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Serbian is into his 10th semi-final on the Parisian clay
There were scary moments for World No. 1 Novak Djokovic in his Roland Garros quarter-final against Pablo Carreno Busta. But despite visibly struggling with his left arm early on Wednesday evening, the Serbian triumphed 4-6, 6-2, 6-3, 6-4.

The 2016 champion only lost 25 games en route to the last eight in Paris, a personal best. But it was clear he was in for a battle early against the 17th seed, launching many unforced errors and massaging — or, in some case hitting — his left arm on nearly every changeover in the first set. Following treatment from an ATP physio following the set, Djokovic settled in and charged into his 10th Roland Garros semi-final.

Even if he wasn't physically at 100 per cent, Djokovic battled hard, pumping himself up with roars throughout the match. As the match wore on, he played relatively clean tennis and found a rhythm on return to scrape past the indefatigable Spaniard after three hours and 10 minutes.

The first indication something was amiss for the 33-year-old was when he walked on Court Philippe-Chatrier with tape on his neck. Djokovic showed his discomfort by trying to adjust his arm between points.

<a href='/en/players/novak-djokovic/d643/overview'>Novak Djokovic</a>
Photo Credit: AFP/Getty Images
Carreno Busta took full advantage at the start of the match, playing solid tennis and placing balls deep in the court to force Djokovic to beat him, which he wasn't able to do in the first set. The 17-time major champion landed only 40 per cent of his first serves in the opener, indicating issues with his service toss. Early in the second set, he gingerly hit an overhead.

But Djokovic quickly regained his form, making 70 per cent of his first deliveries in the second set and significantly reduced his error count for the rest of the match. The top seed only made seven unforced errors in the second and began playing with more margin, showing a willingness to hang in longer rallies with the 17th seed.
In the first game of the third set, the Serbian faced two break points. He let out massive screams knowing that was a pivotable moment. Djokovic held on and then broke with a backhand drop shot, sprinting to a 3-1 lead.

Carreno Busta did not go away, getting back on serve with a forehand winner. But Djokovic was the more consistent player, while also being more aggressive. Once again the Serbian made just seven unforced errors in the third set, putting a lot of pressure on the Spaniard in key moments.

Infosys

Visit the Infosys Match Centre at RolandGarros.com

Carreno Busta faced an uphill battle from there and he got broken by being too cute with a forehand shovel only feet from the net. Serving in the next game at 4-3, Djokovic let slip his concentration momentarily, and he had to face three break points. But a forehand dink lob, impatience from the Spaniard and a big forehand got Djokovic out of trouble. He closed out his triumph with a curling cross-court forehand, marking his 53rd winner of the evening.

Djokovic will next face reigning Nitto ATP Finals champion Stefanos Tsitsipas, who ousted Hamburg European Open champion Andrey Rublev in straight sets. Djokovic leads their ATP Head2Head series 3-2, but the Greek's two victories have come at ATP Masters 1000 events. This will be their first clash at a Grand Slam.

Djokovic has won 16 of his past 17 major matches against Top 20 opposition, with his only loss coming in last year's Roland Garros semi-finals against Dominic Thiem. He is 36-1 on the season.

Carreno Busta was trying to reach his first Roland Garros semi-final. The Spaniard is a two-time US Open semi-finalist, advancing to the last four in New York last month.

Serbian reflects on quarter-final win against Carreno Busta
Novak Djokovic did not have it easy Wednesday evening at Roland Garros, overcoming neck and shoulder issues to find his form and battle past Pablo Carreno Busta in four sets to reach the semi-finals for the 10th time. Although it wasn’t perfect, the Serbian explained on court after the match that he keeps things in perspective.

Reaching the last four at a Grand Slam, whether his victory was pretty or not, is still a big accomplishment.

“These four tournaments, the four Grand Slams matter the most probably in tennis history. [They are] the most popular tennis events in the world. A lot of kids, when they take a racquet in their hands, they dream of winning Roland Garros, Wimbledon, the Australian Open and the US Open,” Djokovic said. “I’ve been very fortunate to play very well throughout my career in Grand Slams.

