I really have no words after what just happened this tournament. Djokovic pulling off what he did is certainly one of the all-time great victories and a crucial step to strengthening his case as the open era goat. Let's look a few of the things he did: - Beating a not at his best, but still a very good Nadal in the semis. Don't forget he lost the Rome finals to this Nadal. - Beating a hot top 8 player in Berrettini in the quarters - Coming back from 2 sets to love against a talented Mussetti - Coming back from 2 sets to 0 against one of hottest players on clay this year in Stefanos Tsitsipas His Australian Open 2012 title is up there as well. He was coming in that year with high expectations and a lot of pressure after his fantastic 2011. In that slam, he did the following: - Came through in a tough match against peak Ferrer. Peak Ferrer was no joke and made you work for the victory - Came back from 2 sets to 1 to beat peak Murray(easily a better player than current Nadal and Tsitsipas) in the semis in a 5 hour match - Came back to beat peak Nadal in a 5 hour final after being down a break in the 5th Now let me throw out a few stats: - Nadal vs Djokovic head to head: 30- 28 on favor of Djokovic. The last time the Spaniard beat Nole on hard court is 2013. The last time Djokovic beat Nadal on clay is 2021 - Weeks at number 1: Djokovic- 324, Federer- 310, Nadal- 209 - World Tour Finals Titles(biggest tour outside of slams): Federer- 6. Djokovic- 5, Nadal. Only two total indoor titles for Nadal. Fed and Djokovic have many more. - Master 1,000 titles: Nole and Rafa have about the same, but Djokovic has won them all twice. Nadal has yet to win Miami, Shanghai and Paris. Federer is missing Monte Carlo, Rome and one other I - Year end number ones: Djokovic- 6(soon to be 7), Federer/Nadal- 5 - Grandslams: Federer/Nadal- 20, Djokovic- 19 As you can see, Nadals only advantage over Djokovic is the grand slam race and that is dwindling as we speak. Federers advantage is the one slam, one more WTF and more total titles. At this time I would give Djokovic the slight advantage as the goat. However, if Federer wins at Wimbledon, he will be back on top.
I am a Djokovic fan. This is one of the few matches, what I can watch even when novak loose the match. I was really proud how he plays in the tie-break and in the last set. So dear federer fans,i know its hard to watch again and the most federer can not watch this match again, but you should be really proud how federer plays in the wimbledon 2019 final. The same also for the nadal fans by the Australian open 2012 and wimbledon 2018 matches.....or the Australian open final 2009, wimbledon final 2007 and 2008 . This matches are all a win/celebrate for the tennis sport. I LOVE YOU ALL
Yeah and truth be told in a lot of these matches there's virtually nothing to separate the winner from the loser. Just a bit of luck or slight more courage in particular moments
You are one of the few Djokovic fans who do not disrespect Federer Nadal or their fans. Thank you, and you should be very proud of how Djokovic played in this match. Although he made that mistake by touching the net, he still played very well and remains the player to come the closest to beating an in-form Rafa at RG, which is the hardest task in tennis. Besides, everyone, even the best of the best, makes mistakes like that sometimes
@@masters.1000 ok, its your opinion, but the most experts would disagree with you on that. The matches you mentioned are also really great but qualitywise this match is above them. Nadal was a much more developed player in 2013 than in the mid 00's and the level he and novak showed was just surreal. Both were at the peak of their game and it was like a war.
Here after Rafa has defeated nole in 2022. LETS GOOO He found this 2013 form again at the end of the match, no errors, huge defence with consistently good shots.
You may think I’m crazy but imo Rafa played a bit better against Nole at RG this year than in this match back in 2013. His serving was definitely a lot better and more consistent anyway.
@@thelegacy1083 mate, you're not wrong at all. He reached his 2013-14 form in that match somehow, he was playing good shots and just stopped missing! Even the commentators said it
The most exciting part is the story and the build up of the rivalry between these 2. In AO 2012, it was a cliffhanger till the end and Rafa lost the match after leading 4-2 (30-0) in the 5th set. Similarly, in this match Djokovic was a break up 3-1 in the 5th set and yet he lost. Both legends defended their territory successfully however, not before almost losing them to the other. Wat great matches...Wat a story... Similarly, recently in AO 2019 Djoker defeated Nadal in straight sets with giving him only 8 games and Rafa returning the favour in RG2020 by defeating Novak in straight sets and conceding only 7 games... it is like both becomes somehow equal by returning the favours in their own territory. This rivalry is just epic. I just hope we can see more of it.
