Rafael Nadal insists he can바카라t know for sure whether any match at Roland Garros might be his very last at a place he loves, a place he is loved. (More Tennis News)
Rafael Nadal got past Novak Djokovic 6-2, 4-6, 6-2, 7-6 (4) to move a step closer to his 14th French Open title and a 22nd Grand Slam.
Rafael Nadal insists he can바카라t know for sure whether any match at Roland Garros might be his very last at a place he loves, a place he is loved. (More Tennis News)
For now, if he keeps winning and keeps performing the way he did during his monumental quarterfinal victory over longtime rival Novak Djokovic that began in May and ended in June, Nadal will have more chances to play.
With a mix of brilliant shot-making and his trademark resilience, Nadal got past the top-seeded defending French Open champion Djokovic 6-2, 4-6, 6-2, 7-6 (4) to move a step closer to his 14th championship at the clay-court Grand Slam tournament and what would be a 22nd major trophy overall, adding to records that he already owns.
바카라One of those magic nights for me,바카라 Nadal said.
For anyone lucky enough to be there, too 바카라 provided they were able to stay awake 바카라 or even anyone watching from afar. The match began a little past 9 p.m. Tuesday and concluded more than four hours later, after 1 a.m. Wednesday.
바카라TV decides,바카라 Djokovic said about the late start. 바카라That바카라s the world we are living in.바카라
The bracket said this was a quarterfinal, yes, but it felt like a final, from the quality of play to the quality of effort, from the anticipation that preceded it to the atmosphere that enveloped it.
The only missing ingredient: There was no trophy handed to the winner.
Nadal turns 36 on Friday, when he will face third-seeded Alexander Zverev in the semifinals. When the subject of Nadal바카라s future was brought up during his on-court interview, he smiled.
바카라See you, by the way, in two days,바카라 Nadal said. 바카라That바카라s the only thing that I can say.바카라
It바카라ll be difficult for any match the rest of the way to live up to this one.
Nary a game, a point, a stroke or, indeed, a step came with a hint of insouciance. Both men gave their all. Nothing came easily.
Nadal바카라s 3-0 lead in the second set did him no good; Djokovic ended up taking it and would say later, 바카라I thought, 바카라OK, I바카라m back in the game.바카라바카라
But Djokovic바카라s 3-0 lead in the fourth did him no good, even though he served for it at 5-3, even standing one point from forcing a fifth twice. Nadal saved those set points and broke there, then ran away with the closing tiebreaker, seizing a 6-1 edge and and never losing focus after his first three match points went awry.
바카라I lost to a better player today,바카라 said Djokovic, who had won 22 sets in a row until the 49-minute opener against Nadal. 바카라Had my chances. Didn바카라t use them. That바카라s it.바카라
This showdown was their 59th, more than any other two men have played each other in the Open era. Nadal narrowed Djokovic바카라s series lead to 30-29 while improving to 8-2 against his rival at Roland Garros.
Nadal is now 110-3 for his career at the place. Two of those losses came against Djokovic, including in last year바카라s semifinals. This time, Nadal made sure Djokovic remains behind him in the Slam count with 20. Nadal broke their three-way tie with Roger Federer at that number by capturing the Australian Open in January, when Djokovic was not able to play because he had not been vaccinated against COVID-19.
Before Nadal advanced to his 15th semifinal in Paris, Zverev reached his second in a row by holding off 19-year-old rising star Carlos Alcaraz 6-4, 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 (7).
바카라Not really getting easier from here,바카라 Zverev said after putting an end to Alcaraz바카라s 14-match winning streak.
바카라I told him at the net, 바카라You바카라re going to win this tournament a lot of times, not just once,바카라바카라 said Zverev, the runner-up at the U.S. Open in 2020 and the gold medalist at the Tokyo Olympics last summer. 바카라I hope I can win it before he starts ... beating us all.바카라
In women바카라s action Tuesday, 18-year-old American Coco Gauff and 28-year-old Martina Trevisan of Italy reached their first Grand Slam semifinals. The 18th-seeded Gauff beat 2017 U.S. Open champion and 2018 French Open runner-up Sloane Stephens 7-5, 6-2, while the 59th-ranked Trevisan eliminated U.S. Open finalist Leylah Fernandez 6-2, 6-7 (3), 6-3.
The nightcap was saved for two players who know each other so well. The tendencies and tactics. The mannerisms and moods.
So it should come as no surprise they engaged in points so involved, so lengthy 바카라 57 of at least nine strokes, with one that went 25 바카라 that before some were concluded, folks in the stands would let out a gasp or an 바카라Aaaah!바카라 or 바카라Awwww!바카라, drawing rebuking hisses of 바카라Shhhhh!바카라 in response.
Chair umpire Damien Dumusois might have set a record, were such records kept, for most times saying 바카라S바카라il vous plait,바카라 to plead with spectators to settle down and allow play to continue.
Nadal heard far more support in the form of yells of 바카라Ra-fa!바카라 or 바카라Vamos!바카라 or 바카라Te quiero!바카라 Only once Djokovic began to assert himself in the second set was his nickname 바카라No-le!바카라 heard with any frequency.
As time passed and the air became colder 바카라 below 60 degrees Fahrenheit (15 Celsius) 바카라 Nadal and Djokovic embodied the words in clay-colored capital letters in French and English along the facing of the lower level of the arena, attributed to Roland Garros, the World War I fighter pilot for whom the facility is named: 바카라Victory belongs to the most tenacious.바카라
In the early going, and down the stretch, it was Nadal getting the better of the baseline back-and-forths, pushing and pulling Djokovic this way or that, up and back, until an opening for a clean winner presented itself. Djokovic reacted to his miscues by rolling his eyes, shaking his head or putting his palms out as if to say, 바카라What바카라s going on?바카라
Nadal showed zero signs of being slowed or bothered one bit by the chronic pain in his left foot that flares up every so often and kept him off the tour for the last half of 2021 and arose again before the French Open.
Nor did Nadal betray a trace of fatigue from his five-set tussle against No. 9 seed Felix Auger-Aliassime in the fourth round on Sunday that lasted 4 hours, 21 minutes, nearly twice as long as Djokovic바카라s matter-of-fact win that day.
바카라I바카라m not surprised at all,바카라 Djokovic said. 바카라It바카라s not the first time that he is able, a few days after he바카라s injured and barely walking, to come out 100% physically fit.바카라