Rafael Nadal vs Novak Djokovic: 10 unmissable records broken by Spaniard at French Open QF

Tennis great Rafael Nadal earned a monumental victory over Serbian tennis superstar Novak Djokovic in the quarterfinal of the French Open 2022. The much-anticipated battle between the two all-time greats lasted over four hours, as it began at around 12:15 AM IST on Tuesday, and finished after 5 AM IST on Wednesday. Nadal started off with a first-set win before Novak Djokovic made a strong comeback in the second.

Rafael Nadal then reasserted himself with an impressive third set triumph, as the World No. 1 seemed the strongest at the start of the fourth set. However, Nadal later saved two set points, denying Djokovic an attempt to serve and force a decider.

The Australian Open champion powered to victory in a one-sided tie-break and won the match with the scores of 6-2, 4-6, 6-2, 7-6(4). The Spaniard, who turns 37 on June 3, defeated his long-time rival to reach the semi-finals at the Roland Garros and shattered many records. 

Nadal vs Djokovic: All records broken by the Spaniard

• By winning the game, Nadal improved his head-to-head record against Djokovic to 29-30. 
• The Spaniard ended Djokovic’s nine-match win streak ahead of the tournament, as Djokovic won 22 straight sets, dating back to the ATP Masters 1000 victory in Rome.
• Nadal also ended Djokovic’s 11-match win streak at the French Open, which matches his longest streak in Paris (2016-17).
• Nadal now holds a win/loss record of 8-2 against Djokovic at the French Open.
• Meanwhile, Nadal also stands a chance to win his 14th Roland Garros title and 22nd major crown. He is due to face Alexander Zverev in the semi-final on Friday. Zverev defeated Carlos Alcaraz in the quarter-final to advance into the next round.

• The quarter-final clash between Nadal and Djokovic was the first meeting between two players in the open era who have at least 20 Grand Slams singles titles each in their bag. Djokovic won his 20th Grand Slam title during the Wimbledon Championships 2021, while Nadal won a record-breaking 21st Grand Slam title by winning the Australian Open 2022.
• At the same time, it was also the first time that two players with more than 300 Grand Slam wins and 1,000 career match wins played against each other. Djokovic and Nadal have 327 and 302 Grand Slam wins to their name, alongside 1055 and 1005 career wins respectively.

• The 21-time Grand Slam winner improved his overall season record in 2022 to 28-3, following his win at the Roland Garros quarter-final. He has won three calendar titles by winning at Melbourne in January, before picking up the Australian Open 2022, and Mexican Open 2022 titles. He now has the chance of picking up his 22nd Grand Slam title by winning the French Open 2022. 
• The 35-year-old, as per ATP website, has now won consecutive matches of more than four hours. Nadal defeated  Felix Auger-Aliassime on Sunday in the fourth round match, which lasted for four hours and 20 minutes. Meanwhile, the quarterfinal match on Tuesday night lasted for four hours and 11 minutes.

(Image: AP)