French Open: Djokovic knocks out King of Clay Nadal in semi thriller that was a win for tennis

Novak Djokovic ousts Rafael Nadal in four set spectacle, the only player to beat the King Clay twice at Roland Garros.

The semifinal between legends, iconic rivals, and probably two of the best athletes in our time, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal, did not disappoint. At all.

It was so good that the French Open officials threw the COVID 11 pm curfew rules out the window, allowing enthralled fans to wait out the exciting conclusion for what many are considering one of the best matches even played in tennis, 3-6, 6-3, 7-6(4), 6-2.

"“In agreement with the public authorities, the match will be able to go to its end with the spectators, it is a tolerance granted given the quite exceptional nature of the circumstances,” a Roland Garros statement read, according to Express."

13-time French Open winner Rafael Nadal took charge of the match early, racing to take the first set, seemingly on his way to securing his 14th Roland Garros crown and surpassing his competitive friend, Roger Federer, in the quest for most grand slams. As of this slam, the two will remain at the zenith of 20. Shockingly, Rafa will not defend his title on Sunday, as Novak Djokovic answered the challenge by taking the second set, maintaining the competitive edge in the third set tie break, and ultimately commanding the fourth.

French Open: Novak Djokovic defeats Rafael Nadal

It will be Novak Djokovic, gunning for a 19th slam crown that will place him just one behind his great rivals, together referred to as Fedal. Come Sunday, he will face Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas, the 22-year-old world No. 5 who is into his first grand slam final, after beating world No. 6 Alexander Zverev in back-and-forth five-setter on Friday, 6-3, 6-3, 4-6, 4-6, 6-3.

Having defeated the King of Clay at Roland Garros for the second time—the only player to do so at the tournament—Djokovic has thrown down the gauntlet in the Big 3 lexicon. If he wins the French Open on Sunday, he will be the only player among the three titans who have defined tennis greatness to own a Double Grand Slam, at least two titles of each slam.

In a race for GOAT status, Djokovic’s advancement to the finals just established the Serb as the most likely to overtake the three titans of the sport. Currently the Serb sits just two behind Federer and Nadal, but as the youngest member of the Big 3 and with his success on all three surfaces of tennis, it would be difficult to imagine that he doesn’t add at least three more titles—if not more—to his ever-growing haul of hardware. A two-slam margin isn’t much for the aggressively hungry Djokovic.

And Federer and Nadal know it.

A 12-year gap exists between Djokovic and Tsitsipas, but a world of experience in slams even more. The 18-slam champion has won the last four clashes between the two, including their last two clay matchups, most recently at last month’s Rome Masters.

Novak Djokovic looks practically unstoppable in his pursuit of GOAT status. As the world No. 1, if he wins a second Roland Garros, he could position himself to take both the Wimbledon and the U.S. Open titles. If he does this, he will usher in the most dominant tennis presence in the last decade and would not only overtake Fedal in the overall tally of slams—at 21—would surely cement his name as the undisputed GOAT.

And he could achieve this by the end of the year, unbelievably.

The Sunday’s men’s final between Novak Djokovic and Stefanos Tsitsipas will take place at 9:00 a.m., viewable on NBC.