“It’s not only my success. It’s the success of my team, my family that has been supporting me throughout my whole life. It wasn’t easy growing up in a war-torn country and without any tennis guidance or tennis tradition, really. To succeed in this beautiful sport means a lot to me. I try to be conscious of every achievement, be grateful for it and put things in perspective.”


Djokovic has won 17 Grand Slam titles, trailing only Roger Federer (20) and Rafael Nadal (19) for the most in history. The Serbian is also the only player to complete the Career Golden Masters — winning all nine ATP Masters 1000 events — which he has done twice.

The World No. 1 is still very much alive at Roland Garros after a resilient performance against 17th seed Carreno Busta, who was pursuing his first semi-final appearance in Paris.

“I'm feeling okay,” Djokovic said. “As the match progressed, I warmed up my body and the pain kind of faded away. It allowed me to play better and better and feel better.”

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Djokovic made an uncharacteristic 16 unforced errors in the first set. But he cut down his mistakes, only making 25 unforced errors in the next three sets combined. The top seed will next face reigning Nitto ATP Finals champion Stefanos Tsitsipas, who is into his maiden Roland Garros semi-final.

“He's one of the best players in the world, deservedly where he is in [FedEx ATP] Rankings. He's been playing the tennis of his life in the past 12 months,” Djokovic said. “He has an all-around game. He's a big guy, big serve. He has weapons, obviously [his] serve and forehand, his backhand. He produces a lot of spin. He comes into the net. He can play aggressively. He can defend well because he moves well.”

Djokovic has won three of their five ATP Head2Head meetings, including a 6-3, 6-4 victory in their only previous clay-court clash in last year’s Mutua Madrid Open final. But the Serbian knows the 22-year-old has improved steadily since then.

“I think he's one of the hardest-working guys out there. He has a great team, obviously his father, Patrick Mouratoglou in his corner as well,” Djokovic said. “I expect a really tough, tough match, tough challenge for both of us. [It’s the] semi-finals of a Grand Slam, this is what you expect. You expect to play a top five, top 10 player. This is what I get. I'm hopefully going to be able to feel my best and play my best.”

The Serbian earned five year-end World No. 1 finishes during the 2010s

In the latest profile on the 26 players to rise to No. 1 in the FedEx ATP Rankings, ATPTour.com looks back on the career of Novak Djokovic. View Series.

First week at No. 1: 4 July 2011
Total weeks at No. 1: 289 (as at 5 October, 2020)
Year-End No. 1s: 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2018

As World No. 1
After opening the 2011 ATP Tour season with seven trophies and 41 consecutive victories, Djokovic rose to World No. 1 in the FedEx ATP Rankings on 4 July 2011 after beating Rafael Nadal to claim his first Wimbledon crown. “They don't give you a lot of chances to become number one. So I guess you need to lose only one match in seven months to get there,” said Djokovic. The Serbian owns five year-end World No. 1 finishes and most recently achieved the feat in 2018, when he won 35 of his final 39 matches of the year to become the first player ranked outside the Top 20 to finish the same season at No. 1 in the FedEx ATP Rankings.

Grand Slam Highlights
Djokovic has captured 17 major championship trophies, highlighted by a record eight Australian Open title runs. The elastic 32-year-old owns a 75-8 record at Melbourne Park, which includes a combined 16-0 record in semi-final and final encounters. Three years after his maiden Grand Slam triumph Down Under in 2008, Djokovic claimed three major championships in 2011. Alongside his second Melbourne trophy, Djokovic clinched his first trophies at Wimbledon and the US Open. Djokovic owns five Wimbledon titles and three US Open crowns. At Roland Garros in 2016, the Serbian defeated Andy Murray to complete the ‘Nole Slam’, joining Don Budge (1938) and Rod Laver (1962 and 1969) as only the third man in history to hold all four Grand Slam titles at the same time. "It's a thrilling moment," said Djokovic. "One of the most beautiful I have had in my career... It's incredibly flattering to know that Rod Laver is the last one that managed to do that. There are not many words that can describe it. It's one of the ultimate challenges that you have as a tennis player. I'm very proud and very thrilled.”

