"I played an equal match; He’s not unbeatable" - When an injured Novak Djokovic claimed he went toe-to-toe with Rafael Nadal at French Open
Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic met for the first time on tour in the 2006 French Open quarterfinals.
The Serb made his debut at the French Open in 2005 and reached the second round before losing to Guillermo Coria. The following year, the then-World No. 63 beat three top-30-ranked players to set up a clash with Nadal in the quarterfinals. Their meeting was the first of 59 duels the two would have.
Up against the defending champion, the Serb was two sets down when he was forced to retire midmatch due to back pain. As a result, the Spaniard advanced to the semifinals and eventually won his second Roland Garros title by beating Roger Federer in the final.
Despite losing to the then World No. 2, Djokovic's unflinching attitude at the post-match press conference stood out. Reflecting on his game, he claimed to be in proper control of it. He also added that despite playing with back pain, he went toe-to-toe with Nadal.
“I think I was in control, everything was depending on me. Even with the sore back, I think I played an equal match with him… He’s not unbeatable, he’s beatable," the Serb said.
Later on, the King of Clay was asked about his Serbian opponent's claim of being in proper control of the game and he refused to answer.
"Oh yes, I don’t know, if he says that, it’s okay, I don’t need to answer then," Nadal said.
Novak Djokovic has won the French Open twice in his career
Novak Djokovic has reached the Roland Garros final seven times and has won twice during his career. He will be playing his seventh final on Sunday (June 11) when he takes on Casper Ruud in the final.
The Serb made his debut in 2005 and lost in the second round of his debut campaign. In his next three appearances at the Paris Major, he lost to Nadal in the quarterfinals and the semifinals twice.
In 2012, the former World No. 1 reached his maiden Roland Garros final and once again lost to the southpaw. The Serbian reached three consecutive Roland Garros from 2014 to 2016 and eventually won the 2016 edition. He beat Andy Murray in the summit clash to win his maiden Roland Garros title.
Djokovic won his second title in 2021 after defeating Stefanos Tsitsipas in the final. The veteran knocked out Nadal of the tournament. in the semifinals.