agence france presse
Paris, June 2: Clay king Rafael Nadal said Tuesday that all the pressure will be on Novak Djokovic in Wednesday’s French Open quarterfinal with the nine-time champion dismissing the headline-grabbing collision as ‘not vital’. Nadal has defeated World No.1 Djokovic six times out of six at Roland Garros where the Spaniard boasts a 70-1 record.
In contrast to Nadal’s domination, Djokovic remains frustratingly just one French Open title short of a career Grand Slam, something already achieved by the Spaniard, fellow Swiss rival Roger Federer and five other men.
Nadal, who has not played Djokovic at such an early stage of any tournament for eight years said, “If it was a final, things would have been different. It’s a quarterfinal and if you win, you go to the semis. It’s not a matter of lifting the trophy. This is not the match of the year. Matches of the year are finals and decisive matches. If I lose, my life won’t change.”
Apart from his Paris supremacy, Nadal also holds a career 23-20 edge in head-to-head meetings with Djokovic. But the Serb is the overwhelming favourite to break that stranglehold this year after claiming his 26th successive win Monday.
The 28-year-old has lost just twice all year and has not been defeated since February. In 2015, he has won the Australian Open as well as Masters titles at Indian Wells, Miami, Monte Carlo and Rome.
Nadal, however, arrived here on his lowest world ranking since 2005 and without a European clay court title for the first time in a decade. He can drop out of the world top 10 if he loses to Djokovic. But the Mallorcan said his main priority is to finish the full season unlike 2014 when he virtually missed the entire second half of the campaign, including the defence of his US Open title because of injuries.
“My situation is different to Novak’s. If I don’t win, I will think about the next tournament,” said the Spaniard admitting that Wednesday’s blockbuster will be the ‘toughest quarterfinal I have ever played’.
Djokovic said he will try to stick to his usual routine but admitted that facing his old adversary so early feels unusual. “Playing him here and playing him in any other tournament is completely different,” said the 28-year-old Serb. “The conditions here are very much suited to his style of game. He loves playing on Court Philippe Chatrier. I am trying to keep my routine the same and not give too much importance to the match. I know what to do, I know what’s expected of me,” stated the Serbian.