Djokovic

Nitto ATP Finals Highlights
Djokovic is the only man in Nitto ATP Finals history to win the tournament on four consecutive occasions (2012-2015). The 79-time tour-level titlist, who also claimed the trophy in 2008, owns a 36-14 record at the elite eight-man event. Djokovic has made 12 appearances at the tournament, which includes 10 consecutive qualifications from 2007 to 2016. “The last four years I managed to win the [Nitto ATP] Finals, where the best players in the world are playing,” said Djokovic in 2015. “For some reason or another, I've been playing some of my best tennis after the US Open, in Asia and also indoors, both Paris and London.”

ATP Masters 1000 Highlights
With 36 trophies at Masters 1000 events, Djokovic is the most successful player in Masters 1000 history. The Belgrade-born star claimed his first Masters 1000 crown in Miami in 2007 and beat Top 3 stars Andy Roddick, Nadal and Roger Federer later that year in consecutive matches to lift his first of four Coupe Rogers trophies. Djokovic has historically started and finished the year strong at the level. He shares title records in Indian Wells (5 w/Federer) and Miami (6 w/Agassi) and leads the way in Shanghai (4) and Paris (5). At the 2018 Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati, Djokovic became the first player in Masters 1000 history to win all nine elite tournaments and complete the career Golden Masters. "Making history in the sport that I love with all my heart is always very meaningful to me... It was a big one,” said Djokovic. “In order to win it, I had to overcome that big hurdle and big challenge [against Federer]. I managed to do so and it was a great, great day. Big support from the crowd and an amazing occasion to be part of." Two years later, at the same event, Djokovic completed his second career Golden Masters with victory against Milos Raonic in the championship match. The Serbian made further history at the level last month, capturing his fifth Rome trophy to break a tie with 35-time Masters 1000 titlist Nadal. The 33-year-old also owns three Madrid titles and two Monte Carlo crowns.


Biggest Rivalries
As a member of the ‘Big Three’, Djokovic has contested two major rivalries throughout his career on the ATP Tour.

With 55 meetings, Djokovic and Nadal have established the longest ATP Head2Head rivalry in the Open Era (Djokovic leads 29-26). The two men produced the standout rivalry of the past decade, when they contested championship matches at each of the four Grand Slam events (tied at 4-4), the Nitto ATP Finals and five Masters 1000 tournaments. Djokovic also defeated the Spaniard in a must-win contest at the inaugural ATP Cup in Australia this year, en route to lifting the trophy for Team Serbia. Across the past 12 ATP Tour seasons, one of Nadal and Djokovic has finished as year-end World No. 1 in the FedEx ATP Rankings on 10 occasions.


Surpassed only by his rivalry with Nadal, Djokovic has met Federer on 50 occasions during their ATP Head2Head rivalry (Djokovic leads 27-23). The pair has met in 19 championship matches with Djokovic leading 13-6, including four wins from five Grand Slam finals. In one of the greatest Wimbledon finals of all-time in 2019, Djokovic saved two championship points to overcome Federer in the first final to be decided by a 12-12 fifth-set tie-break. With both players aiming to end their careers as the leader in the Grand Slam titles leader board, Djokovic’s victory brought him to within four major championships of the 20-time Grand Slam champion’s mark. Since 2003, Federer and Djokovic have captured a combined 14 Australian Open titles, 13 Wimbledon trophies and 11 Nitto ATP Finals crowns.

“[My rivalry] with Roger and Rafa… is one of the motivations for me to still keep going at this age,” said Djokovic. “The three of us have inspired each other throughout our rivalries and careers to be better, to understand how we can overcome obstacles in the matchups.

“I am more grateful today to be in the same era with these two guys than I was probably 10, 15 years ago. I think that definitely rivalries with them made me very, very strong, very resilient, and also very motivated that I am still today.”

