3 instances when Rafael Nadal was pushed to five sets at the US Open
Rafael Nadal is without a doubt the greatest competitor Roland Garros has ever seen. Since his debut in 2005, the Spaniard has dazzled spectators at the French Open and won the tournament a whopping 14 times, a record which will in all likelihood never be broken. He is the defending champion at the clay-court Major, beating Casper Ruud in last year's final.
Nadal has an impeccable record at Roland Garros, with 112 wins out of 115 matches. So dominant has the Spaniard been that only 20 of his victories in Paris have not come in straight sets.
There have only been three occasions in the competition when Nadal has had to go through five sets to win a match. Let's take a look back at both those instances:
#1. Rafael Nadal vs John Isner - first round, 2011
John Isner has never beaten Rafael Nadal on clay in the five matches they have contested on the surface. The closest he came was at the French Open in 2011. Nadal and Isner locked horns in the first round and the Spaniard took the opening set 6-4.
Isner bounced back strongly to ensure that the second set would go to a tie-break. The American won it 7-2 to level the match. The third set also went to a tie-break and once again, Isner won it 7-2 to open up a 2-1 lead in the match. At this point, the possibility of Nadal losing in the first round of the French Open was a distinct possibility.
However, the Spaniard increased his level to take the fourth set 6-2. Nadal produced some great tennis in the final set with sensational down-the-line winners from both wings. He won the fifth set 6-4 to book his place in the second round. The Spaniard did not drop another set until the final against Roger Federer.
#2. Rafael Nadal vs Novak Djokovic - semifinals, 2013
Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic played one of the greatest matches in the history of the French Open when they clashed in the semifinals of the tournament in 2013.
Soderling - 2009
Isner - 2011
The only players to take at least two sets off Nadal in a Roland Garros match
🇸🇪 Soderling - 2009
🇺🇸 Isner - 2011
🇷🇸 Djokovic - 2013, 2015, 2021
#RolandGarros
Both players won their respective quarterfinals in straight sets, with the King of Clay beating Stan Wawrinka while the World No. 1 beat Tommy Haas.
Nadal took the opening set 6-4 but Djokovic bounced back to take the second 6-3. The Spaniard was completely dominant in the third set and won it 6-1. Both players fought tooth and nail in the fourth set and it went to a tie-break. Djokovic prevailed 7-3 to force the match into a decider.
Both players produced brilliant tennis in the final set and it went to a sudden death. The Spaniard eventually won the rollercoaster match 6-4, 3-6, 6-1 6-7(3), 9-7 to seal his place in the final, where he beat David Ferrer.
Nadal's semi-final clash against Djokovic lasted four hours and 37 minutes and is considered to be one of the greatest claycourt matches of all time.
#3. Rafael Nadal vs Felix Auger-Aliassime- fourth round, 2022
Felix Auger-Aliassime is the most recent player to push Rafael Nadal to five sets at the French Open.
The two locked horns in the fourth round of the clay-court Major and the Canadian started the match strongly by winning the opening set 6-3. However, Nadal bounced back strongly and took the second by the same margin. He then won the third set 6-2 to take a two sets-to-one lead in the match.
Auger-Aliassime bounced back in the fourth set and won it 6-3 to force the match into a decider. The final set was tightly contested until Nadal made the decisive break in the eighth game. He then held his serve to book his place in the quarterfinals after a clash that lasted four hours and 23 minutes.