Life goes on, says Nadal after French Open reign ends

13-time champion suffers third-ever defeat in 108 Paris matches in over 16 years

Rafael Nadal shrugged off his epic loss to Novak Djokovic at the French Open insisting “life goes on” as the 13-time champion suffered just his third ever defeat in 108 matches in Paris over 16 years.

In their 58th career clash, world number one Djokovic triumphed 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7/4), 6-2 in the semifinal and stays on course to capture a 19th major and become the first man in over 50 years to win all four Slams twice.

Nadal, the defending champion and chasing a record-setting 21st Grand Slam title, refused to dwell on the consequences of his 4-hour 11-minute loss.

“I am sad to have lost in the most important tournament of the year for me, but life goes on, it is nothing more than a defeat on a tennis court,” said 35-year-old Nadal.

“If everything goes well, tomorrow I will be at home with my family and friends, and then we will see what is next.”

Nadal said he plans to be back in 2022 although admitting that time is not on his side if he wants to reestablish his Paris dominance.

Had he made Sunday’s championship match, he would have been the oldest Roland Garros finalist in the modern era.

“Although it is a very important tournament for me, I am aware that you cannot win it 15 or 16 times,” he added.

“Next year I will come again, God willing, with the belief and with the necessary work to be able to give myself another chance.”

In their 58th career meeting, and ninth at the French Open, Nadal had looked comfortably on course for victory when he raced to a 5-0 lead in the first set.

But 2016 champion Djokovic, the man now responsible for two of Nadal’s losses in Paris having also triumphed in the 2015 quarterfinals, hit back.

‘Did not hurt him’

As the match progressed into the later heavier, humid and slower conditions, the world number one flourished.

He claimed a titanic 92-minute third set which had seen him serve for it at 5-4 and then have to save a set point in the 12th game.

In the fourth set, he was 0-2 down before racing away with the next six games for his second win in Paris over Nadal in nine meetings. That sequence also included defeats in the 2012, 2014 and 2020 finals.

Djokovic will now be playing in his sixth Roland Garros final and 29th at the Slams.

“In the end, of course, if you win the third set you can say that was the key, because it changes the dynamic,” said Nadal.

“At times, my ball did not hurt him. You have to give him credit, congratulate him, but I know I can play better on this court.”

When asked if he had faced the best Djokovic performance of their 15-year rivalry, he was adamant.

“No, that’s what I feel. He has not faced my best self either.

“There were games on the limit, games that anyone could win, and today it was for him.”

Despite that, there is a degree of evidence that Nadal is beginning to lose more epics than he wins at the Slams.

At the Australian Open in February, he lost to Stefanos Tsitsipas from two sets up in a five-set quarterfinal defeat. Tsitsipas, who faces Djokovic in Sunday’s final, is 13 years younger than Nadal.

In the Wimbledon semifinals in 2018, Nadal lost a final set 10-8 to Djokovic after quitting injured in the fifth set of his Australian Open semi against Marin Cilic earlier that same year.

Even Gilles Muller of Luxembourg beat him at Wimbledon in 2017, courtesy of a 15-13 final set.

“It doesn’t matter,” added a rueful Nadal. “That’s tennis. The player who gets used to the conditions better is the player who deserves to win.”

Djokovic will remember forever

Djokovic said his win over Nadal in the Friday’s epic French Open semifinal was one of the top three matches he had played and he would remember it forever.

“Definitely the best match that I was part of at Roland Garros, and top three matches that I ever played in my entire career,” Djokovic told reporters after inflicting only a third ever French Open defeat on 13-time champion Nadal.

“Considering the quality of tennis, playing my biggest rival on the court where he has had so much success and has been the dominant force in the last 15-plus years, and the atmosphere which was completely electric.

“One of these nights and matches you will remember forever.”

The omens did not look good for Djokovic when he went 5-0 down in the first set despite playing well. It had horrible similarities to last year’s final which he lost to the Spaniard 6-0 6-2 7-5, only this time he wrenched back control.

“The beginning of the match was kind of resembling last year’s final,” Djokovic, who enjoyed loud support throughout the fourhour contest, said.

“I was not too nervous though even if I was 0-5 down because the feeling was different from last year’s final, because I was just hitting the ball better and feeling better overall.

“I just kind of found my rhythm, found my groove. There was no looking back. Even though I lost the first set, I found my game. Things started to work out really nicely.”

Even for a man of Djokovic’s physical and mental resources, the emotions of Friday’s win might leave a hangover and he will be fully aware that the last time he beat Nadal at the French Open in 2015, he ended up losing the final to Stan Wawrinka.

“I’m not the freshest guy right now obviously. But the good thing is that I have a day and a half to rejuvenate,” he said.

“I’ll enjoy this victory a little bit. I think I deserve after this big win to just relax a little bit without thinking about the next opponent, even though it’s a Grand Slam final.”

Asked what it meant to beat Nadal at a Grand Slam he has owned almost exclusively since 2005, Djokovic said it was difficult to put into words.

“I mean, he has been the most dominant player of the Roland Garros history. He lost two, now three times, in his entire career here,” world number one Djokovic said.

“The amount of wins that he has made on this court is incredible. Each time you step on the court with him, you know that you have to kind of climb Mount Everest to win.

“It’s just one of these matches that I really will remember for a very long time, not just because I won the match but because of the atmosphere, the occasion was very special.”