Talks of an end to Rafael Nadal's reign as the king of clay will have to be put on hold, after the world number five stayed on course for a record-extending 22nd grand slam title by beating arch rival Novak Djokovic 6-2 4-6 6-2 7-6 (7-4) in a vintage French Open quarter-final that finished at 1.16am Paris time.
The 13-time Roland Garros champion, beaten by the world number one in the semi-finals here last year, arrived in the City of Light on the back of two injuries that had hampered his preparations.
The Spaniard survived a five-set thriller against Felix Auger Aliassime in the previous round, but has only lost three times at the French Open since his first campaign in 2005.
Nadal knows every inch of Court Philippe Chatrier and Djokovic ended up paying for the reminder.
The Serb is still stuck at 20 grand slam titles after being barred from taking part in the Australian Open by local authorities over his refusal to get vaccinated against Covid-19 – a major that Nadal won.
On the day teenager Carlos Alcaraz, who has been widely tipped as his successor, was knocked out, Nadal threw the punches and had defending champion Djokovic on the ropes in a high octane start under the floodlights.
Djokovic fought back in an 88-minute second set but the 35-year-old Nadal, backed by a partisan crowd, found the resources to end it in four sets despite being a break down in the fourth to set up a meeting with German third seed Alexander Zverev for a place in Sunday's final.
Putting the exclamation mark in 'point!' 💥@DjokerNole | #RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/dJUL6XFnjI
— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) May 31, 2022
A 10-minute opening game, won by Nadal on Djokovic's serve, set the tone of the clash of the heavyweights.
"Rafa, Rafa!" the crowd chanted.
He broke a second time with a trademark forehand winner down the line before wrapping up the first set on serve when Djokovic made his ninth unforced error.
The Serb fell 3-0 behind in the second, but a poorly executed drop shot by Nadal allowed him to pull a break back.
A smile appeared on Djokovic's face. In a key 18-minute sixth game, Djokovic broke again on his fifth attempt when Nadal's backhand went wide.
He faced a break point in the following game but Nadal was playing too short and the Serbian bagged his fourth consecutive gale in a spectacular turnaround.
Nadal just managed to hold for 4-4 but cracked on serve at 5-4 as Djokovic levelled the match.
The Mallorcan, however, started the third set in similar fashion as the first, racing to a 4-1 lead and wrapping it up on yet another unforced error from Djokovic.
In a see-saw contest, Djokovic regained the upper hand to open a 3-0 lead in the fourth set but Nadal would not go into a fifth set, breaking back for 4-5 before forcing a tiebreak in which he gave his opponent no chance.
Cutting shapes 🕺📐@RafaelNadal | #RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/gvgMh9eaCF
— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) May 31, 2022
"A very tough match," Nadal acknowledged on court afterwards. "Novak is one of the best players in history and playing against him is always an amazing challenge. Today was another one.
"The only way to win against him is to play your best from the first point to the last. A magic night for me."
A gracious Djokovic admitted: "He was a better player, I think, in the important moments. He started very well. I didn't start so great.
"I was gaining momentum, managed to win the second set and thought OK, you know, I’m back in the game.
"But then he had another two, three fantastic games at the beginning of the third. He was just able to take his tennis to another level in those.
"He showed why he’s a great champion. Staying there mentally tough and finishing the match the way he did."
The late finish was not lost on the two-time champion, who added: "There are difference of opinions about the night sessions. I think they are starting too late, to be honest.
"But again, TV decides. That’s the world we are living in. Broadcasters say it’s going to be night match, day match. They give the money. They decide."