Legacy
One of the sport’s greatest players with the best return of serve in history. Djokovic has applied relentless pressure on his opponents throughout his career with pinpoint returns and remarkable elasticity and endurance levels. The eight-time Australian Open champion has claimed 81 tour-level trophies, including 17 Grand Slam championships and five year-end World No. 1 finishes. With a great mix of great offensive and defensive skill, Djokovic has proven himself to be one of the most complete players in history. Djokovic is the only man to have completed the career Golden Masters and one of only three men to have held each of the four Grand Slam trophies at the same time. Djokovic holds an 84.4 per cent record on hard courts, the greatest winning percentage on the surface in the history of the sport. Djokovic forced his way into the 'Big Three' era alongside Federer and Nadal with an incredibly consistent game style, bringing tennis to a new audience and lifting the profile of the sport to new heights.

Overall Match Win-Loss Record: 929-188 (as at 8 October, 2020)
Overall Titles/Finals Record: 81-34

Memorable Moment
In the longest men’s Grand Slam final on record, Djokovic outlasted Rafael Nadal 5-7, 6-4, 6-2, 6-7(5), 7-5 after five hours and 53 minutes to claim his third Australian Open trophy. Djokovic entered the contest on a six-match winning streak against the Spaniard, but was pushed to the limit in one of the most physical encounters in the history of the sport. Late in the fifth set, after recovering from a 2-4 deficit, Djokovic collapsed to the court after a brutal 31-shot rally. But, despite the fatigue, the Serbian earned a crucial break at 5-5 before ripping a forehand winner to take the title at 1:37 a.m. local time. Djokovic tore off his shirt in celebration and roared in delight as he made his way towards his player box. “The fact that we played almost six hours is incredible,” said Djokovic. “I'm very proud just to be part of this history, part of the elite players that have won this tournament several times. I was very flattered to be playing in front of Rod Laver, in front of the all-time greats and in front of 15,000 people that stayed until 1:30 a.m."

Djokovic

Federer on Djokovic
“I think it started as a semi-final rivalry, because me and Rafa were ranked one and two and two and one for a long time, and he was always three or four. Then it changed. He became World No. 1 and… we started to play each other more often in finals as well and in the bigger matches like the US Open and Wimbledon… I think it's really become a very nice rivalry. I don't think we have to adjust our games very much. We can just play our game, and then the better man wins.”

Nadal on Djokovic
“I played against a player who did everything perfect. I know nobody playing tennis like this ever. Since I know this sport, I never saw somebody playing at this level,” said Nadal after falling to Djokovic in the 2016 Qatar ExxonMobil Open final.

Djokovic On Djokovic
”My upbringing was in Serbia during several wars during the '90s, difficult time, an embargo in our country where we had to wait in line for bread, milk, water, some basic things in life. These kind of things make you stronger and hungrier for success I think in whatever you choose to do.

“That probably has been my foundation, the very fact that I came from literally nothing and difficult life circumstances together with my family and with my people. Going back to that, reminding myself where I came from always inspires me [and] motivates me to push even harder. That's probably one of the reasons why I managed to find that extra gear, the mental strength to overcome challenges when they present themselves.”

Broadcaster/Journalist Graeme Agars
Is Novak Djokovic the best counter-puncher the game has ever seen? His ever-growing trophy cabinet offers some very strong evidence that he is. With more than 80 tour-level titles already locked away as he approaches 300 weeks atop the FedEx ATP Rankings, Djokovic's impressive resume supports that claim.

The World No. 1 certainly has one of the best service returns the game has ever seen and his backhand down the line, his favourite shot, is a joy to watch as he frustrates his opponents with its power and placement.

In addition to all his shot-making prowess, the Serbian is also one of the fittest and fastest players on Tour and is very hard to pass. Some of the acrobatic positions Djokovic produces on court make it look at times as though he is made of rubber.

Early in his career he seemed at times to completely run out of energy in some of his longer matches, something that rarely occurs these days after he switched to a gluten-free regimen and became very conscious of his health and diet. It has paid dividends.

Off the court, he is equally well decorated. Among his major awards are the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year (2012, ‘15-16 and ‘19), Eurosport Athlete of the Year (2015), Order of the Republika Srpska (2013) and the Arthur Ashe Humanitarian Award (2012). The Novak Djokovic Foundation, founded in 2007, has been highly successful in helping disadvantaged communities gain access to pre-school education.

