Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal To Meet For 58th Time In French Open Semi-Finals

Novak Djokovic set up a 58th meeting with Rafael Nadal on Wednesday when he reached his 40th Grand Slam semi-final at the French Open

Novak Djokovic set up a 58th meeting with Rafael Nadal on Wednesday when he reached his 40th Grand Slam semi-final at the French Open despite being held up by 5,000 fans needing to be evacuated to conform with a COVID-19 curfew. World number one Djokovic defeated Italy's Matteo Berrettini 6-3, 6-2, 6-7 (5/7), 7-5 to book his place in the last four in Paris for the 11th time. Earlier, Nadal, the 13-time champion, beat Argentina's Diego Schwartzman 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 6-0 to make the semi-finals for the 14th time. With Djokovic's match extending beyond the national 11pm curfew, play was halted for around 20 minutes at 3-2 in the fourth set so that 5,000 fans could be funnelled out of Court Philippe Chatrier. Djokovic eventually claimed the match on a third match point in the 12th game of the fourth set but only after the Serb had kicked out at an advertising board in frustration at missing the first two. "It was a release of all the emotions I had kept inside me," said Djokovic who hit 44 winners and saved all three break points he faced. "After all the fans left and the little break it wasn't easy to find rhythm.