Djokovic: ‘I suffered a lot from Nadal’

Djokovic and Nadal won in the fourth round, creating the most awaited match in the quarterfinals of Roland Garros on May 31. The Serbian tennis player is rated slightly better than the opponent, because of his impressive performance and the opponent is not in perfect shape. But, Djokovic was cautious when it came to the match with the “King of Clay”. He said: “Roland Garros is the most difficult Grand Slam because there is Nadal. I said after winning last year that it is like climbing Everest and it will always be difficult.”

Djokovic wins Nadal in the semifinals last year, and then beat Stefanos Tsitsipas to win Roland Garros for the second time. He previously beat Nadal in the quarterfinals of 2015. Djokovic is the only player to beat Nadal twice at Roland Garros. The “King of Clay” lost only three matches in his forte tournament, in 111 matches spanning 18 years.

“I had to wait 12 years to win Roland Garros,” Djokovic recalled the 2016 championship. “I also waited four more years to win the second title. During all those years, I suffered a lot with a series of failed semi-finals and finals, marathons, most of which until 2016 were at the hands of Nadal. It was great when I won for the first time. It was like a relief to my mind.”

Djokovic lost to Nadal seven times at Roland Garros, including three finals in 2012, 2014 and 2020. The Serbian player also lost to his rival in the quarterfinals of 2006, the semi-finals of 2007 and 2013. In the semi-finals of 2013, Djokovic pulled Nadal into the fifth set, then lost 7-9.

In 2016, Nadal withdrew in the third round due to a left wrist injury. Djokovic then defeated Andy Murray in the final to win Roland Garros for the first time. The Serbian player previously lost to Stan Wawrinka in the 2015 final.

“After winning the 2016 championship, I played with more confidence and stability at Roland Garros,” added Djokovic. “I’m a regular in quarterfinals, semi-finals, finals and was lucky to win it last year. To be honest, it’s harder to win here than any other Grand Slam. I didn’t know I won it by myself. My second week here last year was four of the hardest matches of my career. It was the hardest week I’ve faced before winning a Grand Slam.”

Djokovic won Roland Garros last year after a streak of back-to-back wins from the fourth round against Lorenzo Musetti. He lost to the Italian juniors in the first two sets, then won the following three sets. In the quarterfinals, Djokovic took four sets to beat Matteo Berrettini. He defeated Nadal in the semi-finals after losing the first set. In the final, Djokovic continued to beat Tsitsipas despite losing two sets.

The performance of the world number one player at Roland Garros this year is more stable. He has yet to lose a set on his way to the quarterfinals. According to bookmakers, Djokovic is still the number one candidate for the championship, although meet Nadal tomorrow May 31st.

Vy Anh (follow Tennishead)