Djokovic shows signs of former self, but Nadal wins in Rome semifinals

The 51st meeting between Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic proved to be a win-win situation.

Nadal came out on top to cement his status as an overwhelming favorite for the French Open, while Djokovic built confidence in time for the season’s second major as the Spaniard survived a stern test from the Serb in 7-6(4), 6-3 fashion during semifinal action at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia on Saturday. Despite failing to shut the door with a 5-2 lead in the opening set, Nadal regained control to pull away in one hour and 56 minutes.

“It was a tough battle,” the top seed assured. “I think a good level of tennis. [It was a] combination of tactics, a combination of great shots for both of us.”

Grueling baseline rallies–a staple of what has been the Open Era’s greatest rivalry in terms of quantity–were once again the norm. Djokovic had the upper hand at times, most notably when he broke back in the first set and eventually forced a tiebreaker, but Nadal’s inside-out forehand and down-the-line backhand ruled the day in the end.

“Rafa was just better in important moments,” the world No. 18 admitted. “He just managed to play (the) right shots and he deserved to win. He was the better player. I don’t think that there was too much of a difference, which is great for me–great news for me because Rafa is, of course, the best player ever to play tennis on clay courts. And he’s in great, great form. It’s very difficult to play him on clay anywhere. But as I said, I thought the level of my tennis was very high.”

“All in all, (it was a) really, really good quality match. I enjoyed it. I hope the crowd did, too. And I can only take positives from this week.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQN_WCY8kz4

Djokovic now takes some much-needed momentum to Paris, while Rome remains the task at hand for Nadal. The seven-time title winner advances to face defending champion Alexander Zverev, who edged Marin Cilic 7-6(12), 7-5 later on Saturday.

“It will be a tough one,” Nadal assured. “Sascha is playing great, winning a lot of matches in a row. Tomorrow I need to be ready to keep playing my best, and that’s what I’m going to try.”

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