French Open Tennis 2013 Semi Finals: Analyzing Friday's Much-Anticipated Matches

Day 13 at the 2013 French Open will feature two colossal men's semifinal showdowns on Court Philippe Chatrier, headlined by a battle between Novak Djokovic and defending champion Rafael Nadal.

The two top-seeded men have combined to create one of tennis' greatest rivalries in recent years, playing in 16 tournament finals, including five Grand Slam finals since the 2010 U.S. Open.

After Nadal and Djokovic square off, it'll be top-10 contenders David Ferrer and hometown hero Jo-Wilfried Tsonga battling for the second spot in Sunday's tournament final.

With play set to begin, here we'll analyze both semifinal matchups.

Where: Court Philippe Chatrier, Roland Garros, Paris, France

When: Friday, June 7 at 7 a.m. ET 

Watch: Tennis Channel, NBC (coverage on NBC begins at 11 a.m. ET)

Live Stream: NBC Sports Live Extra

Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic Go Head to Head for 35th Time

	Novak Djokovic (1)	Rafael Nadal (3)
ATP Rank	1	4
Head-to-Head Wins	15	19
Age	26	27
Height	6'2"	6'1"
Grand Slam Titles	6	11
Handedness	Right	Left

For the 35th time in their careers, rivals Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic will go head to head on a tennis court.

Friday's semifinal matchup between arguably the top two players in today's game will also mark the 10th time that Nadal and Djokovic have squared off in a Grand Slam. Rafa leads the series at Grand Slams 6-3, while Djokovic boasts a 3-2 edge in Grand Slam finals.

Two other key stats to keep in mind: Rafa is 12-3 all-time against Nole on clay, and 4-0 against him at Roland Garros dating back to their very first meeting at the 2006 French Open.

But those numbers will mean very little on Friday, considering both are playing lights-out tennis at the moment and given the fact that Djokovic has won three of the past six meetings with Nadal on clay.

The good news for tennis fans: Both Nadal and Djokovic are oozing with confidence and each appears to be 100 percent physically. 

Rafa's forehand and movement are very encouraging, and Djokovic's ability to turn defense into offense remains a dangerous weapon for the Serb, according to TennisHead:

This is a challenging match to predict, but is guaranteed to entertain. Based on Nadal's dominance at this venue dating back to his teenage years, though, he deserves the edge. He's lost here just once in nearly nine years, while Djokovic has fallen at Roland Garros on eight occasions over that time.

David Ferrer and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga Take Aim at Berth in Final

	David Ferrer (4)	Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (6)
ATP Rank	5	8
Head-to-Head Wins	3	1
Age	31	28
Height	5'9"	6'2"
Grand Slam Titles	0	0
Handedness	Right	Right

World No. 5 David Ferrer is making his sixth career Grand Slam semifinal appearance on Friday, but a win would book his first-ever Grand Slam final berth.

Meanwhile, his opponent, world No. 8 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga is looking to earn his second career Grand Slam final berth. The talented Frenchman reached the final at the 2008 Australian Open more than five years ago, losing to Novak Djokovic. 

While Tsonga is making his first-ever semifinal appearance at Roland Garros this summer, both players are coming in hot, according to Beyond the Baseline:

Ferrer is no stranger to this stage, though. He reached the semis last year, losing to eventual champion Nadal in straight sets. But this year, he'll have a much better opportunity to break through.

The 31-year-old Spaniard has had success against Tsonga in the past, and he is an accomplished clay-court player despite often being overlooked. Still, the momentum Tsonga has built over the past two weeks in Paris is tough to bet against. 

Although Ferrer has fared better on the clay over the years than Tsonga, look for the Frenchman to win on Friday to reach his first-ever French Open final. 

Having defeated 2009 champion Roger Federer already, Tsonga is the player to beat on that side of the draw, and he no doubt possesses all the tools necessary to challenge the Big Four for men's tennis supremacy.

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