Rafael Nadal: Novak Djokovic's Struggle Proves Rafa Will Win French Open
Rafael Nadal should breathe easy.
He's two wins away from his record-breaking seventh French Open title and after witnessing what No. 1 Novak Djokovic endured to beat Jo Willie Tsonga, the King of Clay should be more confident than ever before.
Djokovic was tested by Tsonga, surprisingly dropping the second and third sets of the grueling quarterfinals match.
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He rallied to win the fourth set in a tie-breaker before winning the deciding set 6-1.
Meanwhile, Nadal relatively cruised to the semifinals, beating fellow Spaniard Nicolas Almagro 7-6, 6-2 and 6-3.
Not surprisingly, he's been rather dominant at Roland Garros to this point, defeating Juan Monaco in the fourth round—having only lost two games in the match.
Djokovic isn't the only one standing in Rafa's way, but he's certainly his biggest challenger. Djoker will meet an equally tired Roger Federer, who lost the first two sets to Juan Martin Del Potro before exhibiting his championship resolve en route to a comeback victory.
Clearly, Nadal's road to his seventh French Open title would have been much easier had Djokovic and Federer been eliminated, but the reasons he should be exuding confidence right now are three-fold.
Firstly, Federer and Djokovic have spent a great deal of energy thus far at Roland Garros. What's more, they face each other in the semifinals in what should be a lengthy duel.
Secondly, both guys displayed weakness and showed they're susceptible to even lesser competition on clay. Neither Federer nor Djokovic were awful in their quarterfinal rallies, but issues on the clay were definitely brought to light.
Lastly, Nadal is in the zone right now on the surface which he's dominated and is most comfortable on. He hasn't played perfectly, but the first set tie-break against Almagro was the only semi-concerning set he's experienced in Paris.
After Federer and Djokovic battle to the proverbial death, they'll face an assertive, determined and rested six-time French Open champion.
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