How long did djokovic and nadal play

The world No. Djokovic-Nadal, Part 58, was as good as any of the previous 57 meetings, with the third set alone a masterclass in clay-court tennis -- brutal hitting, incredible court coverage, courage under pressure and calmness even in the most trying of circumstances.

After 3 hours, 28 minutes, and with the previously indefatigable Nadal showing the first signs of cramping at the end, Djokovic stood strong to give the Spaniard only his third loss in matches at Roland Garros. For both players, a lot of support. Just amazing. I heard there was a special waiver, so they allowed the crowd to stay. Just one of these nights and matches that you will remember forever. With the Tsitsipas-Zverev match going 3 hours, 37 minutes -- Tsitsipas letting slip a two-set lead before winning , , , , -- the Djokovic-Nadal match began in the early evening, with temperatures soon dipping from their 29 degree Celsius 84 Fahrenheit high.

And though Nadal began well, saving break points in the opening game and racing to a lead, it was clear even then that the Spaniard's shots were not quite rearing up as high as they would have done a few hours beforehand.

As the match wore on, Djokovic was able to begin dictating from the baseline, taking the ball early and moving Nadal from side to side, mixing in drop shots along the way. Djokovic grabbed the early break in the second set, only to be pegged back, but by now he was back into the match.

Using his forehand cross-court on the angle, he began to pull Nadal out of court, testing his agility and speed to the very limit. With Nadal starting to miss, Djokovic held the advantage to level the match. It was only the stunning defense of Nadal -- and then his ability to turn defense into attack with his forehand up the line -- that prevented Djokovic from pulling away faster than he did.

After leveling up at one set all, Djokovic led in the third only to be broken back. Nadal had set point at , only for Djokovic to save it with a drop shot. By then, the standard of tennis was on another planet, but once Djokovic won the tiebreak , it was an uphill battle for Nadal. As the match wore on, Nadal's grimace became broader, his struggles and fatigue more obvious. Djokovic provided us with one of the most iconic images after winning a marathon final in Melbourne.

Nadal came out on top at Roland Garros, although he was pushed to the limit on his favourite surface by Djokovic. Djokovic won a Wimbledon classic between the two in The Spaniard demolished Djokovic for the loss of seven games at Roland Garros last year. Kane defends brother's handling of failed Man City move. Hamilton: efforts 'underappreciated' amid Verstappen pace. World Cup Euro Qualifiers: Who's through, who needs what? Australia sink Pakistan to reach T20 World Cup final. This is just ridiculous stuff from both Nadal and Djokovic.

After splitting the first six games of the set, Djokovic jumped out to a lead and seemingly looked in control by breaking Nadal's serve. He went up in the 10th game before a bad forehand shot opened the door for Rafa to get his own break and even things up. Nadal won the 11th game by saving two break points to go up , but he was unable to break Djokovic's serve to avoid the tiebreak. Nadal is trailing by that margin for just the third time in his career in Paris.

It seemed like Nadal was running out of gas during that marathon set. He had 55 unforced errors in the match, with 23 coming in the third set alone. The match was taking so long through three sets that it was approaching 11 p.

Instead, it was announced in the arena that fans would be permitted to stay past the cutoff time and finish watching the match. What a scene at Rolland Garros. Covid curfew is 11PM. Health authorities just ruled on the spot that fans can stay for the duration and the place erupted.

Nadal recovered from the dropped third-set tiebreaker to steal a break at the beginning of the fourth.

Nadal noted afterward that playing in the cooler night air meant balls bounced lower, lessening the effect of his lefty forehand's heavy topspin. That's tennis. The player who gets used to the conditions better is the player who deserves to win. So no doubt, he deserved to win. The intensity was palpable from the outset of the evening, and Nadal zoomed to a lead en route to winning the first set.

It was reminiscent of last year's final, which he won , , That was only the fourth shutout set lost by Djokovic in career Grand Slam matches up to that point -- and the first in a major final. Two of those seven losses now have been to Djokovic. There wouldn't be another Friday, because Djokovic made two key tactical adjustments -- moving much further back than usual to return serve and deciding to focus on serving toward Nadal's backhand -- and quickly made clear this would be a classic between two of the greatest ever at what they do.

They defended in ways rarely seen. Found the right mix of power and touch. Conjured up impossible-at-first-glance winners that no one else would try, let alone successfully employ. Returned as well as anyone, combining to generate 38 break points.

It was the 58th matchup between the rivals, more than any other two men in the sport's professional era.