A look at Rafael Nadal-Novak Djokovic epic rivalry ahead of 2020 French Open final: In Pics
World number one Novak Djokovic is all set to lock horns with Spanish tennis maestro Rafael Nadal in the final of the men's singles event of the 2020 French Open on Sunday. The match between the two big guns will be the ninth Grand Slam final meeting.
World number one Novak Djokovic is all set to lock horns with Spanish tennis maestro Rafael Nadal in the final of the men's singles event of the 2020 French Open on Sunday. The match between the two big guns will be the ninth Grand Slam final meeting.
Serbian tennis star Djokovic booked his place in the summit showdown at the Roland Garros after brushing aside fifth-seed Greek star Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-3, 6-2, 5-7, 4-6, 6-1 in a thrilling semi-final clash. Twelve-time French Open champion Nadal, on the other hand, stormed into his 13th French Open final following a 6-3, 6-3, 7-6 triumph over Argentina`s Diego Schwartzman in another last-four clash.
While a victory in the final will see Nadal draw level with Roger Federer on 20 Grand Slam crowns, 17-time Grand Slam champion Djokovic will edge closer to his great rivals.
Ahead of the clash, let us take a look back at some of the epic Grand Slam final clashes between Nadal and Djokovic.
2010 US Open final
In 2010, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic met for the first time in the final of a Grand Slam event at the US Open.The Spaniard headed into the summit showdown of the fourth major of the season on the back of a three-match losing streak against Djokovic.
However, Nadal shrugged off the same and bounced back from the second set down to seal a 6-4, 5-7,6-4,6-2 triumph over Djokovic.
It was Nadal's maiden US Open title of his tennis career and as a result, he also became the seventh man to complete a grand slam during that year. (Image Credits: Twitter/@usopen)
2011 Wimbledon final
Djokovic and Nadal once again met each other in the summit showdown of a Grand Slam event at 2011 Wimbledon.
The Serbian, who clinched the Wimbledon title in 2008 and 2010, dominated the first two sets before Nadal rebounded strongly to clinch the third. However, Djokovic held his nerves to eventually seal a 6-4, 6-1, 1-6, 6-3 win in the summit showdown that lasted two hours and 28 minutes.
It was Djokovic's third major title and the victory also saw him grab the numero-uno spot in the ATP rankings. (Image Courtesy: Twitter/@WeAreTennisTR)
Australian Open 2012 final
Serbian tennis star Novak Djokovic rebounded strongly from the opening set down to seal a 5-7, 6-4, 6-2, 6-7 (5), 7-5 victory over 19-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal in the summit showdown of the 2012 edition of the Australian Open. It remains to be the longest ever major final as it lasted for five hours and 3 minutes at Rod Laver Arena.
With the win, Djokovic had also extended his winning streak over Nadal to seven straight matches at that time. (Image Courtesy: Twitter)
US Open 2013 final
In 2013, Nadal and Djokovic met again in a summit showdown of a Grand Slam event in what was their third Flushing Meadows final in four years.After comfortably winning the opening set, the Spaniard went down in the second before he bounced back to outclass his Serbian opponent 6-2, 3-6, 6-4, 6-1 in the final of the men's singles event of the US Open seven years ago.
En route to his defeat, Djokovic also commited a total of 53 unforced errors against Nadal.(Image Courtesy:Twitter/@RafaelNadal)
French Open 2014 final
Rafael Nadal dashed Novak Djokovic's hopes of clinching his maiden French Open title at the 2014 final by clinching a 3-6,7-5, 6-2, 6-4 triumph over the Serbian. The victory saw Nadal retain top-spot in the ATP rankings and became the first tennis start to seal nine titles at an individual Grand Slam event.
Interestingly, Nadal headed into the final clash of the 2014 French Open final after losing eight of his past nine sets against Djokovic.
With the win, Nadal had also drew level with American tennis great Pete Sampras on 14 majors.(Image Credits: Twitter/@FletcherWDSU)
2019 Australian Open final
After a gap of five years, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic resumed their rivalry in the final of a major event at the 2019 Australian Open.The Serbian produced a rich vein of form to outclass Spanish star Nadal 6-3, 6-2, 6-3 in straight sets in the final of the men's singles event at the Melbourne Park to claim his 15th Grand Slam title and 73rd tour-level trophy of his career.
The victory also saw Djokovic lift his record-breaking seventh trophy at the Australian Open, surpass the record of Roy Emerson and Roger Federer.
Besides these final showdowns, Djokovic and Nadal have also met each other at the 2011 US Open final and 2012 French Open final. (Image Courtesy: Twitter/@DjokerNole)
