Nadal through to eighth French Open final after epic semi
In a classic five-set semi-final, Spain’s Rafael Nadal defeats world number one Novak Djokovic in Paris to reach his eighth French Open tennis final, where he will play fellow Spaniard David Ferrer.
Top seed Djokovic was hoping to reach the final and claim his first French Open, but Nadal, playing at his first grand slam tournament since Wimbledon last year, won through 4-6 6-3 1-6 7-6 (7-3) 7-9 in a pulsating match that lasted for four and a half hours.
Nadal, making his comeback after nearly a year out with a serious and almost career-threatening knee injury, had blasted opponents aside in the preceding rounds, proving that he remains among the elite in world men’s tennis.
High drama
In a match of high drama, featuring a point penalty, a near tumble over the net and trick-shot mishaps, it was the rallies that made the difference, as Nadal withstood Djokovic’s baseline onslaught to extend his run at the clay court major to 58 wins and one defeat.
Nadal had stood two points from the final in the fourth set when he let the Serbian off the hook by dropping serve at 6-5 up.
Djokovic blitzed through the fourth set tie-break 7-3, then took a 4-2 leader in the final set – but Nadal’s fighting instincts ensured a 9-7 victory.
Tennis fans can now look forward to an all-Spanish final, with Spain’s David Ferrer beating Frenchman Jo Wilfred Tsonga in straight sets in the day’s second semi-final.
Nadal has the chance to equal Max Decugis’s record of eight French Open titles (the last in 1914).