Infosys ATP Beyond The Numbers takes a look at the fast starts this year's Roland Garros semi-finalists have been making in Paris

The match is just four games old, but it already feels much closer to the end than the beginning.

An Infosys ATP Beyond The Numbers analysis of the four Roland Garros semi-finalists uncovers that getting off to a fast start in the first four games of Set 1 is an integral part of their overall pathway to victory. The analysis focuses only on the first two serve and return games of Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Diego Schwartzman in Set 1 of their five matches to the semi-finals.

What you find is nothing short of complete carnage.

The data set includes 40 serve games and 40 return games. Of the 40 serve games, the four semi-finalists held serve a head-turning 38 times. They step on court with the motor running. Diego Schwartzman was the only player to lose serve in his opening two service games of the match - once to Lorenzo Sonego and once to Norbert Gombos. Djokovic was the only player to not face a break point in the opening two service games of his five matches to the semi-finals. In fact, Djokovic has not even been extended to Deuce in his first two service games through five rounds.

First Two Service Games Of Set 1: Break Points Saved/Faced
• Djokovic = 0/0
• Tsitsipas = 2/2
• Nadal = 4/4
• Schwartzman = 2/4

Overall, the four semi-finalists have won 74 per cent (171/230) of their service points in the first two service games. They are doing all they can to march straight through their opening two service games and make life as difficult as possible in their opponents' service games. That’s where the early damage is unfolding.

While the four semi-finalists have held a ridiculously high 95 per cent (38/40) of their own service games, they have broken serve 21 times out of 40, which equates to 53 per cent.

Djokovic, Nadal, Tsitsipas, Schwartzman Combined To Roland Garros Semi-Finals
• 1st Two Service Games Holding Serve = 95% (38/40)
• 1st Two Return Games Breaking Serve = 53% (21/40)

The comparison to how tidy their own service games are, and the litany of broken service games to start the match from the other side of the net, could not be more opposite. Below is a breakdown of how many times the semi-finalists have broken serve in the first two return games of the match.

Broken Serve: Opening Two Return Games
• Tsitsipas = 6/10
• Schwartzman = 6/10
• Djokovic = 5/10
• Nadal = 4/10

Tsitsipas and Schwartzman have been the most prolific at breaking serve in their opponents' opening two service games of the match, notching up six breaks out of 10 return games. Competing against these four players is an extremely difficult assignment to start with. Going down an early break makes the physical and mental battle of winning the match that much harder.

When the dust has settled after the first games have been played, Djokovic, Nadal, Tsitsipas and Schwartzman have found themselves leading the majority of the time.

Four Semi-Finalists: Game Score Position After 4 Games
• Leading (3-1 or 4-0) = 65% (13/20)
• Tied (2-2) = 30% (6/20)
• Behind (1-3) = 5% (1/20)

All four players have grown accustomed to a fast start as they have moved through the draw to the semi-finals in Paris this year. Whoever can continue that trend will be in the driver’s seat to advance to Sunday’s final.

World No. 1 owns 37-1 record this year

Novak Djokovic survived a major scare at Roland Garros on Friday, as he held off a spirited comeback attempt from Stefanos Tsitsipas to secure a 6-3, 6-2, 5-7, 4-6, 6-1 semi-final victory.

The World No. 1 advanced to his fifth final on the Parisian terre battue after three hours and 54 minutes, hitting 56 winners en route to 37th win from 38 matches this year. Djokovic, who held match point at 5-4 in the third set, joins a group of seven players to have reached five finals at the clay-court Grand Slam championship. Only Rafael Nadal (13) and Bjorn Borg (6), have reached more Roland Garros championship matches.

Most Roland Garros Final Appearances

No. of Finals Player(s)
13 Rafael Nadal
6 Bjorn Borg
5 Henri Cochet
5 Novak Djokovic
5 Jaroslav Drobny
5 Roger Federer
5 Rene Lacoste
5 Ivan Lendl
5 Mats Wilander
A major part of Djokovic’s success at this event has been his ability to play his best tennis under pressure. The Belgrade native has saved 76 percent of break points (35/46) throughout the tournament. In the final set, Djokovic dropped just one point behind his first serve (7/8) and won six of seven net points.

