Where is the latest Novak Djokovic-Rafael Nadal thriller in the all-time rivalry?
Seeing Rafa play at Roland Garros is like watching your favorite movie for me, two-time champion Victoria Azarenka tweeted while Rafael Nadal made short work of Cameron Norrie in the third round of the French Open. You really enjoy it, but you already know whats going to happen.  This was trueuntil it wasnt. Nadal, as always, made his way to the semi-finals, extending his last win streak at Roland Garros to 35 games and going to an all-time 105-2 in Paris. But in the semi-finals, old rival Novak Djokovic knocked him out to 105-3. Nadal opened up a 5-0 lead in the first set, but Djokovic took a lot of blows, seemed the fresher player all the time and defeated the champion in four sets, 3-6, 6-3, 7-6, 6-2. That scoreline doesnt do the game justice, though. The first three sets lasted 3 hours and the plot twists came quickly and furiously. The two combined for 98 winners, combined to save 24 breakpoints and engaged in 57 rallies of nine or more shots. Announcer Mary Carillo called it her favorite Djokovic-Nadal match in the third set. In the end things got out of hand and Djokovic won the last six games to clear things up. But this was a spectacular match. This rivalry was characterized by extreme swings in momentum. Nadal found his top gear on tour before Djokovic, winning five of their first six head-to-head matches; then they split four. Nadal won seven of the next eight, then Djokovic found himself and won 10 out of 12. Nadal again got the upper hand, winning six out of seven over the next two years, but Djokovic won 11 out of 12 from 2013 to 2016 as Nadal struggled with injury and form problems. But then Djokovic resolved his own string of injuries and problems, and Nadal had won five of the last eight  and all of them came on clay  before Djokovics win on Friday. For such an even run  Djokovic has 30 wins against Nadals 28  a large percentage of the games were tied in one way or another. But if you play 58 times, 29 times in tournament finals, youre playing some classics, and theyve had their fair share. Lets rank their top 10 fights. 10. 2014 French Open Final  Winner: Nadal 3-6, 7-5, 6-2, 6-4  Nadal at his best. After a straight-set demolition of Andy Murray, Nadal couldnt reach the same highs, so he took it upon himself to beat Djokovic instead. Djokovic struck quickly, but Nadal did not take control until late in the second set. After a break in the fourth, Djokovic came back to equalize with 4-all, but then blinked. He made a double fault on Nadals first match point and gave the Spaniard his fifth French Open title in a row. 9. Miami Final 2011  Winner: Djokovic 4-6, 6-3, 7-6    1 Related  Djokovic was unbeaten so far in 2011 and controlled most of the game, but Nadal won six of eight breakpoints in the first set  four on his serve, two on Djokovics  before the game turned late into a big helping. . The third set quickly turned into a tiebreak, where Nadal made a double error at 2-2. Djokovics lead quickly rose to 6-2, but Nadal saved two match points before a Djokovic forehand winner sealed the deal. 8. 2011 Wimbledon Final  Winner: Djokovic 6-4, 6-1, 1-6, 6-3  Djokovic has been 0-5 against Nadal in Slams so far, but after winning the Australian Open in the spring of 2011 and winning against Nadal four times in a row, he was very confident and it showed. The 24-year-old made just 16 unforced errors in four sets, beating Nadal and officially becoming the dominant force of the sport. Nadal had won four of the last five Slams, but this was the first of three consecutive finals he would lose to Djokovic. 7. 2010 US Open Final  Winner: Nadal 6-4, 5-7, 6-4, 6-2  The reverse of Fridays battle in Paris. Nadal won his third major title in a row and became the sixth player to win a Grand Slam in his career by battling heavyweight with Djokovic and eventually beating him. Djokovic took the biggest win of his career, a five-setter over Roger Federer, and saved 20 of 26 breakpoints, but Nadal finished his second serve late in the game and pulled out. 6. 2012 French Open Final  Winner: Nadal 6-4, 6-3, 2-6, 7-5  This was their fourth strike at Roland Garros and Djokovic had yet to take another set. Nadal had already beaten him twice on clay that spring and this match looked pretty routine. But then Djokovic started landing some hay machines. He broke Nadal three times in the third set, then broke it again in the fourth set. But then Nadal did what Nadal always seemed to do: break back immediately and then just break his opponent. 5. 2021 French Open Semifinals  Winner: Djokovic 3-6, 6-3, 7-6, 6-2  If this had been a best-of-three match, it might have ranked even higher. Nadal rushed to a 5-0 lead and easily wiped out many of Djokovics early drop shot attempts. But Djokovic seemed to be trying to take his legs off him as much as possible, and he finally succeeded. Djokovic controlled the second set and served for the third 5-4, but Nadal did things for Nadal to collect and send it to a tiebreaker. An ace from Djokovic, however, gave him a set point and he closed the set. Nadal broke through quickly in the fourth to bring hopes for a rally, but Djokovic has won the last six games. The duo have won 38 Grand Slam championships together. They have also met in 29 tournament finals during their career. Anne-Christine Poujoulat/AFP via Getty Images  4. Madrid 2009 semifinals  Winner: Nadal 3-6, 7-6, 7-6  Three sets, four hours. Djokovic really seemed the better of the two foes for much of the way, but Nadal saved four break points in the second set and secured a tiebreak win. In the third set, Djokovic got an early break before  of course  Nadal immediately took it back. In the decisive tiebreak, Djokovic earned match points at 6-5, 7-6 and 9-8, but Nadal saved them all with two big winners after huge rallies and a big serve. Nadal took the last three points and that was that. Now to the three classics:  3. Semifinal Wimbledon 2018  Winner: Djokovic 6-4, 3-6, 7-6, 3-6, 10-8  Djokovics Im back moment. In his first Slam semifinal since the 2016 US Open, Djokovic actually had to beat Nadal twice. First, he took two of the three sets and won the third in an epic 13-11 tiebreak. But curfews came into effect and the fighters had to return the next day. After Nadal took the fourth set, the two started their biggest set. Djokovic served from a 15-40 jam on 4-all and 7-all, and Nadal had to save a match point at 7-8. Finally, after 5 hours and 15 minutes, Djokovic broke. He then defeated Kevin Anderson to win his first Slam in over two years. 2. 2013 French Open Semifinals  Winner: Nadal 6-4, 3-6, 6-1, 6-7, 9-7  After missing quite a few months with a knee injury, Nadal shifted into fifth gear in Paris, taking Fabio Fognini, Kei Nishikori and Stan Wawrinka to the semi-finals and then taking two of three sets to beat Djokovic. He came up a break twice in the fourth set, but Djokovic broke back both times, winning the tiebreak in the fourth set and quickly getting a break in the fifth. But he accidentally hit the net while playing a volley away on deuce at 4-3 and Nadal broke back. Djokovic missed several opportunities with inflated overheads, and Nadal eventually sealed the deal with a break in the 16th game of the set. He then defeated David Ferrer to win the No. 8 French Open title. 1. 2012 Australian Open Final  Winner: Djokovic 5-7, 6-4, 6-2, 6-7, 7-5  If these two ever top this match, it will be the pinnacle of what this sport can produce. At some point, this struggle went from athletic to existential. They fought 5 hours and 53 minutes in this one. They both had to sit during the awards ceremony. After dominating the third set, Djokovic almost sealed the deal in the fourth. But Nadal saved three break points to take it to a tiebreak and took it, 7-5. At 4-4 in the fifth set, they produced one of their greatest rallies, a 31-shot epic that left Djokovic on his back after a foul. Nadal won that game, but somehow Djokovic rallied to take the last three and the game.