".For Nadal, anything was better than the seven months he spent sitting at home recovering from a knee injury until his return in February. ","Nothing comes easy to you; you've got to earn it," he said. It was the 117th edition of the French Open and the second Grand Slam event of the year. "I lost similar one in Australia. At 31, he become the oldest champion in Paris since 34-year-old Andres Gimeno in 1972.2018 - beat Dominic Thiem (Austria) 6-4 6-3 6-2.Took his Roland Garros win-loss record to a jaw-dropping 86-2 as he captured his 17th Grand Slam title, swatting aside Thiem for a record-extending 11th crown in Paris.Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in Bengaluru, editing by Ed Osmond,All quotes delayed a minimum of 15 minutes. He has played in more major tournaments — 42 — to reach his first final than any other man in the Open era.Ferrer has swept all 18 of his sets in the tournament. He will win here at Roland Garros another year. It took place at the Stade Roland Garros from 26 May to 9 June. 4-seeded Ferrer has been among the best players in the world in the last few years and will finally get a crack at a Grand Slam title. "I think that it's wrong what they did. "It was probably the most decisive point," said Djokovic's coach, Marian Vajda.The match overall was a fitting addition to the Nadal-Djokovic rivalry, which is becoming the sport's most important.At 26 and 27, Djokovic and Nadal are in their prime and have met 35 times, equaling the most matches for any two players in Open era history — five more than Nadal and Roger Federer. ".A 4-hour, 47-minute semifinal masquerading as a final, the match on Philippe Chatrier Court had plenty and then some: relentless defense, sizzling winners, time-delay warnings, point penalties, drop shots and, most of all, heart. 1 Djokovic 6-4, 3-6, 6-1, 6-7 (3-7), 9-7 on Friday.The Spaniard will play for an unprecedented eighth Roland Garros title against compatriot David Ferrer, who pummeled local hope Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France 6-1, 7-6 (7-3), 6-2. (Reuters) - Following is a factbox on Rafael Nadal’s 11 French Open final wins ahead of Sunday’s title clash against Dominic Thiem.2005 - beat Mariano Puerta (Argentina) 6-7(6) 6-3 6-1 7-5.Rallied from a set down to beat fellow left-hander Puerta and become the first player to win the French Open title in his main draw debut since Mats Wilander in 1982, setting in motion an unprecedented run of success in the tournament.2006 - beat Roger Federer (Switzerland) 1-6 6-1 6-4 7-6.Handed Federer his first defeat in a Grand Slam final to become the youngest back-to-back Roland Garros winner since Bjorn Borg in 1974-75.2007 - beat Roger Federer (Switzerland) 6-3 4-6 6-3 6-4.Federer beat Nadal for the first time on clay a few weeks earlier but there was no stopping Nadal in Paris, as he became the first man since Bjorn Borg in 1980 to win a hat-trick of Roland Garros titles.2008 - beat Roger Federer (Switzerland) 6-1 6-3 6-0.Thrashed Federer in one hour 48 minutes before apologising at the end of the match. "It was a bit unfortunate. "I really hope to have the chance to keep playing tennis for a lot of years and have the chance to keep having rivals like Novak. Today was for me. It consisted of events for professional players in … Since returning in February, Nadal is 42-2, winning 21 matches in a row, and is on the verge of his seventh title this year.He improved to 17-3 in Grand Slam semifinals and has won 20 of his past 21 matches against top 10 players.No. But, in the year between those two final clashes, the pair contested their greatest meeting in Paris at the semi-final stage. France 2 - Tennis (Internationaux de France 2015 Quarts de finale) - 03-06-2015 18h10 40m (657) Dernier jeu Rafael Nadal vs Novak Djokovic - Roland Garros 2015 … "Of course the feeling is not great at the moment, but I still feel I have years in front of me. "I am not tired," he said. He broke one last time in the final game. ".Nadal earned some payback in their second best-of-five set match to go the distance.At the 2012 Australian Open, Djokovic prevailed in a marathon that lasted 5 hours, 53 minutes, the longest Grand Slam final in history.Give them marks for consistency. See. "I should have