French Open 2015 Men's Semifinal: TV Schedule, Start Time, Live Stream Info
Novak Djokovic will be advancing to the 2015 French Open semifinal. The monkey that's been hanging on his back for nearly a decade? That puppy's gone once and for all.
Djokovic finally overcame the Great Wall of Nadal in their quarterfinals match, defeating the nine-time French champion in straight sets to advance to the semis. The world No. 1 battled through an hourlong first set before ramping up the pressure and demolishing Rafael Nadal in shocking fashion.
| Matchup | Date | Time | Network | Stream |
| (3) Andy Murray vs. (1) Novak Djokovic | TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD |
| (14) Jo-Wilfried Tsonga vs. (8) Stan Wawrinka | TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD |
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Djokovic did not face a single break point in the final two sets, winning 70 percent of his service points and nearly half of his return points. Nadal, who is now 70-2 at Roland Garros, made 30 unforced errors and had 16 winners—only seven of which came after the first set.
"In general, Novak [was] in control most of the time," Nadal said, per Greg Garber of ESPN.com. "He was better than me—that's it. Is simple when opponent play better than you; he's in better shape than you. It happens. Just congratulate him."
The win gives Djokovic four Grand Slam triumphs over Nadal, double the number of any other player, per ESPN Stats & Info. But none of those wins compares to Wednesday's, which saw Djokovic once and for all slay his biggest career dragon: Nadal on clay.
Unfortunately, Djokovic still has two tests remaining if he hopes to complete the career Grand Slam. Up next is third-seeded Andy Murray, who advanced to his second French semi in as many years with a four-set win over David Ferrer. Murray and Djokovic are meeting in their second straight Slam, as the Serb took down the Scot in four sets at the Australian Open.
“He has improved on clay, no doubt about it. I watched him a little bit in Madrid,” Djokovic said, per the Associated Press (via the Washington Post). “Here he’s been playing some really good tennis. He’s moving better, serving very well, and he always had a (good) touch.”
Murray has lost his last seven head-to-heads with Djokovic, including three this year. On the bright side, the last time Murray did defeat Djokovic was on another major championship stage. His 2013 Wimbledon victory was the last triumph, which ironically came after Djokovic had taken him down at the Australian earlier in the year.
That's not to say we're headed toward a similar result. Djokovic has never played better tennis. He's lost twice all season, is undefeated on clay and seems determined to finally grab his first French championship.
“He’s probably in the best moment of his career,” Nadal said of Djokovic, per Christopher Clarey of the New York Times.
Djokovic-Murray will undoubtedly be atop the semifinals marquee, which fits Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Stan Wawrinka just fine. Their matchup won't draw nearly the amount of attention, but one of the unlikely pair is still heading to Sunday's final.
Tsonga advanced to his second French semifinals in the last three years with a thrilling five-set win over Kei Nishikori. With the full backing of his country behind him, Tsonga got out to a two-sets-to-nothing lead before dropping the third and fourth. He managed to right the ship just in time to advance, and he'll attempt to reach his first Slam final in seven years against Wawrinka.
“I’m a bit like a diesel engine, you know,” Tsonga said, per Ben Rothenberg of the New York Times. “I’m a strong guy, so that the machine gets started after a while. When it’s stopped, it’s been switched off—it’s a bit complicated.”
Wawrinka has already turned in the best performance of his French Open career. The Swiss has been downright dominant through his first five matches, dropping only one set and blowing through his quarterfinals matchup against Roger Federer with ease. Wawrinka also made the semis at this year's Australian, which continues an ascent that began a little over a year ago.
"I'm playing good tennis and I'm really pleased to be in the Paris semifinals for the first time," Wawrinka said, per BBC Sport. "I'm a little bit surprised to win that match in three sets and the way I did, but it's a great feeling."
Given his recent run of success against Murray and Djokovic—Wawrinka has played them both tough, if not beaten them altogether, in their most recent major head-to-heads—the most interesting result probably sees him advancing. That said, a 30-year-old Frenchman playing before his home country for his first Grand Slam championship would also generate a ton of buzz.
The point being: Don't fret about Nadal and Federer being out. Don't fret about the two most marquee matchups of the entire tournament happening before the final. No matter which combination of players we have on the docket Sunday, something historic is bound to happen.
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