In recent years, Djokovic has been almost unbeatable in Grand Slam semi-finals. Since the start of the 2015 ATP Tour season, the Serbian has claimed 13 wins from 14 major semi-finals. The only player to earn a major semi-final win against Djokovic during that period was Dominic Thiem at this event last year.

With his five-set win, Djokovic improves to 4-2 in his ATP Head2Head series against Tsitsipas. Tsitsipas won two of his opening three matches against the World No. 1, but Djokovic has now claimed victory in three consecutive matches against the Greek.


The top seed is just one win away from creating Grand Slam history in Paris, just four years after defeating Andy Murray in the 2016 final to become only the third player in history to hold all four major titles at the same time. If Djokovic can claim his second Roland Garros crown on Sunday, he will become the first player in the Open Era — and only the third man in history — to win multiple trophies at each of the four major championships.

Djokovic, who owns an 8-0 record against Top 10 opposition this year, will also be aiming to capture his 18th major trophy and close the gap on rivals Federer and Nadal at the top of the Grand Slam titles leaderboard. Federer leads the way with 20 Grand Slam trophies, while Nadal owns 19 crowns at the level.

Grand Slam Titles Leaderboard

Rank Player Titles
1 Roger Federer 20
2 Rafael Nadal 19
3 Novak Djokovic 17
4 Pete Sampras 14
5 Roy Emerson 12
Standing between Djokovic and the Coupe des Mousquetaires will be Nadal. The 12-time champion claimed a 6-3, 6-3, 7-6(0) victory against Diego Schwartzman to improve to 13-0 in Roland Garros semi-finals.

Djokovic owns a 29-26 ATP Head2Head advantage against the Spaniard, but Nadal has won six of their seven meetings at this event. Djokovic followed in the footsteps of Robin Soderling by becoming only the second player to defeat Nadal at the clay-court Grand Slam championship in the 2015 quarter-finals.

Tsitsipas was aiming to reach his first Grand Slam final and become the youngest major championship finalist since Juan Martin del Potro at the 2009 US Open. The 22-year-old arrived in Paris later than most of his rivals, having contested the Hamburg European Open final on the same day the tournament began at Stade Roland Garros (l. to Rublev).

Tsitsipas came back from two sets down for the first time in his career against Jaume Munar in the first round, before notching straight-sets wins against Pablo Cuevas, Aljaz Bedene, Grigor Dimitrov and Andrey Rublev to reach his second Grand Slam semi-final.

<a href='/en/players/stefanos-tsitsipas/te51/overview'>Stefanos Tsitsipas</a> owns five tour-level trophies.
After saving break points in his first service game, Djokovic ripped a crosscourt forehand winner in the following game to establish a 2-0 lead. The World No. 1 showed great movement and balance later in the set to save break point in a 23-shot rally and maintain his advantage. The 81-time tour-level titlist once again fired a crosscourt forehand winner to close that game.
In the second set, Djokovic chased down balls from behind the baseline to keep rallies alive and frustrate his opponent. Tsitsipas led 40/0 in service games at 2-2 and 2-4, but was broken on both occasions as Djokovic forced the Greek to play one extra shot. After extracting crucial errors, Djokovic achieved near perfection on serve at 5-2. The top seed served out the set with three aces and one unreturned serve.

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Djokovic appeared to make the decisive move at 4-4 in the third set. The 17-time Grand Slam champion used the drop shot to mix up play — as he has throughout the European clay swing — and outmanoeuvre his opponent. With Djokovic serving for the match, Tsitsipas saved match point in a backhand-to-backhand rally and played with power from the baseline to reach 5-5. After a comfortable service hold, Tsitsipas continued to take his game to Djokovic and fired a forehand up the line to take the match to a fourth set.

