“Bon soir,” Nadal said to the audience in a true night session on the Court Philippe Chatrier. “It’s very emotional, it’s incredible for me to play here. Everyone knows how important this tournament is to me,” said the Spaniard, who has won an incredible 13 of his 21 major titles at Roland Garros. Now he is “only” missing two victories to once again stretch the Coupe des Mousquetaires into the sky.
But Nadal didn’t think about that at that time. “It was a very tough match, Novak is undoubtedly one of the best players in history. There is only one way to beat him: to show your best until the last ball.” When asked by court interviewer Marion Bartoli about the special magic that connects Nadal with Paris and this court, the Mallorcan confirmed this once again. “Without a doubt, there is no other place like this for me. Feeling the love of the people here in Paris means everything to me.”
The 59th duel of the superstars was intense from the start and at the highest level. After 25 minutes of play, it was just 2-1 from Nadal’s point of view. After 49 minutes of play, the Spaniard finally won the first set 6:2. At first it continued in this key: Another 12-minute game to start with. This time Nadal needed seven breakballs before he took Djokovic’s serve again. When he made a 6:2 3:0 lead with a brisk second break, many Nadal fans were already in good spirits.
Djokovic fights back
But Djokovic fought his way up to 2: 3, and then the sixth game alone lasted around 20 minutes: Nadal missed several chances to make it 4: 2, and now the “Djoker” used the fifth break ball to make it 3: 3. At 5: 4, Djokovic then used the second break and set ball to make it 6: 4 after 2:16 hours. Djokovic also opened the third round, and for the third time Nadal got the 35-year-old Serb’s service. The Mallorcan improved again, Djokovic became a little more mistaken, and so Nadal managed the second break to make it 4-1. He did not let this advantage be taken from him. After 2:59 hours he made the lead 6:2 or 2:1.
In the fourth set, a quick break to make it 2-0 seemed to put Djokovic on course for set five, and at 5-3 the world number one had two set balls, but Nadal made the re-break to make it 4-5 and actually made it 5 after 2-5: 5. And nothing came of what was only the fourth five-set duel between the two active tennis legends in the 59th edition of this classic. The match was decided in the tie-break, Nadal was superior with 6/1 in front, but only used the fourth match point after 4:12 hours. The 36-year-old Nadal now reduced the head-to-head with Djokovic to 29:30.
Zverev disenchanted “child prodigy” Alcaraz
In the semifinals, Nadal meets Alexander Zverev, who disenchanted “child prodigy” Carlos Alcaraz in four sentences. The German seeded number three converted his second match point in a high-class game after 3:18 hours and can therefore continue to dream of the first Grand Slam title of his career. The 25-year-old is in Paris for the second year in a row and in a major semi-final for the fifth time in his career.
“I knew that I had to play my best tennis from the start and I did it,” said Zverev in the winner’s interview on the court. “He (Alcaraz, note) will win this tournament several times. I hope I can make it before he starts beating us all.”
For Zverev it was the first win against a top ten player in one of the four Grand Slam tournaments. And that too against the player of the hour. Because Alcaraz had not lost 14 games in a row before and won the tournaments in Barcelona and Madrid before the French Open. Especially in the Spanish capital, the young star had come up trumps and had beaten Nadal, Djokovic and Zverev in the final. There the German didn’t stand a chance at 3: 6 1: 6.
Zverev shows nerves of steel
In the Stade Roland Garros it looked very different on Tuesday. Because Zverev acted much more aggressively than in the previous games and did not let Alcaraz play his usual dominant game. He also showed nerves of steel right from the start when he fended off a break ball from the Spaniard in his first service game. Instead, he took over the service from Alcaraz himself a little later and from then on determined what happened, to the amazement of the spectators.
In the fourth set, Alcaraz, who was now increasing, tried to pull the momentum onto his side several times. But Zverev held on and made the break to 5: 4. But that wasn’t enough to win at first because Alcaraz managed the rebreak. The decision had to be made in the tie-break, where Zverev fended off a set ball to make the victory perfect a little later. “I’m extremely happy that I won the tie-break,” admitted Zverev.
Trevisan and Gauff for the first time in the semifinals
For the women, the Italian Martina Trevisan is in the semi-finals of a Grand Slam tournament for the first time in her career. The unseeded 28-year-old defeated Canadian Leylah Fernandez 6: 2 6: 7 (3/7) 6: 3 and in the semi-finals meets Cori Gauff, who is ten years her junior and who is also making her semi-final debut at a major. The 18th-placed American defeated her compatriot Sloane Stephens 7-5 6-2.
Gauff and Trevisan in the semifinals
At the French Open in Paris, the only 18-year-old Coco Gauff continued to cause a sensation. After a two-set win over compatriot Sloane Stephens, the American is in a Grand Slam semi-final for the first time in her career.
Trevisan missed a match ball against number 17 seeded Fernandez, who was struggling with foot problems, in the second set when the score was 5: 4 and gave the round to the 2021 US Open finalist in the tie-break. However, the number 59 in the world was not deterred by this and stormed to a 4-0 lead in the decisive set and finally converted her second match point after 2:21 hours.
“I was nervous at the first match point, I was thinking too much. About the fact that I’m only one point away from the semi-finals. After that I came to terms with the situation and just kept going,” said Trevisan after her victory. The Italian had already reached the quarter-finals in Paris two years ago, but then lost to eventual winner Iga Swiatek. This duel can now come at the earliest in the final.
Gauff wins a high-class game
Gauff and Stephens showed some high-class and long rallies after the Trevisan success, but mostly the teenager had the better end for himself against 29-year-old Stephens, who was in the Paris final in 2018. After exactly 90 minutes, Gauff used her second match ball to get into the last four.
“I am so happy and can hardly find words. Up until last year, I might have tried too hard to live up to the expectations of others,” said Gauff, adding: “It’s more about enjoying life.” The 18-year-old was in the quarter-finals at Roland Garros last year , now she is one step further and can look forward to the preliminary highlight of her career.
