The most prolific men’s rivalry of the Open Era continues on Friday, with history on the line. Rafael Nadal is two wins away from not only his record-extending 14th Roland Garros title, but also two wins away from surpassing Roger Federer with his 21st Major. If Djokovic can win the next two rounds, he will be the first out of “The Big Three” to have won each Slam twice, and will pull himself within one Major title of both Nadal and Federer. A Djokovic win would be a turning point in the ongoing GOAT debate.
The other men’s semifinal is also a blockbuster, featuring 2021’s best male clay court players not named Nadal. Stefanos Tsitsipas has now reached three consecutive Slam semifinals, but is trying to advance one round farther for the first time. Sascha Zverev did just that at last summer’s US Open, and is surely eager to put that disappointing, ugly loss behind him.
Also on Friday, the women’s doubles semifinals will be decided on Court Simonne-Mathieu.
Stefanos Tsitsipas (5) vs. Sascha Zverev – 2:50pm on Court Philippe-Chatrier
Tstisipas is 21-3 this year on clay, with a Masters title in Monte-Carlo, and a 250-level title in Lyon. Zverev is 14-3 this year on clay, with a Masters title in Madrid. Along with Andrey Rublev, they are the only players who own victories in 2021 over Rafael Nadal. Tsitsipas did so in best-of-five, while Zverev did so on clay.
The 22-year-old from Greece leads their head-to-head 5-2, though the 24-year-old from Germany claimed their only encounter this year, in Acapulco on a hard court. Prior to that, Tsitsipas had won five in a row against Zverev, including their only match on clay, two years ago in Madrid. Stefanos has dropped just one set this fortnight, while Zverev has won 15 in a row since losing his first two of the tournament.
If Zverev can have a big serving day, and suppress the double fault woes of his recent past, he has a fair chance of prevailing. Through five rounds, he’s struck 36 aces and 29 double faults, which is not bad, but also not overly impressive. Tsistipas is 0-3 thus far in Major semifinals, but based on the way he’s played this season, the fourth time might just be the charm.
Novak Djokovic (1) vs. Rafael Nadal (3) – Not before 5:30pm on Court Philippe-Chatrier
Overall, Djokovic leads this bountiful rivalry 29-28. At Slams, Nadal leads 10-6. On clay, Rafa leads 19-7, which includes their last five meetings. And at Roland Garros, it’s 7-1 Nadal, with Novak’s only victory coming in 2015’s quarterfinals. Djokovic hasn’t beaten Nadal on clay in over five years, and only once in a best-of-five match
So can Novak find a way to overcome a confident, healthy, in-form King of Clay on the grounds that now feature a statue of the 13-time champion? Rafa’s 105-2 record at this event, paired with his 26-0 record in semifinals and finals, are gargantuan feats. Novak’s quarterfinal match ending around midnight was not helpful to his recovery efforts. And the weather will do Djokovic no favors, with warm and dry temperatures forecast for Friday evening in Paris. With Nadal’s ball jumping up and through the court in the heat, he’s a heavy favorite to even this rivalry at 29-all.
Other Notable Matches on Friday:
Barbora Krejcikova and Katerina Siniakova (2) vs. Magda Linette and Bernarda Pera – Krejcikova has a chance to play in the finals of both singles and doubles, after defeating Maria Sakkari in an epic singles semifinal on Thursday. Linette and Pera are 6-1 as a team since forming in Rome, and have already eliminated two top 10 seeds from this event.
Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Iga Swiatek (14) vs. Irina-Camelia Begu and Nadia Podoroska – Swiatek was eliminated from singles, but she still has a chance to be a French Open champion for a second year in a row. Begu and Podoroska were just 1-2 as a team before this tournament.
Friday’s full schedule is here.