After trading breaks earlier in the set, Tsitsipas pounced late to level the match. With Djokovic serving at 4-5, 40/15, the 22-year-old struck a drop shot of his own to increase the pressure on his opponent. Djokovic committed consecutive backhand errors and netted an attempted to drop shot to lose the set. Tsitsipas saved 10 of the 11 break points he faced in the fourth set.

Djokovic continued to trust his drop shot in the decider and the stroke paid dividends at 1-1. After attacking Tsitsipas’ backhand, the top seed carved a crosscourt drop shot to earn an early break. The 33-year-old charged to the finish line, returning with consistent aggression as he ended the match with a forehand return winner.

Djokovic discusses what's at stake in the Roland Garros final
Novak Djokovic had a close call on Friday evening against Stefanos Tsitsipas, needing five sets to reach his fifth Roland Garros final. Now the Serbian is on the verge of history, three sets from becoming the first player in the Open Era to complete two Career Grand Slams. A triumph against Rafael Nadal in Sunday’s championship match would also give the Serbian his 18th major trophy.

“That would be [the] icing on the cake,” Djokovic said. “I hopefully will be able to play my best tennis, because that's what's going to be needed in order to have a shot at the trophy. But look, I am in position to be close to the trophy. I'm in the last match of the tournament, playing against the biggest rival, the biggest obstacle and challenge that you can have. This is what it comes down to. I've been there. I've done it. I understand what needs to be done and how I need to prepare myself. I'm looking forward to it.”

Djokovic understands defeating the 12-time champion will be the ultimate challenge. He will play Nadal for the 56th time in their record ATP Head2Head rivalry. They have split eight previous Grand Slam finals.

“He's definitely my greatest rival,” Nadal said. “Playing him in so many great matches, of course the past will have some effect in terms of respect towards each other, [the] motivation to get out on the court and play your best, knowing that we both have to be at our best in order to win against each other.”

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For the first two sets against Tsitsipas, Djokovic was at his exceptional best. But as the Greek raised his level, Djokovic was unable to close the match. Sometimes when the World No. 1 is put into difficulty, he’ll vocally pump himself up to try to kick into another gear. He did so in the quarter-finals against Pablo Carreno Busta. But against the Greek, Djokovic didn’t do so as visibly.

“I was definitely not pleased with the way I played the finishing stages of the third and fourth sets, but I was very pleased with the way I kept my composure mentally throughout the entire match,” Djokovic said. “I did feel that even though I lost the third and fourth, I still felt like I was the better player on the court. I had more control. I just felt comfortable playing.”

Djokovic was highly complimentary of Tsitsipas, who had never previously advanced past the fourth round on the Parisian terre battue.

“Credit to him for fighting back. He just played terrific tennis, especially in the fourth set when he was facing break points. I had many opportunities to break his serve in the fourth and finish the match earlier. He's a fighter. He's one of the best players in the world. Deservedly so,” Djokovic said.

“Obviously he was also fighting for his first Grand Slam final. Of course, there was a lot at stake for him. He was motivated to try to turn the match around, which he did very well. But in the end I think he ran out of gas. That's when I stepped it up, used my opportunities when they were presented in the fifth, and closed out the match in a great fashion.”

Djokovic's Titles By Grand Slam

Australian Open 8
Roland Garros 1
Wimbledon 5
US Open 3
Some might wonder if not closing out the Greek in straight sets will have an impact on Sunday’s final. Nadal defeated Diego Schwartzman in straight sets. But Djokovic only spent 45 more minutes on court on Friday than the Spaniard.

“I’m not feeling exhausted physically so much after tonight's match, obviously almost four hours. It was a great battle,” Djokovic said. “But I feel fine. I think a day-and-a-half will be plenty of time for me to recover. I'm really looking forward to a great battle with Rafa.”

This tournament holds special meaning for the Serbian. The Coupe des Mousquetaires was his white whale until 2016, when he finally completed his Career Grand Slam in Paris. Now, Djokovic can achieve the feat again.

“Every French Open final that I played was the match of my life before I actually won it,” Djokovic said. “It does have a certain significance and difference when I play a French Open final [compared] to any other Slam final. This is the one that I've won the least, so of course I am extremely motivated to try to get my hands on another trophy.”