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Rafael Nadal following Novak Djokovic match at Roland Garros

Rafael Nadal ‘super happy’ after dumping Novak Djokovic out of French Open


Rafael Nadal declared himself ‘super happy’ after he beat Novak Djokovic to book his spot in the French Open semi-finals.

The two legends met for the 59th time on Tuesday night with plenty on the line on Court Philippe-Chatrier.

For Rafael Nadal, he is chasing a 14th Roland Garros title and trying to stay ahead in the Grand Slam race, while Novak Djokovic was attempting to defend his title and draw level with the Spaniard.

Djokovic also had the extra incentive of needing to win the tournament to keep his world number one spot.

However, following a four-hour battle, it was Nadal who emerged with a 6-2, 4-6, 6-2, 7-6 win, and it was clear how important it was to him.

“Novak is one of the best players in history without doubt so playing against him is always an amazing challenge,” Nadal said on court following the match.

“All the history we have together. Today was another one and to win against Novak there is only one way, to play at your best. Tonight is one of these magic nights for me so I am super happy.

“There is no other place like this one for me. This is the most important court of my career. I feel the love of everyone in Paris, it means everything to me.”

Nadal will play Alexander Zverev in the semi-finals, with the German now knowing he can become world number one should he win the tournament.

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Michael Graham, Tennishead.net Editor, has been a professional sports journalist for his whole career and is especially passionate about tennis. He's been the Editor of Tennishead.net for over 5 years and loves watching live tennis by visiting as many tournaments as possible. Michael specialises in writing in-depth features about the ATP & WTA tours.