Not my dear Leeward88, what happens is that they reinvent themselves every 7 or 8 games; that's why they have been around for so long and the other players can't match them, each player when he loses, he must innovate...! and that's what they (Rafa and Djokovic) do
I remember that match very well, it was one of the ones that most marked me. As it was not enough, it is my favorite Grand Slam, I was presented with this phenomenal match. The time that this game happened, I was living a good time in my life and I miss it a lot. This game happened on a Friday and I really wanted to ask for a break from work to see this battle, I felt it would be an epic game. Suddenly I realized that the game was going to be replayed for part of the night and I was calm, I worked suspiciously and restrained myself, I didn't check the result on the internet. Arriving home, I was able to enjoy this game that will stay in my memory for a long time. Today watch this war and remember each moment, each point, each emotional variation .... Thank you very much, I hope you can live new moments
This was epic!. I went to school watching it, came back and saw it still taking place LOL. I missed it live, but I watched the drama unfold on the last set. Great to witness it again. Thanks, Roland Garros.
After the 7 defeats from Nadal in 2011 against Novak, Nadal became a better player. After many defeats by Novak in 2013-14 against Nadal, Novak became a much better player. After many major defeats by Federer against Djokovic in 2014-16, Federer became a better player and after Nadal's 4 defeats against Roger in 2017, Nadal has become a better player.... After defeats you learn the most.. That's the nice thing about the BIG3, you have to keep evolving
Yeah, all those defeats of Djokovic against Fedal before the US Open 2010 made him great. Then Djokovic surprised everyone by beating Federer at the US Open 2010 and the rest is history...
No other athlete in the history of sports has ever played this hard every point ever game every set every match every year for almost 20 years.he's the best athlete ever period!!!!
Novak’s touch the net is equivalent to Federer blowing match points at Wimbledon last year. Both are human at the end of the day. Rafa missing shot in 2012 AO final as well to break novak in last set also shows these tennis gods vulnerabilities.
Nah Federer definitely choked WAYYY harder.. Novak saved break point the very next point, so him touching the net wasn’t even a turning point in the match. But yea.. it does happen to the best of them.
@@denvercheddie He was clearly on fumes. The man had spent it all both mentally and physically. Mentally in particular, and the reason is Nadal is simply insane. He is a mad man :)
Watching in 2020. I had only followed this match by score when it happened. Wow, that was heading for a sure Nadal loss. Everything was going wrong even up to 6-6 in the 5th - spraying balls, dumping shots in the net. Fairly a miracle that the ball bounced his way in the last Djokovic service game. I even knew he would win the match but found myself saying, "He is so done for" by the end. What a crazy match. Now that Nadal has won his 13th, this match just grows more and more immense.
@@CalebPereira9123 he would have won the match if we won the point bc he would have held but he got broken and was 5-5. If he won that game Novak would have won 6-4.
2020 pandemic has been horrible, but one weird silver lining has been the chance to catch up on sports moments of the past. Especially great has been the amount of full classic matches the Grand Slams and ATP have released. So many of these were squirreled away on cable TV the first time they aired, so I missed out on them. I've caught up on so many matches in the last 6 months, been able to fully appreciate the evolution of especially Rafa's game. Besides the Big 3 era, I've got to a lot of the classic matches from previous decades too. I've even gotten acquainted with these "Next Gen" players and started forming some tentative rooting interests. I'll come out of this pandemic year with at least that improvement.
I am glad this video of the full match is uploaded. For those who claim Nadal got lucky and won the match simply because of the point Djokovic lost by touching the net before the ball took a 2nd bounce, I say that is foolish. Djokovic never had a match point, or even got within 4 points of winning. And before that unfortunate play was executed, Nadal was actually 2 points away from winning the match, in the 4th set. So, this was a well deserved victory by Nadal. Just look at how he won the 3rd set.
I tell people Nadal is right-handed but plays with his weaker left, inevitably, people ask "why?". And my answer is "topspin". Having a lot of topspin in your shots does many things, but this is one of the best examples. Someone who hits the ball harder but flatter can never pull a shot off like this.
@@armadyl1212 To me, variety is what makes tennis interesting. These two are great players (of course), but their matches are more or less just baseline slug fests, which I find rather boring.
@@pharmavinay I didn´t question them being great players. They are great, but their games are boring. And I´m a Fed fan?? Well.. I actually consider him one of the best, but at the same time also the most overrated player of all time. If that makes me a Fed fan, ok.
Not always.Thats kinda underestimating Ferrer's clay court skills because he is one of the best in the surface. Rafa definitely did but Ferrer vs Novak would probably be close to an even contest in a clay court match.
@@jjfutbol11 Ferrer actually has beaten Djokovic quiet a few times in clay and vice versa.On Clay they are pretty close if you see their H2H.There is no gaurantee who would in an RG final unless it's Rafa most of the times. Djokovic is miles ahead in accomplishments but in a clay court GS final in a surface that also suits Ferrer it would be more than even contest.To say Ferrer is no opponent for Djokovic is a big joke because there is no certainly word in a GS final.Rafa made it look so easy against Ferrer but he is a different beast on clay.
