5 takeaways from Rafael Nadal's win over Novak Djokovic at the 2022 French Open
The stage was set for another chapter between the two legends of the sport as Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic faced off in the quarterfinals of the 2022 French Open on Tuesday. This was their 59th encounter overall and their first since the World No. 1 ended the Spaniard's title defense in Paris in the semifinals last year.
Djokovic was the in-form player in the lead-up to the contest, having reached the semifinals in Madrid and won the title in Rome. He had also made it to the quarterfinals in Paris without dropping a set.
Nadal, on the other hand, lost early at the Italian Open as his title defense ended in the third round against Denis Shapovalov. His foot injury also cast a shadow over his chances of winning the French Open. He won his first three matches in Paris in straight sets, but needed five sets to overcome Felix Auger-Aliassime in the fourth round.
Nadal came out of the gates swinging, breaking Djokovic's serve in the very first game of the match. He would do so once more en route to nabbing the set. The Spaniard raced to a 3-0 lead in the second set, but the defending champion finally cleaned up his game to claw his way back into the match.
Djokovic broke Nadal's serve thrice to win the second set. However, the Serb was unable to maintain his momentum as his arch-rival snatched the third set. The World No. 1 built up a 5-2 lead in the fourth set, but the Spaniard leveled the score and pushed the set to a tie-break.
Nadal took a commanding 6-1 lead in the tie-break, but Djokovic didn't go down without a fight. He saved the first three match points before the Spaniard finally triumphed 6-2, 4-6, 6-2, 7-6(4).
NADAL WINS!
#RolandGarros https://t.co/QYPz8NCuqI
With the win, the King of Clay reminded everyone why he is the most successful player in the history of Roland Garros, and why it's unwise to count him out here.
On that note, here are five takeaways from Rafael Nadal's latest victory over Novak Djokovic:
#1 Rafael Nadal maintains his lead in the Grand Slam race
Had Nadal lost in the quarterfinals, it would have given Djokovic an opportunity to tie the Spaniard's record of 21 Grand Slam titles. The Spaniard ended a three-way tie between Djokovic, Roger Federer and himself by winning the Australian Open earlier this year.
Nadal now has a chance to further extend his Slam lead by winning the title in Paris. He's also in the running to win the Australian Open and the French Open consecutively for the first time in his career. He had a chance to do so in 2009, but lost in the fourth round in Paris against Robin Soderling after winning the title in Melbourne.
After vanquishing his main rival, Rafael Nadal's the overwhelming favorite to go all the way at Roland Garros. But he will have to get past Alexander Zverev in the semifinals first.
#2 Rafael Nadal narrows the head-to-head gap against Novak Djokovic
Prior to their latest encounter, Djokovic led Nadal 30-28 in the head-to-head. A win would have further extended his lead over the World No. 5, giving him a cushion of three matches. No other player has as many wins against the Spaniard as the Serb.
Nadal dominated the early stages of their rivalry until 2010, with a 16-7 record against the Serb. From 2011 to 2016, Djokovic had the upper hand, going 19-7 against the King of Clay.
Following his quarterfinal win over Djokovic on Tuesday, Nadal is just one win short of tying their head-to-head. Since 2017, their rivalry has been fairly balanced, with the Spaniard enjoying a 6-4 advantage.
#3 Rafael Nadal has the most Grand Slam wins against World No. 1s
Nadal's quarterfinal win over Djokovic marked the 10th time he has defeated a reigning World No. 1 in a Grand Slam. Stan Wawrinka and Boris Becker are tied for second place with five wins each, followed by Ivan Lendl and Mats Wilander with four apiece. Nadal has an additional 13 wins over World No. 1s outside of the Majors for a total of 23 victories, an all-time record.
most slam wins vs the world #1
nadal 10
wawrinka 5
becker 5
lendl 4
wilander 4 https://t.co/eEsECL79am
Nadal's first five wins over a top-ranked player came against Federer. The Spaniard defeated the Swiss four times at the French Open between 2005 and 2008 en route to winning the title. His fifth win over the Swiss maestro was in the 2008 Wimbledon final.
Nadal's next five wins were against Djokovic. He defeated the Serb four times at the French Open in 2012, 2013, 2020 and 2022, along with a win in the final of the 2013 US Open.
#4 Rafael Nadal is 10 wins shy of tying Martina Navratilova's record of 120 wins at a single Grand Slam
Nadal continues to assert his dominance at the French Open, with his win over Djokovic being his 110th in Paris. Federer is the only other male player to cross 100 wins at a Major, having won 105 matches at Wimbledon and 102 at the Australian Open.
Nadal is now closing in on Martina Navratilova's record of 120 wins at Wimbledon, the most matches won at a Grand Slam by a player of either gender. However, the Spaniard will need to compete at Roland Garros at least two more times for that to happen. Given his record in Paris and provided he remains healthy, it's definitely within the realm of possibility.
#5 Rafael Nadal improves record of highest winning percentage at a Major
Prior to the start of this year's French Open, Nadal's record at the tournament stood at 105-3, amounting to a 97.22% win rate at the Grand Slam. The Spaniard already has the best match winning percentage at a Major and has now bettered it with his semi-final run in Paris.
Nadal's current record in the tournament stands at 110-3, giving him a 97.34% win rate. Such dominance has never been witnessed before and isn't likely to be seen again.