RAFA NADAL sensationally dethroned Novak Djokovic as the French Open champion in a four-set chiller as he edged closer to an unprecedented Slam No 22.
It was gone 1am in Paris by the time these two sporting supermen laid down their rackets at the end of a pulsating quarter-final at Roland Garros played amid plunging temperatures.
The decision to stage this match so late at night will be rightly debated and criticised but for now, a tired Nadal won’t care as he progressed to a semi-final against Alex Zverev on his favourite court on Friday.
Djokovic’s time as defending champion is over following Nadal’s extraordinary 6-2 4-6 6-2 7-6 victory, which bizarrely began in the month of May but ended in June.
Nadal said: “It was an unbelievable match. Very emotional. It’s incredible for me to play here. Thank you to everyone
“It has been a very tough match, Novak is one of the best players in the history, it’s always an amazing challenger.
“The only way to win is to play your best from the first point to your last. A magical night for me.
“There is no other place like this for me. It’s the important and special court of my career. I feel the love of everyone here in Paris. This place means everything to me.”
And the world No.1 will have to wait and see if Nadal, already the record 21-time Grand Slam champion, potentially adds another major to his Mallorca mansion on Sunday.
The 59th meeting between these icons – a record for the men’s game – was never going to be a short affair and ended up taking more than four hours.
