Who will get the upper hand in the tennis classic?
The quarter-finals of the 126th Men’s Singles at the French Open will feature one of the biggest possible duels: Novak Djokovic clashes with Rafael Nadal. They have won a combined 41 Grand Slam titles in singles. They have faced each other 58 times in direct duels – including in all four major finals.
Now it will be decided which of the two heavyweights will advance to the semifinals. Either Rafael Nadal, who won 109 of his 112 singles at the French Open, or Novak Djokovic, the man responsible for two of the Spaniard’s only three defeats at the only clay-court Grand Slam tournament. In the run-up to the duel between Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal, the odds are certainly in favour of the Serb.
However, this match is extremely difficult to predict. After all, the Djoker presented himself physically in an impressive form, while clay court king Rafa already reached his limits in the round of 16 in the almost four-and-a-half-hour thriller against Félix Auger-Aliassime. There is a lot to be said for the Serb. But to write off the bull of Manacor would possibly be a grave mistake.
We are therefore avoiding betting on the outcome of the match between Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal and are betting on a maximum of nine aces being hit in the duel between two strong return players.
Novak Djokovic – Statistics & current form
Current world ranking: 1
Position in the seedings: 1
Novak Djokovic did not manage too much in the first half of the year, which was overshadowed by the trouble surrounding the Australian Open. After the 35-year-old also missed the Sunshine Double, he failed to reach the final in front of his home crowd in Belgrade in April.
In the further course of the clay court season, however, the Djoker got his act together again. The world number one first reached the semifinals in Madrid before winning the Rome Masters and now also storming into the quarterfinals at Roland Garros with four straight 3-0 victories.
16 wins from the 20 singles in 2022
So far at the French Open, no opponent has been able to match the Serb, who went four games without dropping a set and even dispatched the clay-court savvy Diego Schwatzman in two hours and 15 minutes on Sunday.
The world number one only surrendered one service game in this round of 16 match, in which he once again showed nerves of steel and converted six of his eleven chances to break. The Djoker has now won nine singles matches in a row, taking his tally for the year to 16 wins from 20 singles matches.
Only nine of 27 duels on clay won against Nadal
The Serb leads the direct comparison against clay court king Rafael Nadal with 30 wins from 58 singles. On clay, however, he could only win eight of the 27 duels with the Majorcan. Just a year ago, however, Nole eliminated the Spaniard in the semifinals of the French Open and ended up winning the Coupe des Mousquetaires for the second time in his career.
The bookmakers also see the world number one as the favourite now.
Rafael Nadal – Statistics & current form
Current world ranking: 5
Position in the seedings: 5
Rafael Nadal admittedly got off to a perfect start in 2022, becoming the first player ever to secure his 21st overall victory at a Grand Slam tournament at the Australian Open, partly due to the absence of Novak Djokovic.
In the clay-court season, however, the bull from Manacor, who has been complaining of foot ailments of late, has not been able to build on the exceptional form he showed at the start of the year when he won his first 21 singles in a row.
109 of the 112 singles won at the French Open
Currently on 27 wins from 30 singles in the 2022 calendar year, Rafa initially battled his way effortlessly through the first three rounds of the French Open, which he has won an unfathomable 13 times in his career.
In the last 16, however, the Majorcan had to fight hard for the first time against Félix Auger-Aliassime. In the end, Nadal passed the physically very tough test and celebrated a not undeserved 3:2 victory after four hours and 21 minutes. It was his 109th singles win at Roland Garros in his 112th match.
Does physical condition decide the quarter-finals?
Physical condition could still become a problem. If the 35-year-old lacks the decisive energy, he could be eliminated from the tournament against a long-term rival against whom such nuances were often decisive.
In order for Novak Djokovic’s bet on the Mallorcan reaching the semi-finals against Rafael Nadal to work out, Rafa will not only have to get his enormous return qualities back on the court, but also bring maximum reliability to his own service game, which he surrendered four times in the round of 16.
Novak Djokovic – Rafael Nadal Direct comparison / H2H record
Head to head: 30:28
The two long-term rivals have faced each other 58 times so far and the Djoker leads with a total of 30 victories. On clay, however, Nadal won 18 of the 27 singles. However, the last meeting so far went to Djokovic, who won 3:1 in the semifinals of the 2021 French Open.
Novak Djokovic – Rafael Nadal Tip
It is incredibly difficult to predict the outcome of the match between Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal. In principle, the Spaniard’s unclear physical condition is the last nuance in favour of the fit Serb, who has not yet dropped a single set in the course of the tournament. But betting against the Majorcan at the French Open, of all places, where the Bull of Manacor won 109 of his 112 singles, carries many risks.
In search of the biggest value, we are betting on a maximum of nine aces being hit in this duel. Despite all his dominance, the Djoker only managed three aces against Diego Schwartzman in the last 16, while Rafa is not exactly known for producing a string of aces, especially on clay.