Most likely Yes but never count someone out when they have reached a GS final even if for 1st time. Are you forgetting US Open 2009 Final ? Federer had just beaten a good in form Djokovic in the Semis and no one thought he would be beaten by Del Potro. But Del Potro blew him away.
probably the best 3 matches ever 1)2008 wimby final 2)2012 aus final 3)2013 french semis they all have rafa and referee pascal and I don't believe in coincidences
You know what? ur idol nadal would have lost to djokovic in rg 2011 in 4 sets. nadal was so lucky. Djokovic cud have been the dominator of roland garros.
The greatest level of tennis ever played was nadal's 2010 year from the clay season to the us open and Nole from late 2010 to mid 2011. On a single surface I think it was Nadal rg08
No Djokovic really was the only one that had a chance to beat prime Nadal in Paris. Thiem took a set for the first time last year, when Rafa was 33. And even then he received 6-1 6-1 in the following sets lol Thiem is only a thread to Nadal in best of 3 set matches, but in the long run he can't do much too Rafa in BO5 with his one handed backhand
@@911801111801 By threat I mean bringing Rafa to the point where he has to play outstanding to win points (and not only his business as usual-forehand into backhand system). And in Roland Garros Roger never really had an answer to that. It's true, in 2006 he fought hard and in 2019 he was playing very well, too. But in the end, playing very well is not good enough for Rafa in RG.
@@thexcookieman1842 It's a bold statement, but I am betting 2020 Thiem would have beat Rafa at RG if not for burnout. In 2019 RG, Thiem dealt with very bad scheduling, which may have impacted his energy reserves, resulting in 6-1, 6-1. Federer should have won in 2006(granted it was not prime Nadal) and 2011. But yeah, Djokovic was without a doubt the biggest threat to prime Nadal at Roland Garros.
Nah, even if the net incident had never happened, you can never ever write Nadal off at RG. Plus Djokovic was up a break in the 5th set, and then Nadal went up a gear to break back again. This match was the epitome of why Nadal is the greatest clay court player there’ll ever be. It was his legacy defining match.
Heh, agreed. In any normal year this match would have been a final but Rafa's ranking was little lower because of missing about 7 months due to injury the preivious year so they met in the semi. Tough on Djokovic - if he'd lost in the final he probably would have finished the year at #1.
@@emmanueljaramillo if he didnt lose therehe wouldnt have won the next 4 slams in a row, blessing in disguise he still got an RG and he also got all 4, he wouldve slowed down earlier had he won here its thanks to this loss he keot trying so hard the rest of 2015 and start of 2016
You know what? ur idol nadal would have lost to djokovic in rg 2011 in 4 sets. nadal was so lucky. Djokovic cud have been the dominator of roland garros.
The hawkeye isn’t used in FO, it is there for no reason. Nadal got the point because the chair umpire said it was in. But tbh this wouldn’t have change the outcome of the match, Nadal deserved this win.
its funny how its always rafa that ends up with the most epic matches in history, like the aussie grandslam that went 6 plus hours and the wimbledon final against roger that went the distance and it was so dark when it ended, you noticed after the cameras were flashing that it was night time, and all the epic matches at roland garros. then again this was the only epic match as he normally wins in straight sets at RG.
I gotta say, after the redemption at the 2021 French Open by Djokovic, this match is now much more tolerable to stomach. Likewise, Federers Redemption at AO 17 and Wimby 2019 and his beatdown of the Spaniard in 2017 compensate to some extent for Federers heartbreakers vs Nadal in the early part of their rivalry. Would have it been nice for Nole to have beaten this Nadal and Federer to have won some of those crucial contests? Absolutely. But I guess you can't win them all. As of now, Djokovic has the slight edge in the goat race. However, if Federer manages to win Wimbledon, the Swiss will be on top.
Yeah! It took an injured Nadal though. It would’ve been absolutely extraordinary if Djokovic beat this (2013) Nadal in RG. But truth to be told, 2015 Nadal was the equivalent of 2017 Djokovic and in 2021 Nadal was injured; so I’m not sure about that redemption you mention. AO 2017 definitely, but RG 2021, naah!!
@@minyrar7107 Sounds like a typical Nadal fan excuse. Nadal won Bacelona and Rome this year, beating Tsitsipas and Djokovic. Nadal was not injured until the 4th set. No way Nadal goes up 5-0 and fights with the intensity that he did in the 3rd if he was carrying a significant injury. Djokovic was mentally rock solid and too good on the day. 2021 FO was indeed redemption and likely decided Djokovic as the best of this era.
@@jacobschmidt2709 its not an excuse, how could it be one when he is literally sacrificing his 2021 season to recover from the injury? You’re the fanatic here, yes I admit nole played better but ngl Nadal wasn’t fully fit in the match. He was limping out of the hotel the same night, congrats to Nole tho
@@tennis-man22 Nadal wasn't injured before the 4th set. You can't run everywhere on every balls during 93 minutes with a significant injury....this is a ridiculous statement
