Categories: NewsSports

Nadal vs Djokovic: Head To Head Preview & More, From 2021 French Open Clash

Nadal vs Djokovic’s match details, preview, and head to head

Nadal vs Djokovic
Rafael Nadal will continue his quest for a record-extending 14th Roland Garros crown when he takes on arch-rival Novak Djokovic in the semifinals on Friday, EKO HOT BLOG gathered.

Novak Djokovic vs Rafael Nadal preview

Nadal looked in imperious form at the start of his campaign in Paris, winning his first four matches without dropping a set. He then looked primed for another straightforward victory when he took the opening set of his quarterfinal clash with Diego Schwartzman.

But the Argentine hit back and took the second 6-4, making it the first time Nadal had lost a set on Parisian clay since the 2019 final. It didn’t take long for the Spaniard to regain his rhythm though; he broke Schwartzman in the ninth game of the third set before serving it out to love.

It was one-way traffic from there on as Nadal bagelled the Argentine in the fourth set to register his 105th victory at the claycourt Grand.

Novak Djokovic, on his part, enjoyed a similarly comfortable start to his week in Paris with three straight-sets wins. But he had to fend off an almighty scare in the fourth round against Lorenzo Musetti; the Serb battled back from a two-set deficit to claim a five-set victory.

Djokovic put in a more confident display at the start of his quarterfinal against Matteo Berrettini, taking the first two sets with ease. But the World No. 1 lost the third set in a tiebreaker, at which point the momentum seemed to be swinging Berrettini’s way.

Play was then halted to remove fans from the stadium due to the COVID-19 curfew requirements in Paris and when it resumed, Djokovic hit top gear again. He put constant pressure on Berrettini’s service games and the Italian eventually cracked while serving to stay in the match at 5-6.

Novak Djokovic vs Rafael Nadal head-to-head

Novak Djokovic marginally leads the head-to-head against Rafael Nadal 29-28. But the Serb trails 7-1 at Roland Garros, with his lone victory coming in 2015.