Nadal vs Djokovic: Talking points ahead of blockbuster French Open Q/F clash

In what promises to be another blockbuster clash at the ongoing French Open, world number one and reigning champion Novak Djokovic will take on 13-time Roland Garros winner Rafael Nadal with a shot at the semi-final.

Nadal, the master of the Clay court, advanced to the final-16 after playing out a neck-and-neck contest against 21-year-old Felix Auger-Aliassime.

The five-setter between the two saw Nadal recovering from one set down to clinch the next two comfortably. Auger-Aliassime then produced a fightback and won the fourth set to push the match into the fifth, which Nadal won 6-3. Djokovic, on the other hand, put up a dominant show against Argentina’s Diego Schwartzman. The defending champion wrapped up the show in three sets, winning the match 6-1, 6-3, 6-3.

This will be the 59th time the two icons will be against each other and here are five things to lookout for ahead of the tie:

Rich history at Roland Garros

Since his maiden French Open title, Nadal has won 109 times and lost thrice in Paris. In fact, the clash against Auger-Aliassime was only the third time that a Nadal match stretched until five sets.

Injury may play a big role

The fans are aware of Nadal’s foot injury, which resurfaced while playing the Italian Open earlier this month. The injury had then cost him the match against Denis Shapovalov but fans will pray that it won’t be the reason for another blow in the 21-times Grand Slam winner’s campaign in Paris. Nadal had addressed the matter and as per the quotes available in a report in AFP, the Spaniard had said: “I know my situation, and I accept it. I can’t complain much.”

“I am just enjoying the fact that I am here for one more year. And being honest, every match that I play here, I don’t know if it’s going to be my last at Roland Garros. I went through a tough process again with my foot, so I don’t know what can happen in the near future.”

Who holds the edge?

If we look at the head-to-head record, Djokovic certainly holds the edge, having outplayed the Spaniard 30 times in the 58 face-offs. However, when it comes to clay, the surface the two will be contesting on, Nadal is superior as compared to his opponent, with a win record of 19-8.

More so, the Spaniard, who won the Australian Open earlier this year, will also take the opportunity to avenge his semi-final loss in the same tournament last year. Djokovic had then bounced back after losing the opening set to win the match 3-6, 6-3, 7-6, 6-2.

Grievances over scheduling

Nadal has expressed his displeasure over playing Djokovic in the night. “I don’t like to play on clay during the night, because the humidity is higher, the ball is slower, and there can be very heavy conditions especially when it’s cold,” the world number five was quoted as saying in the same AFP report.

Meanwhile, Djokovic has indicated timing is not an issue for him. “All I will say is Rafa and I would make different requests,” he said.

Number one ranking in focus

Apart from the semi-final berth, a defeat against Nadal will put Djokovic’s number one ranking in jeopardy. The ongoing edition of French Open is a three-way battle for the Numero Uno position, with the second-ranked Daniil Medvedev and rank 3 Alexander Zverev in the hunt for the spot.

If Djokovic manages to win the title, he will remain at the top, but if he fails to book the final four berth it will open the gates for Medvedev and Zverev. Having said that, if Medvedev reaches the final and even if Djokovic wins the title, the Russian will return at the top. And if Zverev wins the tournament and Medvedev fails to reach the final, the German will climb to the top spot.