French Open 2021: Djokovic defies Nadal, enters Roland Garros final

Serbia's Novak Djokovic reacts after defeating Spain's Rafael Nadal during their semifinal match of the French Open tennis tournament at the Roland Garros stadium Friday, June 11, 2021 in Paris. Novak Djokovic won 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (4), 6-2.

Novak Djokovic played his best clay court tennis ever to beat Rafael Nadal in four sets at the French Open 2021 semi-final. It was a thrilling encounter which saw Djokovic beat Nadal at his own game to deny him a fourteenth French Open title. The two titans gruelled it out for over four hours, with the Serb emerging victorious in four sets 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (4), 6-2. Terrific as the play was for most of the four hours, the match ended with a bit of a whimper: Djokovic grabbed the last six games.

If the end of the match was all about Djokovic, the beginning couldn't been any more contrasting. After facing an initial break point in the first game, Nadal raced to 5-0 in the opening set. Had the set ended in a bagel, the end result may have been different. But Djokovic dug deep to hold serve twice and even broke Nadal to lose the set 3-6. The momentum was with Djokovic. He broke Nadal in the second set to take a 4-2 lead and eventually won 6-3.

The third set was pivotal. It lasted over an hour and a half. Both players showed their mettle and grit as they broke each other twice, refusing to let the other player get the better of them. Twice in the third set Djokovic edged ahead, only to be reeled back in by Nadal who broke back in the 10th game as the world number one served for the set. Djokovic then had to save a set point with an ice-cool drop shot in the 12th game. "You cannot play better clay court tennis than this. It's perfect," tweeted Andy Murray. The 92-minute third set ended with Djokovic taking the tiebreak. In a further twist on a dramatic evening, the 5,000 spectators inside Court Philippe Chatrier were allowed to watch the conclusion of the match despite it passing the 11pm Covid-19 curfew.

Nadal looked to steal the momentum from Djokovic, breaking him in the first game of the fourth set and then holding serve to take a 2-0 lead. But Djokovic broke Nadal twice to take a 4-2 lead. He raced to 40-0 while serving for the match. Nadal was able to save one match point but fell after he sent a forehand long to hand the match to Djokovic.

Djokovic is now the only person to have beaten Nadal twice at the French Open. Despite being the world number one, to see his win being talked about as an upset shows how dominant Nadal has been on clay, especially at the French Open, which has long been his backyard. Djokovic now leads their head-to-head 30-28. He will now face Greek Tsitsipas for a 19th Grand Slam title on Sunday.