Rafael Nadal To French Open 2022 Semifinals After Knocking Out World's No. 1 Novak Djokovic

Rafael Nadal. (Photo: Instagram @rafaelnadal)

JAKARTA - Rafael Nadal managed to penetrate the semifinals of the French Open 2022. He eliminated world number one Novak Djokovic.

Nadal, who is seeking his 14th title in the competition, overthrew the defending champion with a score of 6-2 4-6 6-2 7-6 (7-4) on Wednesday, 1 June western Indonesia time.

This victory made Nadal successfully demonstrate himself as one of the greatest players in the history of the championship which was held on clay.

"To win against Novak there is only one way: to play well from the first point to the last. It was one of those magical nights for me," Nadal said as reported by BBC Sport.

This victory also brought Nadal to avenge his defeat to Djokovic in the semifinals last year.

Moreover, this result extends the Spaniard's all-time record on clay to 110 wins in 113 matches.

"Nadal showed why he is a great champion and remains mentally strong. There is no doubt he deserved this win," said Djokovic.

Nadal, who holds 21 grand slam titles, will next face third seed Alexander Zverev on the nearest Friday.

Zverev, 25, of Germany reached the semifinals for the second year in a row after surviving a counter-attack by young sensation Carlos Alcaraz, who is a compatriot of Nadal.