Eurosport tennis expert Tim Henman thinks Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal are set to play the most important match of the last decade.
Nadal is aiming to win a record 22nd Grand Slam at the French Open, while Djokovic is targeting to win his 21st Grand Slam and tie the Spaniard on the all-time Grand Slam record list.
Nadal and Djokovic will meet today at Roland Garros in night session.
“There was [Roger] Federer v Djokovic at Wimbledon in 2019 but the consequences of this, with Rafa on 21 Slams and Djokovic on 20, trying to draw level, I think in the men’s game it’s the most important match in the last 10 years,” Henman said on Eurosport.
Henman, Mats Wilander on the Nadal – Djokovic clash
Nadal and Djokovic are set to meet for the first time since the 2021 French Open semifinal, when Djokovic claimed a four-set win.
“I think we are going to see a fast match in terms of ball striking and aggressiveness,” Wilander said on Eurosport. “The crowd are going to favour Rafa because he’s the only one here who is always the favourite and they still root for him; they usually root for the underdog. I think if that happens Novak is so good at turning that into a positive and using that adversity to fire himself up.”
Whoever wins the match won’t have an easy job in the semifinal as Carlos Alcaraz is the favorite to beat Alexander Zverev and make the last-4 in Paris.
“It’s a big match for us but them it’s a quarter-final. They then have to play perhaps the in-form Alcaraz, then maybe Marin Cilic or Holger Rune, I think Rafa and Novak understand that better than we realise,” Wilander added. “It’s a big rivalry but I have to beat this guy and save some energy still, I think that’s the way they will be looking at it.”