Defending champion Novak Djokovic outlasts old foe Rafael Nadal to make Rome semi-finals

Serb extends winning record against Spaniard in high quality Rome quarter-final

Defending champion Novak Djokovic overcame some stubborn resistance before making the last four in Rome (Getty)

You lose count of the number of memorable matches Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal have contested and the two men staged another spectacular encounter here in the quarter-finals of the Rome Masters. If Djokovic’s 7-5, 7-6 victory appeared to confirm the hold he has over the man who was for so long regarded as the king of clay, the match was also evidence that Nadal is close to recapturing some of his best form.

This was Djokovic’s 11th victory in his last 12 matches against Nadal, who has now lost the last 15 sets he has played against the Serb. Nadal, however, should have won the second set, in which he squandered five set points on his own serve. The outcome might have been very different if he had converted one of them.

Djokovic, nevertheless, completed his 16th successive victory against top-10 opponents with a display that combined brilliance with resilience. Some of the world No 1’s defence was exceptional as he kept returning Nadal’s best shots, often with interest. No wonder Djokovic is the favourite to win the French Open, which begins next weekend, even though he has never won the tournament before.

In the Open era no two men have faced one another more often than Nadal and Djokovic. This was their 49th meeting and their sixth at the Foro Italico. Djokovic, who now leads their head-to-head record 26-23, was playing in the quarter-finals here for the 10th year in a row, while Nadal was appearing in his 11th quarter-final in his last 12 visits.

Djokovic, who won the Rome title in both 2014 and 2015, has now won his last 13 matches at the Foro Italico, but from the start it was clear who had the most support in the crowd. Fans the world over love Nadal for his flair and passion.

Nadal’s comeback this year following all his troubles in 2015 has captured the public’s imagination and he will go to Paris with his self-confidence restored. Nevertheless, the fact that he will be seeded No 5 at Roland Garros means that he could meet Djokovic in the quarter-finals again, as he did when losing to the Serb in Paris last year.

Neither player looked in trouble on serve until Nadal broke in the fifth game. Three games later, however, Djokovic broke back, his relentless pressure forcing the Spaniard into mistakes.

Djokovic took the set by breaking again in similar fashion four games later. Nadal dug deep to save the first four set points but Djokovic converted the fifth in magnificent style after one of the rallies of the year. Having retrieved a smash, chased down a drop shot and leapt to hit a winning volley, the Serb bellowed out a characteristic roar of celebration.


 Nadal rolled back the years against his old foe but was unable to reward an appreciative crowd (Getty)

The world No 1’s reaction was rather different at the end of the following game, at the start of the second set. After putting a forehand wide on break point, Djokovic hurled his racket to the floor. Having failed to break the racket at the first attempt, he tried to finish the job on his way back to his chair.

After two more games Nadal sent for the trainer, complaining of numbness in his left foot, which had been heavily strapped. The strapping was removed and the Spaniard did not appear to be in any difficulty when play resumed.

However, when Nadal served at 5-4, Djokovic saved five set points. While the Serb defended heroically and kept forcing his opponent to play the extra ball, there was a sense that Nadal never quite had the conviction to seize the moment.

Djokovic went 0-30 down on his serve at 5-5 but once again held firm. His confidence was evident when he won one point with a brilliantly improvised shot, hitting a winner from one baseline to the other with what was almost a half-volley.

Nadal always trailed in the tie-break after missing a backhand on his own serve on the third point. At 6-4 Djokovic converted his first match point, hitting a backhand winner after outrallying Nadal in a gripping baseline exchange. In the semi-finals he will meet the winner of the concluding quarter-final between Kei Nishikori and Dominic Thiem.