soderling, who did it in 2009. 354 days later, the great tennis rivalry returns with a quarterfinal match at Roland Garros, like the one in 2006. A rivalry destined to end at some point , now that Nadal is talking enigmatically about his future: “I hope I’m good enough. I haven’t played against Djokovic in a year and it’s a big challenge. My situation and I accept it, what I’m going to do is fight, I can’t complain because I’m in quarters. Each match may be my last at Roland Garros I have had a difficult time with my foot and I don’t know what will happen to my career. Roland Garros rounds, “said the only player who has ever won a Grand Slam tournament. 10 times. In total, 13 times. Always in Paris, at Roland Garros.
