Djokovic 2-6, 6-4, 0-2 Nadal (set 3): The champion returns

• Nadal won the game to return the first set of 3

  Like set 1 and set 2, Nadal won the game to return the first set of 3. The Spaniard won the first seven points of the set, before taking a 2-0 lead in the 3rd set.

• Djokovic wins set 2

  Lost 0-3, but Djokovic reclaimed the game by winning two return games and leading back 4-3. Great pressure made Nadal unable to keep the decisive game and lost 4-6.

  As it darkens in Paris, High humidity and reduced temperature, ball slower and heavier. This is unfavorable playing conditions for Nadal. The more Djokovic plays, the better, when he can crush the opponent’s ball more and turn the game.

• Djokovic won two games in a row

  The cold weather in Paris gives Nole an advantage. From a 0-3 lead, he won three games in a row to equalize the score 3-3. Djokovic began to crush Nadal’s ball, when the ball was heavier and deeper than in the first set.

  The developments in the last three games showed that Nadal had reason to be concerned before the match, when he was beaten in the evening in Paris.

• Nadal continues to win the return game

  Three winners gave Nadal a 40-0 lead, before he ended the game white with a good serve. Djokovic then led 40-15 but lost four points straight and lost the game. Things are spiraling out of Nole’s control. 3-0 for Nadal.

  Djokovic made 14 self-defeating errors compared to Nadal’s 8. In particular, in the backhand, Nole made 10 mistakes himself, and Nadal only made 1 mistake from this shot.

• Nadal won the game to return to the first set of 2

  Djokovic had to save three break-points in the first game of the second set. The cross-court running forehand was the premise for Nole to save the third break-point, but the error caused him to face the fourth break-point.

  Djokovic saved the fourth break-point, then the fifth and sixth. But at Nadal’s seventh chance, Djokovic fell. The 13-minute game belongs to Nadal.

• Parameter set one

  Djokovic	Parameter	Nadal
  first	Ace	first
  0	Double error	0
  48%	Ball one into the field	62%
  62%	Win one ball point	63%
  50%	Win ball two	80%
  0/2	Take advantage of Break-point	2/4
  8	Winner	twelfth
  9	Self-defeating	6
  23	total score	30

• Nadal wins set 1

  Game 8, Djokovic scored a nice winner from his forehand, but not enough to stay in the set. Nadal served well and closed the first set with a 6-2 victory.

• Nadal leads 5-2 and holds serve

  A bad pay game by Djokovic left him 1-5. In the next communication game, Nole continuously attacked effectively, thereby reducing the score to 2-5.

• Nadal leads 4-1

  Game 4, Djokovic was determined to equalize the score with many dangerous attack situations on the two corners of the field. The Serbian had a fierce return game, causing Nadal to save two break-points. The Spaniard then won three of the next four points to keep the game.

  Game 5, Djokovic serves but always has to chase. The Serbian player left an impressive winner with a backhand, but then still lost the game when Nadal finished forehand to score the winner. 4-1 for Nadal, the gap is two break.

  Nole’s problem in the first set was that his first serve rate was low, below 50% (Nadal hit 63%).

  
  
  
  

  
  
  

• Nadal leads 2-1

  Nadal kept the game delivered, despite the difficulty. Djokovic, after being led 0-2, won four points straight. Serbian tennis players are showing signs of getting into the game more than at the beginning of the match.

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Nadal and Djokovic have met 58 times before. The Serbian player dominated with 30 wins. But, Nadal leads 7-2 at Roland Garros and 19-8 on clay. They have played 17 times in Grand Slam tournaments and Nadal won 10 matches. Last year, Djokovic beat Nadal 3-1 in the semi-finals, before defeating Stefanos Tsitsipas in the final to win the title. Nole is also the only man to beat Nadal twice at the Philippe Chatrier center court at Roland Garros.

Nadal has lost only three of his past 112 Grand Slam matches in Paris. But, two of those three losses were at the hands of Djokovic. For the first time in nearly two decades, Nadal has been underestimated compared to an opponent in his forte court. Most bookies, along with many experts, believe that Djokovic is brighter in today’s Nadal match.

Nadal’s struggling victory in the fourth round, against Felix Auger-Aliassime, shows that the “King of Clay” is not in perfect shape. Nadal’s poor form is largely due to recent rib and foot injuries. Spanish newspaper Marca thinks that the 36-year-old tennis player is not fit enough for a tough tournament like Roland Garros. Nadal played only five matches before flying to Paris.

Compared to Nadal, Djokovic made a stronger impression in the first four rounds. He kept the winning streak and only lost 30 games. Nole won nine consecutive matches from the Rome Masters. The number one player in the world has yet to lose a set, averaging just seven games per game after the first four rounds of Roland Garros. It took Djokovic just 2 hours and 17 minutes to beat 15th seed Diego Schwartzman, who is a clay-court player and pulled Djokovic into the fifth set at Roland Garros 2017.

Djokovic previously ran perfect momentum for Roland Garros, by reaching the semi-finals of the Madrid Open, and then winning the Rome Masters. In addition to the psychological trauma from the vaccination problem at the beginning of the year, Djokovic did not suffer any physical damage.

Both have pre-match pressures. Nadal wants to avenge his defeat in the Roland Garros semi-finals last year, to regain the throne in his own territory. Djokovic is chasing his rival’s record of 21 Grand Slams, while remaining number one in the world. The position of the Serbian tennis player will be threatened if he loses at the hands of Nadal. Next month, Djokovic will definitely lose 2,000 points when the ATP does not calculate this year’s Wimbledon points.

In the last eight meetings since 2018, Nadal and Djokovic have each won four times. Spanish newspaper Marca consider them to be the best rival couple of all time. Both have overwhelmed Roger Federer in head-to-head ratio, and have competed fiercely over the past few years, although young players have continuously emerged. Nadal is one Grand Slam ahead of Djokovic, but two Masters 1000 behind. Nadal dominates on clay, and Djokovic leads 20-7 on hard courts.

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