#2 Rafael Nadal v Novak Djokovic
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Tournament – French Open 2013Score – 6-4 3-6 6-1 6-7 9-7Winner – Rafael NadalTime – 4 hours 37 minutes
Novak Djokovic's repeated failure to conquer Roland Garros and finally victory on clay might just be the most enchanting story of the past 5 years. This semifinal loss against the ‘King of Clay’ is an example of the challenges he had to go through to achieve his career Grand Slam.
The match had everything that an encounter between the world no. 1 and world no. 2 should entail. It had passion, power, emotions and expression.
After battling through four ruthless sets, Djokovic had an early break and a 2-0 lead in the last. It felt as though he would finally be the 'Clay Kingslayer'. However, if Nadal can be characterised by one thing, it is his ability to fight till the end. With his crucial hold at 3-1 in the set, he denied the Serb a double break and allowed himself to stay in the match. He went from 4-2 to 4-4 after converting his third break point on a quivering Djokovic serve. The Serbian’s smash and consequent fall on the net remains a distinct memory even today.
His smash woes weren't done for the day. When Nadal, desperate to stay in the game, barely put a tweener across the court at 6-7, Djokovic crashed a routine smash into the net. At 8-7, Nadal got three break points and thus, match points on the Djokovic serve. Toni Nadal was out of his seat by then.
Novak's forehand went long and the French Open remained Rafa's.
The commentator said: “We hope you are enjoying this. These are not just the best athletes in tennis. The best athletes in all sport are on display.”
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