Novak Djokovic described exactly what it is like to play Rafael Nadal at Roland Garros.
The Spaniard has dominated the clay court Grand Slam unlike any player has managed at other tournaments.
He has won the major an astonishing 14 times and has lost just three matches there throughout his career. Djokovic is the only player to have multiple victories over the 37-year-old at the event.
The seven-time Wimbledon winner knows arguably more than any other player how difficult it is to defeat Nadal on his beloved surface at his favourite Grand Slam.
Novak Djokovic described playing Rafael Nadal at Roland Garros like trying to go through a ‘wall’
At the Italian Open Djokovic and Nadal are competing in the same tournament for the first time this season.
Nadal is searching for a record-extending 11th title in Rome while the World Number One is hunting for his seventh.
Ahead of commencing his campaign on Friday, Djokovic shared his thoughts on experiencing arguably the toughest challenge in tennis – playing Nadal at Roland Garros.
“It’s probably one of the biggest challenges you can have on the tennis tour, playing Rafa at Roland Garros,” Djokovic told reporters.
“We know his record there and I’ve played him probably more than any other player has played him on that court.
“The court is bigger, there’s more space, which visually affects the play a lot and the feeling of the player on the court and he likes to stand quite far back to return.
“So you have some times when he’s really in the zone and in the groove and not making many errors, you feel like he’s impenetrable, he’s like a wall. It’s really a paramount challenge to play him at Roland-Garros, he’s an incredible athlete.”
What is Novak Djokovic’s head-to-head record against Rafael Nadal at Roland Garros?
Over the course of their glittering careers, Djokovic and Nadal have played one another 10 times at Roland Garros.
Nadal has won eight of them, and claimed their first six meetings before the 24-time Grand Slam winner claimed his first win in 2015.
The tennis legends did not play one another at Roland Garros again until 2020, when Nadal claimed a straight sets win in the final.
Djokovic gained some revenge a year later when he eliminated his great rival at the semi-final stage before going on to win his second French Open title.
Their last meeting at the clay court major came in the 2022 quarterfinals, when Nadal produced some of his finest tennis to claim a four set victory and go on to win what is currently his 22nd and last Grand Slam.
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