won that point in 99.9% of cases," Djokovic said. The third set was all Nadal, in part because of a questionable line call early on. ".As the tension built, Nadal pulled off the shot of the day — and perhaps the tournament — in the 14th game of the set. It was the 10th Grand Slam title of his career.2012 - beat Novak Djokovic (Serbia) 6-4 6-3 2-6 7-5.Went past Borg with a superb display against Djokovic in a rare Monday final that had several delays due to rain.2013 - beat David Ferrer (Spain) 6-3 6-2 6-3.Improved his career record to 59-1 at Roland Garros by beating Ferrer in straight sets to become the first man with eight titles at the same Grand Slam.2014 - beat Novak Djokovic (Serbia) 3-6 7-5 6-2 6-4.Entered Roland Garros with only one European claycourt title for the first time in 10 years but saw off Djokovic in four sets to become the first man to win five straight French Open titles.2017 - beat Stan Wawrinka (Switzerland) 6-2 6-3 6-1.Emotional scenes as he regained his Roland Garros throne with a brutal 6-2 6-3 6-1 mauling of Swiss Wawrinka to complete ‘La Decima’. "At the end what makes this match classic, this match interesting, is because we played a lot of times in important moments, in important situations for both of our careers," Nadal said. He had been 0-5 in major semifinals. That left Djokovic with an easy overhead, but he dumped it in the net, and the crowd roared at the improbable sequence.The mistake didn't cost Djokovic, who won the game on the next point for 7-all. ".Maria docked Nadal a point in the second set for playing too slowly and later warned Djokovic for the same violation.Along with changes in the lead, there were the sort of long, scrambling rallies that are expected when Djokovic and Nadal meet. The 2013 French Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts. Together they have won nine of the last 12 major titles. 2013 - beat David Ferrer (Spain) 6-3 6-2 6-3 Improved his career record to 59-1 at Roland Garros by beating Ferrer in straight sets to become the first man with eight titles at the same Grand Slam. "I really enjoy suffering, because what's harder is when I am in Mallorca last year and I had to watch these kind of matches on the TV," Nadal said.After a strong opening set from Nadal, Djokovic turned it around in the second set. Replays on Tennis Channel using the Hawkeye technology showed the ball on the line.After disappearing for most of the third set, Djokovic surged in the fourth, responding to breaks by breaking right back, including when Nadal was serving for the match at 5-4, two points from the final.Conditions, which began last week as cold and rainy, were the opposite Friday: warm and sunny, which helped give Nadal's topspin-laden shots extra bite and bounce.Djokovic made his case more than once the clay had become too dry and asked for the court to be watered. Enregistrement de moi, capturé sur le satellite. ".Ferrer is 4-19 against Nadal, who has won their last eight meetings.Tsonga was trying to become the first French champion at Roland Garros since Yannick Noah 30 years ago. Both matches consisted of 55 total games. "It got very dry, and it was very slippery," Djokovic said. "'.Nadal eventually broke to level the match. PARIS — Rafael Nadal is still nonpareil in Paris.But Novak Djokovic made sure the King of Clay earned it, gritty bit by gritty bit, in a classic French Open semifinal that lived up to the marquee billing.Nadal, the seven-time French Open champion, served for the match in the fourth set, then fought back from an early break in the decider to hold off No. "This is very important playing against Rafa, because I need to be 100% to do well against him. "If we talk about everything that makes a match big, today we had all of these ingredients," said Nadal, who improved to 58-1 in his career at Roland Garros.The roller-coaster match might have turned for good midway through the fifth set.Serving at 4-3, Djokovic lost his balance and stumbled into the net in an attempt to redirect a forehand volley. So I will come back to Paris, to this Grand Slam, and I will keep on trying to win it. "These kind of matches make the sport big," Nadal said. I wanted this title so much. Spaniard entered contest with 41-2 record in 2013 Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic have met on seven occasions at Roland Garros, most notably in the 2012 and 2014 championship matches. Demi-finale de Roland Garros 2008 opposant Rafael Nadal à Novak Djokovic diffusée sur France 2 et France 3 datant du 6 juin 2008. His request was denied. He matched Borg’s feat of four straight titles at Roland Garros and became the first player since the Swede in 1980 to win the tournament without dropping a set.2010 - beat Robin Soderling (Sweden) 6-4 6-2 6-4.After having his 31-match winning streak in Paris snapped by Soderling the previous year, Nadal gained sweet revenge by felling the Swede to seal a fifth title in six years.2011 - beat Roger Federer (Switzerland) 7-5 7-6 5-7 6-1.Overcame a determined Federer again to win his sixth French Open title at the age of 25 and equal the tally of Borg. No Frenchman has advanced to the final since Henri Leconte in 1988.2004 Stuttgart, QF, clay-outdoor, Ferrer, 6-3, 6-7 (3-7), 7-5.2005 Miami Masters, SF, hard-outdoor, Nadal, 6-4, 6-3.2005 Rome Masters, SF, clay-outdoor, Nadal, 4-6, 6-4, 7-5.2005 French Open, QF, clay-outdoor, Nadal, 7-5, 6-2, 6-0.2007 Barcelona, SF, clay-outdoor, Nadal, 7-5, 6-1.2007 U.S. Open, R16, hard-outdoor, Ferrer, 6-7 (3-7), 6-4, 7-6 (7-4), 6-2.2007 Masters Cup-China, RR, Ferrer, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3.2008 Monte-Carlo Masters, QF, clay-outdoor, Nadal, 6-1, 7-5.2008 Barcelona, F, clay-outdoor, Nadal, 6-1, 4-6, 6-1.2009 Barcelona, F, clay-outdoor, Nadal, 6-2, 7-5.2009 Montreal Masters, R32, hard-outdoor, Nadal, 4-3, retired.2010 Miami Masters, R16, hard-outdoor, Nadal, 7-6 (7-5), 6-4.2010 Monte-Carlo Masters, SF, Nadal, 6-2, 6-3.2010 Rome Masters, F, clay-outdoor, Nadal, 7-5, 6-2.2011 Australian Open, QF, hard-outdoor, Ferrer, 6-4, 6-2, 6-3.2011 Monte-Carlo Masters, F, clay-outdoor, Nadal, 6-4, 7-5.2011 Barcelona, F, clay-outdoor, Nadal, 6-2, 6-4.2012 Barcelona, F, clay-outdoor, Nadal, 7-6 (7-1), 7-5.2012 Rome Masters, SF, clay-outdoor, Nadal, 7-6 (8-6), 6-0.2012 French Open, SF, Nadal, 6-2, 6-2, 6-1.2013 Acapulco, F, clay-outdoor, Nadal, 6-0, 6-2.2013 Madrid Masters, QF, clay-outdoor, Nadal, 4-6, 7-6 (7-3), 6-0.2013 Rome Masters, QF, clay-outdoor, Nadal, 6-4, 4-6, 6-2.© 2020 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Satellite Information Network, LLC.Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy,Rafael Nadal held off Novak Djokovic in five dramatic sets,Nadal won 6-4%2C 3-6%2C 6-1%2C 6-7 %283-7%29%2C 9-7,Nadal will face David Ferrer%2C who defeated Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 6-1%2C 7-6 %287-3%29%2C 6-2. Then he gestured graciously toward defeated Djokovic. "I congratulate Novak," Nadal told the crowd. Djokovic thought he had a winner that would have set him up to break, but Nadal and umpire Pascal Maria saw the ball wide. But the next blown overhead did, on the opening point of the final game, and it appeared to shake him as he lost the next three points and the match.The last shot came 4 hours, 37 minutes after the first. A triumphant Nadal grinned, threw an uppercut and answered the fans' roar with applause for them. Regarder Rétro Roland-Garros 2013 : Rafael Nadal - Novak Djokovic en streaming - Revoir toutes vos vidéos et séries péférées en streaming sur france.tv Three strokes clipped the net on one wild exchange, which included a drop shot by each player, two lunging scoops and finally a winning volley by Djokovic, who grinned at the improbable sequence as the crowd roared.In the end, Nadal was not to be denied on the surface he loves.The Spaniard won his record seventh French Open title last year when he beat Djokovic in the final. The Spaniard will play for an unprecedented eighth Roland Garros title against compatriot David Ferrer, who pummeled local hope Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France 6-1, 7-6 (7-3), 6-2. It has been an unbelievable match to be part of, but all I can feel now is disappointment. Nadal leads the series with Djokovic 20-15.They have faced off 10 times in majors for joint second place, including five finals, and are sure to meet in many more. Retreating for a lob, he flicked the ball on the run between his legs with his back to the net. "He's a very great champion.